Antarctica Things to Do

  After the hour-long hike up a steep hill
by leigh767
 
  • After the hour-long hike up a steep hill
      After the hour-long hike up a steep hill
    by leigh767
  • accumlating snow on a snowy day
      accumlating snow on a snowy day
    by 850prc
  • View of Ushuaia and Beagle Channel from Glacier
      View of Ushuaia and Beagle Channel from...
    by klmousseau
  • Ushuaia
      Ushuaia
    by klmousseau
  • Baby black-browed albatross
      Baby black-browed albatross
    by LynCod
 
Great room rates
Orbitz  
Save up to 50% off Hotels Everyday
Expedia.com Photos, Reviews and the Guaranteed Lowest Prices

Sponsored Links

Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Port Lockroy/Jougla Point, Wiencke Island

by 850prc

Located at Jougla point on Wiencke Island, Port Lockroy is a historic Antarctic research site. The area itself was "discovered" by the French in 1903, and after that it served as both a whaling and military station for Great Britain for the earlier half of the 20th century. Additionally, scientific researchers made Lockery their Antarctic headquarters for many years. During WWII, the area was the center for Operation Tabarin, an effort by the British to deny Nazi Germany the area as haven for ocean raiders and spies.In the early 1960s, the station was abandoned, so to speak - ending its role in research. Some twenty years later, the UK Antarctic Heritage trust renovated the site to share both the history and past research mission of Port Lockroy with the few intrepid Antarctic tourists.Today, the site is a common stop for expedition cruise ship visitors, featuring many historical...

Tip Photo
British station Port Lockroy

by Veghel

Port Lockroy is probably the most popular station among tourists that visit the Antarctic peninsula. The base was closed in 1962. The UK Antarctic Heritage Trust and British Antarctic Survey started renovating the base in 1996. Since then, the base is the only "commercial" station on Antarctica. Although some scientific research is carried out on the influence of men on penguin breeding success, the main goal of the base it to preserve its history. The souvenir shop gives enough revenues to pay the staff and all other costs.The main building has been renovated beautifully, and reflects the way scientists used to live on Antarctica in the 1950s. It is mainly a museum, but also includes a souvenir shop and a (ONE!) room where the current staff lives.The souvenis shop offers a wide selection of nice souvenirs and there is a post office, where you can also get stamps in your passport.

Tip Photo
CRABEATER SEALS

by DAO

Crabeater Seals eat Krill, not crabs. It kind of helps that there rally aren’t any crabs down here. Different theories around a mistranslation of the Norwegian word ‘Krill’ account for the name of this amazingly interesting mammal. They live almost exclusively here in Antarctica, have massive numbers, can swim up to 25 kmh and are the largest consumers of Krill. You are probably wondering what Krill is at this point.Crabeaters Males (Bulls) and Females (Cows) are almost identical in size and produce Pups are born between October and December (Spring!). They take about 3 weeks to nurse with mum and are protected by a male during this period – typically NOT the father.Crabeaters are big eaters. They feed up to 16 hours at a time, diving up to 40 meters deep and eat everything from other seals to penguins and any fish available. They used to be hunted themselves by the almost non-existent...

Tip Photo
Half Moon Island 1

by leigh767

As a precursor to my entire Antarctica tips page, please note that I won't be delving into the history/details of the place too much since there are great VT tips on that. My tips will focus on aspects of Antarctic travel that are less commonly discussed-- photography and how to make the best of your shots there, to be specific. Antarctica is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many people and it's a shame to leave without some good Kodak moments. The following tips will strive to provide photography tips for each location/subject. There's a more in depth list of what camera equipment I'd brought on my "Packing List" page. Enjoy! Half Moon Island is part of the South Shetlands, a group of islands just north of the Antarctic Peninsula. Although there was no snow when we went, I thoroughly enjoyed it because it was prime penguin season. All the baby penguins were out and about-- they're...

Tip Photo
Deception Island 5

by leigh767

Photography tip:There's no doubt that Antarctica is beautiful on a large scale-- the soaring mountains, the endless seas, the towering icebergs...But make it a challenge for yourself to find the beauty on a much smaller scale as well. Take a careful look at the seawood around you, the tiny flowers/fauna and you'll be in for a treat. Throughout the trip, from Cuverville Island to Deception Island, we saw a lot of seaweed. It was usually a mangled, sorry looking mess. But it was only right that I take a snapshot of something that was such a common sight in our trip. Luckily, I managed to find a clump that looked a bit like a sea shell. :0) Please click on picture to full view.

Tip Photo
Half Moon Island 3

by leigh767

Half Moon Island is home to a Chinstrap Penguin rookery. In 1996, researchers documented some 3000 pairs of Chinstraps breeding on this island alone! Here you see a pair of penguins in a pre-mating ritual.Photography tips: I cannot emphasize the importance of a good telephoto lens. Because of the distance restriction (travellers must keep a minimum of 5 metres/15 feet away from wildlife) you can never get too close to the penguins to snap a shot. So the rule of thumb is: the higher the zoom, the better. I could not have possibly taken this photo without the 70-200mm lens (with the 1.4x extender) mounted on my DSLR. Of course, take into consideration the weight of the lens that you'll need to carry around for long hikes and landings!

Tip Photo
Half Moon Island 2

by leigh767

I have found that a good bokeh lens (the sort that gives you a blur background after you zoom in) is indispensible when travelling to Antarctica. While standard point and shoot (P&S) cameras can take relatively sharp images, the Antarctic wildlife (especially the penguins) are often mixed in with a busy background of a similar colour. P&S cameras don't have the ability to sort out the main focus of the photo from the background. Here, I used a Canon 70-200mm (at 200mm) zoom lens to help isolate penguin chick from the background. Otherwise, the chick would have just blended in with the background. Also, if you're hoping to see baby penguins the best time to go is late December to early February. These pictures were taken on a trip in early January.

Tip Photo
Cuverville Island 6

by leigh767

One of the most important rules one has to follow when in Antarctica is the 15 feet rule: do not get within 15 feet of the wildlife because our presence would scare them. Research has shown that some penguins alter their behaviours for as long as 3 days after encountering a human being! The best thing to do is stand still or sit down somewhere. Soon, the curious ones will naturally come up to you instead.When you are walking on the penguin highways and see a penguin coming towards you, the penguin has the "right of way". In other words, please step off the penguin highway and crouch down and wait for the penguin to pass. At Cuverville, my 6 foot tall friend was so busy taking pictures on the highway that he did not fully realize that the penguin was heading straight towards him. When the penguin hesitated in its tracks, five or six penguins behind it also had to stop. This created...

Tip Photo
Cuverville Island 5

by leigh767

This iceberg is so beautiful I think it deserves its own tip! The legendary iceberg arches are stunning in photos but even more so in person! While you're here in Antarctica treat every iceberg you see as if it were your last, because there will probably never be another iceberg quite like it for the rest of the trip.

Tip Photo
Cuverville Island 4

by leigh767

Admit it-- when you first decide to visit Antarctica, it is to see the icebergs. And sure enough, their shapes and colours are so beautiful the real puzzle becomes: how did Nature even manage to sculpt them into such forms in the first place? For example, this one here looks like the Holy Grail or something to that effect. Full view to see the finer details on the iceberg.

Tip Photo
Fun things to do in Antarctica
 
Explore the World
Travel Destinations
Travel Highlights

The Place

Reviews and photos of Antarctica attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Antarctica sightseeing.

Experience Antarctica
Things to Do: Cities in Antarctica
  1. Grytviken Things to Do

More Cities in Antarctica

 

Popular Countries in Antarctica

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Things to Do  French Southern and Antarctic Lands Things to Do  Heard Island and McDonald Islands Things to Do 

More Countries in Antarctica

Questions and Answers

crazy4ocean profile photo

Q:  Hello, I'm so excited about my trip to Antarctica on 2/19 on Quark. Questions for those who've been there - 1. packing -... 

globetrott profile photo

A: There is a tiny place on Deception Island, where the ground is so hot that you can dig out a hole and let the sea-water in that will allow you to take a bath in hot... 

Read 8 Replies

postQuestion_button

Click here for best deals for

Save on Hotel + Flight Packages
Expedia Vacations Book with Best Price Guarantee. Click or call now: 1 - 800-713-8214

Sponsored Links