| ABOUT ANTARCTICA
Antarctic
Peninsula
During the austral
summer, the season to visit Antarctica, you will find the
continent's greatest concentration of wildlife. Summering Antarctic
marine mammals include humpback, minke, sei and Orca whales, plus
Weddell, crabeater and leopard seals. Birdwatching opportunities are
boundless with thousands upon thousands of resident penguins and
countless species of migrating seabirds. As flexibility is essential
in Antarctica expedition cruising, our captains use their extensive
experience to choose, on the spot, the most rewarding stops for your
Antarctica cruise. Depending on your tour itinerary, you may visit one of several international
research stations established on King George Island or stop at the
U.S. station on Anvers Island. If you cruise past the volcanic slopes
of Deception Island, a sea-flooded caldera created by an ancient
eruption, you see thousands of nesting Chinstrap Penguins. Weather
permitting, you may stop at Pendulum Cove to soak in
a hot pool formed by natural geothermal springs. At Paradise Bay,
after a Zodiac tour into the maze of "bergy bits," your tour may land on
shore for an invigorating hike up to a breathtaking panorama across
the bay. Conditions permitting, many of our tours stop at
Elephant Island, where Ernest Shackleton set out on one of the
greatest rescue attempts in Antarctica exploration history. Hundreds
of Adélie Penguins greet visitors upon landing on Torgersen Island. Passing
between soaring cliffs of the breathtaking Sawtooth Range, your tour may stop
at Port Lockroy, a one-time secret British WW II station, where a
Gentoo Penguin rookery, shags, sheatbills and shuas now occupy the
abandoned buildings. When possible, you may explore Petermann
Island and Paulet Island. The glacier-lined fjord of Lemaire Channel
presents the perfect opportunity for slow cruising, photography and
whale watching.
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands boast a
beauty reminiscent of the Scottish moors, an impression reinforced
by the British flavor of Port Stanley, the smallest (and some say,
the most charming) capital city in the world. In the outer Falklands
there will be several stops to observe the region's abundant
wildlife. Our naturalists will help you identify a variety of
species including the South American sea lion, southern elephant
seal, Black-browed Albatross, King Cormorant, Blue-eyed Shag, and
the rare Striated Caracara. You may also see colonies of the
spectacular Rockhopper, Magellanic, Gentoo and King Penguins.
South Georgia
Islands
Rising
10,000 feet out of the Scotia Sea, with shores scalloped by more
than 100 glaciers, South Georgia is the most dramatic of all the
sub-Antarctic islands. Its scenery is matched only by its display of
wildlife. Among South Georgia's several islands, your tour may be
greeted by barking southern fur seals and may sight nesting Wandering
Albatrosses, whose 12-foot wing span makes them the largest of all the
world's seabirds.
South Orkney
Islands
 The remote and rugged
South Orkneys, known as the "Inaccessible Islands," were claimed in
the name of King George by sealer George Powell in 1821. Over 85
percent of these lonely islands are glacierized. Conditions
permitting, certain tours land on Signy Island and meet British scientists of
an Antarctic Survey base before crossing to Coronation Island to
view a colony of nesting Snow Petrels. Orcadas Station, on
mountainous Laurie Island, is the oldest continuous research station
in Antarctica. Today's residents include Snow and Cape Petrels,
skuas and prions.
South America Chilean Coast
& Patagonia
With more mountains than the Alps, more glaciers than Alaska
and more fjords than you will find in all Scandinavia, Chile is a
natural wonderland rivaling any in the world. Our tours make several
landfalls, conditions permitting, in this all-but-unknown
wilderness. Our Chilean Fjords cruise adds an important cultural
component to your Antarctica expedition. Here, in Chile's southern
frontier, you will stop to meet the residents of fishing villages
perched at the "end of the world." The English Narrows form one of
the most spectacular passageways in the Southern Hemisphere.
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