Antarctica AT A GLANCE
INCREDIBLE SNOWSCAPES The Antarctic Peninsula is at its most pristine from NOVEMBER to MID-DECEMBER. As the Antarctic wakes up from winter, pure white snowscapes seem to stretch beyond the horizons.
BIRDS OF SOUTH GEORGIA Albatross and pintado petrels guide your ship on the approach to South Georgia, which is known as the Galapagos of the Poles.
While Antarctica’s “summer” extends all the way from November to April, the month you visit determines what you’ll see and do once you arrive. It’s like three seasons within a season, each time period yielding different weather, wildlife sightings (and behaviors) and conditions on land. Knowing what you want to experience while
CHILE
KING PENGUINS Salisbury Plains, South Georgia, is home to one of the largest king penguin colonies in the
ARGENTINA
FALKLAND ISLANDS (Islas Malvinas)
FALKLAND ISLANDS: AN ORNITHOLOGIST’S DREAM
Penguins aren’t the only winged species to see in the Falkland Islands. There are 63 breeding bird species and 23 annual migrants, including the inquisitive striated caracara, which are known to steal shiny objects.
world: about 500,000 of the species gather here.
CROSSING THE DRAKE PASSAGE
Crossing the infamous 1,300 km (800 mile) wide Drake Passage, between Argentina and Antarctica is a rite of passage for many polar travelers. Rough seas and high winds give it the name “Drake Shake.” When it’s calm, it’s called “Drake Lake.”
you’re there will help you work out the best time to visit, so you have a customized adventure that ticks all the right boxes.
APR–MAY 1916 Shackleton and five crewmen row back to South Georgia to find help for the sailors on Elephant Island.
SOUTH GEORGIA
BLUE-TINTED ICEBERGS Antarctic vistas sparkle during the mid-summer period of MID-DECEMBER to MID-FEBRUARY. Sun and salt water turn the icebergs into works of art in various shades of blue.
DEC 5, 1914 Endurance departs Grytviken whaling station on South Gerogia.
HONORING SHACKLETON Eminent polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, who
CALVING GLACIERS! Expect Antarctic glacier- calving, the breaking of ice chunks from the edge of a glacier, in the late-summer period from MID-FEBRUARY to LATE MARCH.
NOV 1915–APR 1916 Shackleton and crew drift on ice, then row to Elephant Island by lifeboat where some crew members are left behind.
died in 1922, is buried in the cemetery at the historic whaling station at Grytviken on South Georgia Island. Follow his historic journey.
WHALE-WATCHING WEATHER Enjoy fantastic whale-watching as humpbacks arrive back in Antarctica MID-DECEMBER to MID-FEBRUARY when temperatures reach up to 40°F/ 5°C, and there are up to 22 hours of sunlight per day.
SUMMER ROMANCE Penguins begin their courtship rituals (bowing and preening) from NOVEMBER to MID-DECEMBER on the Antarctic Peninsula. Male gentoo penguins sometimes woo their favorite female by giving her a well-chosen rock!
OVERNIGHT CAMP-OUT IN THE ANTARCTIC
Go to sleep in a bivvy sac on the peninsula, wake up to the bray of a penguin, the ethereal call of the sea or the exhalation of a humpback whale. A night spent outdoors is an unforgettable experience. Temperatures are at their warmest (up to 40°F/ 5°C) MID-NOVEMBER to MID-JANUARY.
CROSSING THE ANTARCTIC CIRCLE
Journeying south of the equator to 66°33'45.9—the Antarctic Circle, also called the Polar Circle—is a milestone few travelers ever reach.
PENGUIN CHICKS! Wildlife-viewing is excellent in the Antarctic from MID-DECEMBER to MID-FEBRUARY.
Especially eye-catching are the penguin chicks which hatch at this time in the sprawling rookeries.
NOV 21, 1915 Endurance sinks to the bottom of the Weddell Sea after being trapped in ice for over a year.
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