March 14, 2026September 13, 2026

The Things We’ll do For Penguins: An Expedition from South America to Africa to (Hopefully) see the Northern Rockhopper

This post is part of our March 2026 Cape to Cape expedition in search of the Northern Rockhopper Penguin. Click to expand this section and view the table of contents if you don't want to read sequentially, or if you are looking for a specific part of the trip.

We have only had three penguin species remaining on our goal to see all 18 species. Two of them, the Northern Rockhopper and the Erect-created, were going to be challenging.

Penguins of the world illustration showing the species we have seen, with northern rockhopper and erect-crested penguins highlighted as the remaining species.

Massive shout-out to expedition team member Jamie Watts who created and shared this amazing image.

The Northern Rockhopper Penguin lives on remote islands in the South Atlantic, in the Tristan da Cunha archipelago. Reaching them is not easy. In fact, there are basically only a couple of expedition ships each year that stop there during repositioning voyages.

We quickly realized this was not going to be a simple “book a trip and go” kind of expedition.

Our First Choice Sold Out

Initially we wanted to sail with Oceanwide. They have a great reputation, and honestly, it looked much more like our style. Smaller ship. More expedition focused. Fewer luxury touches. No butlers. No dress code.

There was one slight issue though. The ship did not have stabilizers. So I made peace that seasickness was probably going to become part of the experience. Unfortunately by the time we tried booking in December for a March departure, the voyage had already sold out. Looking back now, that may have been the luckiest thing that ever happened to us because that particular voyage later ran into some significant problems.

Choosing Silversea Instead

That left us with one remaining option for 2026: Silversea. The Silver Wind looked far more like a luxury cruise ship than the expedition ships we traveled on in the past. The ship carried roughly twice the number of passengers we were used to seeing on expeditions. As we browsed the website we found butlers, beautifully dressed guests, and something called “Gentlemen Hosts.”

Still, it was our only realistic option. And honestly, if I have to choose between “too nice” and “not nice enough,” we would probably survive the nicer option.

We also already knew the ship. During our Snow Hill Emperor Penguin expedition we saw the Silver Wind at Deception Island. While we did see that as sign, Instagram also decided to repeatedly promote their Black Friday deal. The trip effectively became two-for-one pricing, making the decision to book much easier.

A One-Way Voyage Across the South Atlantic

And that is how we found ourselves booked on a one-way 21-night voyage from Puerto Williams, Chile, to Walvis Bay, Namibia.

Along the way the itinerary included the Falklands, South Georgia, and eventually the remote islands where Northern Rockhopper Penguins live. But seeing them was not guaranteed. Statistically, the odds were less than visiting Snow Hill.

Next up –> Birding in Santiago and Embarking on our Cape to Cape Expedition

Andy and Jennifer Martin

We’re Andy and Jennifer—two former corporate executives who chose long ago to prioritise experiences over stuff while pursuing our passions for travel and photography. From the Arctic to Antarctica, and most places in between, we’ve captured the world through our lenses and love sharing those stories. Our careers gave us the means, but our purpose is inspiring others to explore and helping people create images they’re proud of.