David Attenborough said it best: “At a time when it’s possible for thirty people to stand on the top of Everest in one day, Antarctica still remains a remote, lonely and desolate continent. A place where it’s possible to see the splendors and immensities of the natural world at its most dramatic and, what’s more, witness them almost exactly as they were, long, long before human beings ever arrived on the surface of this planet.”
Expedition ships begin visiting Antarctica in late October (the Antarctic Spring) and continue through late February or early March (the Antarctic Fall).
While there is an abundance of wildlife and natural beauty throughout the seasons, changes in the weather and currents affect the landscape as well as the wildlife. December and January are the height of the Austral Summer, and the Sun is up 18 to 20 hours a day, so photo opportunities and sightings of all sorts abound.
Penguin chicks are hatching, and you’ll likely see them chasing after any adult penguin that is carrying food. Whale sightings of baleen and toothed whales along the Antarctic Peninsula increase, and seal pups can be sighted on the beaches in South Georgia.
Snowshoeing, hiking, kayaking, camping under the Southern Polar skies, are just a few of the ways available to make this breathtaking journey, even more memorable.
We see Antarctica on board some of the best vessels, with some of the best guides, naturalists and expedition crew available, to ensure a once in a lifetime journey.
