Seals, Seabirds and a Legacy of Sorrow: Sea of Okhotsk

“Many memorable experiences”

“Having previously traveled with Heritage Expeditions on cruises to the Sub-Antarctic and Melanesia which we thoroughly enjoyed, we were anxious to experience the Russian Far East aboard their flagship, mv Spirit of Enderby. As experienced travelers who have made six expeditionary cruises before this, we were ready for another adventure. Our cruise to the Sea of Okhost did not disappoint. We met the ship in Yuzhno, Sakhalin Island (Russia). While not the easiest port to embark, the Heritage office and port staff were accommodating and despite having to spend an extra day awaiting the ship due to limited flights, we were enchanted by the town including its monuments, museums, people and restaurants. Once we boarded the ship, we were met by many friendly faces from previous cruises and it felt a little like homecoming. Rodney was his usual charming but thoroughly professional self, Capt. Alexander and his bridge staff extremely competent, the excellent chefs, husband and wife team of Linzy and Cath plus the rest of the expeditionary staff went out of their way to make us feel at home. Being non-birders of the highest order, we were a little nervous about joining a cruise that seemed to cater to mainly serious bird watchers. Even for us I must admit there is something magical about cruising close to uninhabited islands in one of the remotest parts of the world. We could do it in comfort by ship and zodiac seeing thousands, in some cases tens of thousands and even more birds such as auklets cling to sheer rock faces and have them circle us perhaps more out of their own curiosity than our own wonder. May my birder friends forgive me for my limited description of the special sights we were treated to… Landing on some of these islands and seeing an amazing array of flora of all shapes, sizes and colors was a true delight. Viewing rare mammals such as ribbon seals and whales nearly extinct was an experience we did not expect. The on-board lectures were appropriate and extremely educational. To us, the highlight was visiting a village that hosts only one ship a year (Enderby) and the fantastic cultural shows and presentation of food that they prepared. Crunching through ice packs made for many memorable experiences. Our cruise ended in Magadan, a town known primarily for its association with the infamous gulags of the Stalin era. We did not opt for some of the extensions Heritage offered due to personal time constraints but the town had more than enough to offer to justify at least one additional day. Moving sights such as the Mask of Sorrow, the Regional Museum and the city park, not to mention some excellent restaurants made us wish we had more time. Due in large measure to Rodney’s stellar reputation, Heritage is one of the very few companies that can obtain the necessary permits to visit this corner of the globe. While expeditionary cruises are by nature a slave to Mother Nature and the bureaucracy that controls where you can visit, this cruise exceeded our expectations. Bob & Cathy Parda ”

Bob & CAthy Parda