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Antarctica

6

Reasons To
Visit Antarctica

  • Birds

    As the austral sun warms Antarctica, 100 million birds fly south to feed and often breed, 35 main species will be your constant companions as you cross the Drake Passage. Pelagic birds such as the albatross, fulmar, petrel and shearwater are perhaps the most spectacular, with coastal species such as cormorant, skua, tern and sheathbills busy along the shores. The shortage of ice-free nesting land means the birds nest together in huge colonies, with almost unlimited food a few flaps away in the sea.

    Birds

  • Icebergs

    Antarctica’s ice comprises 70% of the world’s fresh water, a dense coat of white up to four kilometres thick. Don’t fill up your camera on the first iceberg you see: changing hues with countless shades of blue, icebergs can be stunningly beautiful. Every visitor soon becomes something of an expert in identifying different iceberg types, from low-lying ‘growlers’ that hover about the ship’s waterline to flat-topped tabular icebergs freshly broken from pack ice. Only a tenth of any iceberg can be seen above the water.

    Icebergs

  • Whales

    The super-chilled waters of the southern seas are rich in nutrients and it’s not for nothing the earliest explorers were whalers: the sub-Antarctic region sees the whales at their most prolific and relaxed. Orca, blue, humpback, minke, southern right and sperm whales are amongst those thronging the region from January to March (although many arrive early), blowing, breaching and mating in chilly waters of unbelievable clarity.

    Whales

  • Penguins

    Enjoy spotting the penguins swim alongside your ship, dive off icebergs into the sea and fiercely guard their nests from intruders. Antarctica will give you the opportunity to walk amongst vast colonies and in January and February, enjoy watching the new chicks explore their homes.

    Penguins

  • Silence

    When the penguins aren't calling to each other, enjoy the chance to listen to total silence, broken only by the occasional groan or crack of an iceberg or glacier.

    Silence

  • Swimming

    Really! Take a dip in the waters of Deception Island, warmed by the volcanic crater that surrounds them and feel the cold on your face contrast with the warm on your body.

    Swimming
 
 

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Visit Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica

Reaching out from Antarctica like a beckoning hand, the Antarctic Peninsula is a spectacular range of jagged mountain peaks, draped in glaciers that calve icebergs into the sea.

Adelie penguins, Antarctica

Antarctic Peninsula

Antarctica

Reaching out from Antarctica like a beckoning hand, the Antarctic Peninsula is a spectacular range of jagged mountain peaks, draped in glaciers that calve icebergs into the sea.

Part of the peninsula is sub-Antarctic: the true Antarctic begins at the 66˚ 32’ S parallel of latitude, where for one day or more each year the sun doesn’t rise or set. Most ships cross this parallel, if just so their passengers can toast the occasion.

Points of interest

Amongst the highlights of the peninsula are Port Lockroy, the British Antarctic Survey base situated in a natural harbour reached through the spectacular cliffs of the Neumayer Channel. With its own post office and museum this is one of the most visited parts of the peninsula, but it also has some unusual sights, including the skeleton of a fin whale left over from its whaling station past, which is blown around through the austral winter but painstakingly re-assembled each spring. Hope Bay is home to the Argentinean Esperanza Base, which is a year-round settlement, with a mayor, post office and school. It is also where the Antarctic continent’s first baby was born in 1978.

The Lemaire Channel is one of the most stunning and photogenic sights of Antarctica - running between the Antarctic Peninsula and Booth Island, its convoluted passage is navigable but only just, with sheer cliffs on every side.

Wildlife of the Antarctic Peninsula

At Paradise Harbour petrels, cormorants, seals, penguins and sometimes whales are extras to a breathtaking and stunning landscape, a dramatic and iconic image of Antarctica at its most beautiful. A zodiac cruise here is one of the highlights of a trip to Antarctica. Petermann Island is home to thousands of blue-eyed shags, raucous birds well worth a closer look. Babies are born bald, but when they fledge they club together on the surface of the sea to fish in rafts, diving more than 100 metres in focussed, relentless hunts for fish.

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{EDE56FA3-9A17-425D-8621-92325776EBCF}Polar explorers & exploration

The Polar regions are two of the most inhospitable places on Earth. It is perhaps this, or the long-standing intrigue of the North and South Poles, that have drawn adventurers to explore them for hundreds of years. Many of their feats of endurance and heroic leadership still resonate today.

Read Travel Guide

Further reading:
AntarcticaWhen to GoHighlightsAntarctic CruisesPlaces to ExploreThings to DoAbout AntarcticaCountry Guides

Other countries in The Polar Regions:
The Arctic

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