Antarctica - Highlights

Drake Passage
A journey across the famous Drake Passage, named after the 16th-century English navigator Sir Francis Drake, is an experience in itself. The ship is accompanied most of the way by albatrosses - including the magnificent Wandering Albatross - along with an impressive variety of other seabirds.

Antarctic Peninsula

Adélie Penguin. Enlarge image

The Antarctic Peninsula is the most readily accessible part of the White Continent and has some of the best wildlife and scenery. Experience this awe-inspiring wilderness of snow, ice, waterways and mountains and expect to see a wide variety of Antarctic wildlife. Enormous rookeries of Gentoo, Chinstrap and Adélie Penguins, Blue-eyed Shags, Kelp Gulls, Cape Petrels, Snowy Sheathbills and Antarctic Terns are just some of the many birds found here in abundance. Weddell, crabeater and leopard seals, orcas, humpback whales and Minke whales are also likely sightings. Navigate the Antarctic Sound, or 'iceberg alley', where huge tabular icebergs drift north from the Antarctic continent, as well as some of the most beautiful waterways in the world (if they are not choked with pack ice and icebergs).

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Explore great concentrations of wildlife - including several species found nowhere else in the world. Flightless Steamer Ducks, Magellanic Penguins and Gentoo Penguins are just some of the highlights on Carcass Island, while nearby West Point Island and New Island boast fantastic Rockhopper Penguin rookeries as well as nesting Black-browed Albatrosses and Blue-eyed Shags.

South Georgia
South Georgia has its own astonishing concentrations of wildlife and awe-inspiring scenery ranging from 7,000-foot mountains and mighty glaciers to deep fjords and low-lying grassland. It is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful and inspiring places on earth and certainly has more wildlife than virtually anywhere else on the planet. Thousands of King Penguins are found at Salisbury Plain, Wandering Albatrosses nest and thousands of fur seals breed at Prion Island, whilst huge southern elephant seals and a substantial number of King and Gentoo Penguins crowd the beaches at places such as Gold Harbour. Visit Shackleton's grave at Grytviken, a once-active whaling station.

Far side of Antarctica
Join an ice-breaker voyage and explore seldom-visited and pristine wilderness areas that will remain a lasting memory. Watching the Kapitan Khlebnikov and her crew negotiate the broad band of very heavy pack

Cape Hallet, Ross Sea. Enlarge image

ice that guards the entrance to the Ross Sea is an experience no one ever forgets. Visit Emperor Penguin rookeries set in spectacular backdrops of icebergs and glaciers, enjoy spectacular sightseeing flights aboard expertly piloted helicopters, explore historic sites and expedition huts of the 'heroic age' of Antarctic exploration, visit modern scientific research stations and meet their station members.

Please note: Highlights vary according to your chosen cruise itinerary and are meant as a guide only; exact routes and programmes vary according to ice and weather conditions - and the wildlife we encounter. Flexibility is the key to the success of an expedition. Visits to research stations depend on final permission.