Antarctica

The continent is almost entirely covered by an icecap that has gradually formed from snow compacted over thousands of years. The mass of ice that ‘calves’ daily from the cap breaks up into spectacular icebergs that can reach several kilometres in length.

Wildlife

Here, in this land of perpetual snow and ice, some of the world’s most enchanting creatures survive to bring colour and sound to an otherwise harsh and silent environment. Beaches resound to the raucous bellows of elephant, fur and leopard seals, humpback and minkie whales glide effortlessly through the still, near frozen waters, and colonies of Emperor, Gentoo and Adélie penguins congregate in huge numbers on the vast snow plains. The animals have never been hunted and are remarkably unafraid of human visitors, making Antarctica a paradise for photographers and wildlife enthusiasts.

Ships

Undoubtedly the best way to explore Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic islands of South Georgia and the Falklands is one of the specialist expedition ships that have been constructed specifically for polar cruising. Such vessels are superbly equipped for the rigorous weather conditions which can be encountered at the bottom of the world and have a limited passenger capacity to minimize environmental impact on the fragile ecosystem. Each cruise is accompanied by a select team of lecturers who are qualified experts on the natural history of Antarctica, lead regular excursions ashore and give a series of daily talks.

Seasons

The season for Antarctica is predictably short, from October to early March, but wildlife activity is intense during this period. Mating begins in the early ‘spring’ weeks as the ice pack melts - penguins engage in great courtship displays and stone stealing, while fur seals boisterously lay claim to their breeding territories. As temperatures rise a little during the ’summer’ weeks from mid-December to mid-January, so young seal pups will start to emerge and penguins can be seen bustling around their newly-hatched chicks. February is the best month for whale and dolphin sightings, or for wildlife theatre at its most spectacular go at the tail end of season and ‘march’ with the penguin colonies of South Georgia.