Peter’s Travels
“My simple reason for being is to share with others the magic, the awe, and the enchantment that I see each day in my travels.” — Peter Harrison
Upcoming Expeditions
Flock to Marion AGAIN! 2025
January 24 - 31, 2025
Join Peter Harrison on a 7-night cruise with BirdLife South Africa.
Announcing a “twice-in-a-lifetime” opportunity as we flock to Marion once again in January 2025! You’ll set sail from Durban aboard the MSC Musica to Marion Island and the Southern Ocean where as many as 11 different species of albatrosses may be seen, along with possible sightings of 5 species of penguins, 16 species of petrels, 7 species of storm petrels, 7 prions and 7 shearwaters. On this voyage, we aim to raise awareness about seabirds, create an opportunity for birders to observe seabirds not usually seen on traditional pelagic birding trips, and raise funds for BirdLife South Africa’s conservation work including the Mouse-Free Marion Project.
Wandering Albatross. © Peter Harrison
British Isles
May 12 – 25, 2025
Cruise the British Isles aboard the Silver Endeavour with Peter Harrison and Apex Expeditions
Explore the wild and untamed coastlines of Great Britain and Ireland on a 14-day cruise from Portsmouth to Leith. On this expedition, you’ll see the southerly Scilly archipelago off the Cornwall coast, the striking islands off Ireland’s Kerry coast, and far-flung St. Kilda. Sail around the Skelligs to see the massive Northern Gannet colony with nearly 30,000 breeding pairs. Also see tens of thousands of Razorbills, fulmars, kittiwakes, puffins, and murres nesting on rugged cliffs.
Northern Gannet. © Peter Harrison
Taiwan, Philippines, and Indonesia
June 9 – 27, 2025
Cruise Taiwan, the Philippines, and Indonesia with Peter Harrison and Apex Expeditions
Island hop through the pristine waters of Taiwan, the Philippines, and Indonesia aboard the Heritage Adventurer to some of the most biodiverse regions on the planet. Weave your way through far removed and rarely visited tropical islands as you search for boobies, noddies, terns, frigatebirds, and tropicbirds. We’ll also seek the endangered Chinese Crested Tern.
Red-footed Boobies. © Peter Harrison
Antarctica with the Falkland Islands and South Georgia
November 22 – December 11, 2025
Cruise Antarctica with Peter Harrison and Apex Expeditions
This remarkable 20-day voyage aboard the Silver Endeavour will showcase some of the most impressive concentrations of wildlife on the planet. In the Falkland Islands, visit a cliffside colony of Black-browed Albatross nesting side-by-side with feisty Rockhopper Penguins. At South Georgia Island, see massive colonies of King Penguins, some 100,000 pairs strong. And on the Antarctic Peninsula, view colonies and nesting sites of both Gentoo and Adelie Penguins.
King Penguins. © Peter Harrison
Past Travels
Costa Rica to Chile
October 30 – November 18, 2024
Sail from Puntarenas to Valparaíso with Peter Harrison and Apex Expeditions.
On this exciting 20-day journey along the west coast of South America, we’ll visit Cocos Island, known as Costa Rica’s “little Galapagos,” watch Blue-footed Boobies in Ecuador, and cruise by Zodiac along the shoreline of Isla Pan de Azúcar to see Humboldt Penguins. Watch for an array of species including Peruvian Pelicans, Guanay Cormorants, Peruvian Boobies, Franklin’s Gulls, Inca Terns, Peruvian Diving-Petrels, and Red-legged Cormorants.
Blue-footed Booby. © Jonathan Rossouw
Galápagos
June 17 – 29, 2024
Sail the Galápagos Islands aboard the Silver Origin with Peter Harrison and Apex Expeditions.
This expedition includes two full days at Mashpi Reserve on mainland Ecuador before embarking on a 7-night cruise of the Galápagos. We’ll see an abundance of seabird species including iconic Flightless Cormorants, critically-endangered Waved Albatrosses, Red-billed Tropicbirds, Magnificent Frigatebirds, Galápagos Penguins, along with Red-footed, Nazca, and Blue-footed Boobies.
Waved Albatross. © Jonathan Rossouw
Cape to Cape
March 1 - 24, 2024
Sail from the seas of Cape Horn to Cape Town, South Africa aboard the Silver Cloud with Peter Harrison and Apex Expeditions.
This unforgettable voyage will bring you face-to-face with some of the most impressive concentrations of wildlife on the planet, including eight species of penguin and seven species of albatross. Visit massive albatross colonies in the Falkland Islands, walk amongst hundreds of thousands of King Penguins on majestic South Georgia, and set foot on rugged Tristan da Cunha, home to Northern Rockhopper Penguins.
Northern Rockhopper Penguin. © Peter Harrison
Sub-Antarctic Islands
December 5 – 21, 2023
Explore the Sub-Antarctic Islands of New Zealand with Macquarie Island aboard the Heritage Adventurer with Peter Harrison and Apex Expeditions.
It’s what seabirders imagine when they close their eyes—this string of islands in the Furious Forties and Fifties, known as the “Albatross Latitudes.” See ten of the world’s albatross species, five of which breed nowhere but here. Petrels, shearwaters, prions, and storm-petrels are among the 40 pelagic species present, and seven species of penguin, including endemic Royal, Snares and Erect-crested Penguins.
Southern Royal Albatross. © Peter Harrison
Galápagos
June 5 – 18, 2023
Sail the Galápagos Islands aboard the Silver Origin with Peter Harrison and Apex Expeditions.
This expedition includes two full days at Mashpi Reserve on mainland Ecuador before embarking on a 7-night cruise of the Galápagos. We’ll see an abundance of seabird species including iconic Flightless Cormorants, critically-endangered Waved Albatrosses, Red-billed Tropicbirds, Magnificent Frigatebirds, Galápagos Penguins, along with Red-footed, Nazca, and Blue-footed Boobies.
Magnificent Frigatebird. © Jonathan Rossouw
Melanesia
April 25 – May 13, 2023
Join Peter Harrison and Apex Expeditions aboard the Silver Explorer on an 19-day voyage through Melanesia.
Of all the world’s islands, none are as geologically varied and naturally diverse as the archipelagos of Melanesia. On this voyage, we’ll sail from Lautoka, Fiji, to Cairns, Australia, visiting Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea. Along the way, we’ll seek White-tailed Tropicbirds, Vanuatu Petrels, Great-crested Terns, and Tropical Shearwaters.
White-tailed Tropicbirds. © Peter Harrison
Deep South Antarctica
February 11 – March 4, 2023
Join Peter Harrison and Apex Expeditions aboard the Silver Endeavour on an exploration of Deep South Antarctica.
On this wondrous new 22-day adventure, you will stop at some favorite sites along the Antarctic Peninsula, then cross the Antarctic Circle for a full seven-day exploration of the Deep South. See ice-dependent Antarctic Petrels, ethereal Snow Petrels, feisty Adélie Penguins, and with luck, Emperor Penguins.
Adélie Penguins. © Peter Harrison
Pape'ete to Valparaíso
October 20 – November 13, 2022
Join Peter Harrison and Apex Expeditions aboard the Silver Explorer on an extensive 25-day South Pacific voyage from Tahiti to Chile.
Experience the rarely-visited Austral Islands, all four of the Pitcairn Islands, and Easter Island, then sail on to Alexander Selkirk and Robinson Crusoe Islands before making landfall at Valparaíso. For birdwatchers, this will be one of the most important voyages of a lifetime with sightings of some of the rarest and least-known seabirds on the planet.
Masked Boobies. © Jonathan Rossouw
Western Australia
August 19 - September 7, 2022
Sail aboard the Silver Explorer with Peter Harrison and Apex Expeditions for a grand transect of Australia’s wild west coast—pristine reefs, historic archipelagos, and seabird bonanzas.
This 20-day itinerary from Fremantle to Darwin includes many highlights for seabirders. Australia’s only colony of Lesser Noddies breeds in the Abrolhos Islands, alongside Sooty and Bridled Terns, and a phenomenal two million Wedge-tailed and Little Shearwaters. At the Montebello Islands, look for roosting Roseate, Fairy and Greater Crested Terns. At the Lacepedes see the breeding colony of Brown Boobies, possibly the largest in the world, with up to 18,000 breeding pairs.
Brown Booby. © Gary Krosin
Wild Britain & Norway
May 31 - June 14, 2022
Cruise aboard the Silver Wind with Peter Harrison and Apex Expeditions on a 15-day journey to discover an array of archaeological sites, stunning scenery, and rugged cliffs alive with massive seabird colonies.
Sailing from Southampton to Tromsø, this expedition puts you in the midst of heathered moorlands, ancient forests, British countryside ablaze with wildflowers, Neolithic monuments, stone abbeys, and Celtic fortresses. Just offshore, on isolated islands, lie Europe’s largest seabird colonies—resonating with the caws and cries of puffins, guillemots, kittiwakes, and gannets, along with many migratory bird species—all in a frenzy of breeding activity.
Atlantic Puffins. © Shirley Metz
Seychelles
April 15 - 27, 2022
Sail with Peter Harrison and Apex Expeditions aboard the Silver Explorer on an immersive Indian Ocean voyage from historic Zanzibar to the sculpted granitic perfection of the Seychelles.
See Great and Lesser Frigatebirds at Aldabra Atoll and search for nesting Red-footed and Masked Boobies on Cosmoledo Island. At Farquhar Atoll find large colonies of Sooty and Black-naped Terns, and Wedge-tailed Shearwaters on Alphonse. See the world’s largest colonies of Lesser Noddies and Tropical Shearwaters at Aride Island.
Red-tailed Tropicbird. © Peter Harrison
Oman and Jordan
February 19 - March 6 and March 9 - 24, 2022
Join Peter Harrison and Shirley Metz to discover the rich history, natural wonders, and architectural treasures of these two captivating countries.
On this expedition you'll visit stunning World Heritage Sites in Muscat, Bahla, and Salalah, explore wetlands and coastal desert for migrating birds, see the ruins of ancient, rock-carved Petra, and float in the fabled Dead Sea.
Photo: Steppe Eagle. © Jonathan Rossouw
Flock to Marion 2022
January 24 - 31, 2022
Join Peter Harrison for the official launch of SEABIRDS: The New Identification Guide on a 7-night cruise with BirdLife South Africa.
This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and a first of its kind voyage for birders from all around the world. You’ll sail from Cape Town to Durban aboard the MSC Musica to Marion Island and the Southern Ocean where as many as 11 different species of albatrosses may be seen, along with possible sightings of 5 species of penguins, 16 species of petrels, 7 species of storm petrels, 7 prions and 7 shearwaters. On this voyage, we aim to raise awareness about seabirds, create an opportunity for birders to observe seabirds not usually seen on traditional pelagic birding trips, and raise funds for BirdLife South Africa’s conservation work including the Mouse-Free Marion Project.
Emperor Penguins
October 31 - November 19, 2021
Join Peter Harrison and Apex Expeditions on a 20-day cruise south of the Antarctic Circle aboard the new hybrid electric icebreaker, Le Commandant Charcot.
This is a rare opportunity to be among the few to experience the haunting landscapes and ethereal beauty of the Bellingshausen Sea, west of the Antarctic Peninsula. Wildlife abounds here with Leopard, Crabeater and Weddell Seals, and, of course, Antarctica’s foremost ambassadors, the penguins. Walk among the royalty of the Southern Ocean, the majestic Emperor Penguin. This time of year, as winter gradually gives way to the austral spring, the weeks-old chicks are just beginning to find their independence and gather in immense “crèches.” Watch them huddle together, braving the harsh conditions. It is a rare, moving and intense experience, one you will not soon forget.
Photo: Emperor Penguins. © Peter Harrison