Antarctica & Arctica

Antarctic Peninsula

The Antarctic Peninsula has some of the continent's best wildlife and scenery. Take plenty of time to experience the special magic of this awe-inspiring wilderness of snow, ice, waterways and mountains. More...

Antarctica Peninsula

The most isolated continent on Earth, Antarctica is home to massive icebergs, majestic mountain ranges and diverse wildlife in a wilderness setting that has a purity as inspiring as it is remote. It's an amazing and precious sight, as the Antarctic Peninsula's ice shelf is shrinking at an alarming rate, noted by the many research bases set up here. More...

Cape Lookout

Cape Lookout lies on Elephant Island, one of the South Shetland chain, off the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. More...

Carcass Island

Lying to the northwest of the Falklands archipelago, this is one of the most picturesque outer-lying islands. In its 100 plus years of habitation it has had only three environmentally conscious owners and an absence of cats and rats, making the luxuriant, well established hedges and trees an attractive home to many small birds such as the Cobb’s wren, Black-chinned siskins and Falklands thrush. The sandy beaches, rolling hills and low cliffs are superb platforms from which to view the multitude of sea and shore birds that either breed or feed on and around Carcass Island. These include the Gentoo and Magellanic penguin, Yellow-billed pintail and Flightless steamer duck, Magellanic oystercatcher, Rock shag, Striated caracara and Red-backed hawk. More...

Coronation Island

Rising to almost 2,000 forested feet above the sea, Coronation Island stands off the west coast of Prince of Wales Island, south of Kuiu Island and north of Noyes Island. Stands of tall Sitka spruce and western hemlock dominate the island and extend to the shoreline, which in places falls away at sheer cliffs. Understory vegetation is lush and varied. In addition to a healthy population of various seabird species, Coronation's inhabitants also include Sitka black-tailed deer bald eagles, and possibly, wolves. Sea otters, Stellar's sea lions, harbor seals, and seasonal humpback whales are common sights off shore. More...

Cumberland Bay

Stunningly beautiful and rugged, this island wildlife sanctuary, once visited, is not easily forgotten. Its snow covered peaks, blue glacier ice and emerald green bays, are a breathtaking sight. t is a real "oasis" in the stormy southern oceans and is home to sea and land birds, seals and reindeer. This site aims to provide a window to this fragile environment - and offer the chance to discover more about what makes the island of South Georgia so special. More...

Deception Island

Our exciting passage into this volcanic caldera is through a narrow breach in the crater wall -- "Neptune´s Bellow" -- a deceptive entrance that give the island its name. More...

Drake Passage

The Drake Passage is the body of water between the southern tip of South America at Cape Horn, Chile and the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica. It connects the southwestern part of the Atlantic Ocean (Scotia Sea) with the southeastern part of the Pacific Ocean and extends into the Southern Ocean. It is named after 16th century English privateer Sir Francis Drake, although he never sailed the Passage, opting instead for the less turbulent Strait of Magellan. More...

Elephant Island

Elephant Island in the South Shetland Islands, off the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, is named for its abundance of elephant seals and is home to. It became the unlikely home of Shackleton's crew for 105 days in 1916 after their ship Endurance was crushed in pack ice in the Weddell Sea. Living on penguins and limpets (no seals inhabited the area at that time) and taking shelter in an improvised hut made from two wooden boat hulls, they were rescued by Shackleton. He and five men had traveled more than 800 miles in an open boat to South Georgia Island to seek help. Today, elephant and Weddell seals, chinstrap, gentoo, and macaroni penguins can be found on the spit of land Shackleton's men name Point Wild. More...

Elsehul

South Georgia provides ideal nesting territory for all manner of wildlife. As many as a million penguins inhabit the island, as do countless seals that frolic in the waters off Elsehul. More...

Esperanza Station

The bleak shores of Elephant Island were home to 23 of Ernest Shackleton's shipwrecked men for ten long months in 1903. On Paulet Island, over a million Adelie penguins breed. And on Deception Island, formed by a volcanic crater, a narrow entryway conceals one of the largest natural harbors in the world. More...

Gold Harbor

Gold Harbour is a small bay 5 miles (8 km) south-southwest of Cape Charlotte, with Bertrab Glacier at its head, along the east end of South Georgia. During the early 1900's the feature was variously called Anna's Bay, Gold-Hafen, or Sandwich Bay; the latter name has also been used for Iris Bay. The approved name appears to have taken root through common usage by sealers and whalers and is now well established. It is so called because the sun's rays make the cliffs yellow with their light in the morning and evening. More...

Grytviken

Grytviken is the principal settlement in the United Kingdom territory of South Georgia in the South Atlantic. The area is now the site of a scientific research station managed by the British Antarctic Survey. The continued occupation of the station serves a political purpose as well, in that it helps to maintain Britain's claim against Argentina for ownership of the territory. Along with the surrounding area, the station has been declared an Area of Special Tourist Interest (ASTI). More...

Half Moon Island

One of the most pleasant landings in Antarctica, Half Moon Island has sizeable rookeries of chinstrap penguins. Whales, including killer whales, and leopard seals are often seen patrolling the shores. This small island also offers spectacular views of surrounding mountains. More...

Hope Bay

Hope Bay was discovered on January 15, 1902 by the Swedish Antarctic Expedition under Otto Nordenskiöld, who named it in commemoration of the winter spent there. More...

Intercurrence Island

Intercurrence Island is one of the smaller islands of the South Shetland chain, off the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. More...

King George Island

King George Island is the largest of the South Shetland Islands. The Island was named after King George III. The island was discovered by the British explorer William Smith in 1819. It is approximately 95 kilometres long and 25 kilometres wide with a land area of 1150 square kilometres. Over 90% of the island's surface is permanently glaciated. The coastal areas of the island are home to a comparatively diverse selection of vegetation and animal life, including Elephant Seals, Weddell and Leopard seals, and Chinstrap and Gentoo penguins. More...

Lemaire Channel

The water is so still in Lemaire Channel that perfect reflections are mirrored on the surface. Gigantic icebergs often clog the channel, creating interesting navigation challenges for the captain and crew and, at times, even obstructing our passage. More...

Paradise Harbor

This deep fjord-like harbor is ringed with blue glaciers that, on warm days and nights, calve icebergs with cannon-like thunder. Humpback, minke and killer whales come to feed in the krill-rich waters of the bay in mid-summer. Not only is Paradise Bay one of the most beautiful bays on the Antarctic Peninsula, but is offers us the opportunity to set foot on the continent of America. More...

Port Lockroy

Passing between the soaring cliffs of the breathtaking Neumayer Channel, we arrive at one of Antarctica's most exciting anchorages: Port Lockroy. During World War II, the British set up base here, to protect interests in the Southern Ocean and though abandoned, the base has recently been restored. Nearby you can visit a gentoo rookery and also see blue-eyed shags (cormorants) and witness sad reminders of past whaling activities. More...

Sigma Island

Sigma Island is one of the smaller islands of the South Shetland chain, off the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. More...

South Georgia

Stunningly beautiful and rugged, this island wildlife sanctuary, once visited, is not easily forgotten. Its snow covered peaks, blue glacier ice and emerald green bays, are a breathtaking sight. It is a real "oasis" in the stormy southern oceans and is home to sea and land birds, seals and reindeer. More...

South Shetland Islands

The South Shetland Islands are a string of islands running parallel to the north west coast of the Antarctic peninsula. The South Shetlands are almost completely ice covered. About 2-3 percent is ice free, usually along the coast, where all life is found whether penguins, seals, or the human inhabitants of the various bases. The islands are frequently visited by tourist cruise ships and each has a different character. More...

West Point

With a more rugged lifestyle than the military school of the same name, this small island has a stark beauty. Soaring tufts of tussock grass, some nearly 10 feet tall, provide a sheltering habitat for large rookeries of rock-hopper and magellanic penguins and a large albatross colony. More...