The Antarctic summer and cruise season begins in November and ends in March. Related: Best South Pacific Cruises for Nature-Lovers Best Time for Antarctica Cruises Sometimes stretching for miles, they are imposing and powerful reminders of the vastness of the continent itself and the unmatched power of nature. Most impressive are the immense tabular icebergs that break off from frozen ice shelves in huge chunks. Icebergs come in a variety of shapes and textures - some stark while, others a deep, mournful blue - and huge glaciers line the horizon. The cute penguins aside, many visitors leave with their most vivid memories being the abundant ice and remarkable scenery. (For more awesome wildlife, check out our slideshow on Antarctica Wildlife). Seals are commonly found on the beaches and lazing on ice floes, and you'll commonly spy humpback whales and killer whales in the height of the summer. Antarctica has a large concentration of marine wildlife, with six species of seals and at least nine types of whales. Sightings of emperor penguins, which can reach 3 feet tall and weigh more than 80 pounds, are unlikely, although occasionally they can be found near the Weddell Sea or on ice in the far south of the peninsula. Larger, and arguably more beautiful, king penguins are rarely seen on the peninsula but are found in vast colonies in South Georgia. Three types of penguins - chinstrap, gentoo and Adelie - are all common along the peninsula. and German adventure-seekers follow closely behind.įor wildlife lovers, few destinations can match "The White Continent." Of course, everyone comes to see the penguins, which thrive in raucous colonies that may consist of tens of thousands of birds. (Fewer passengers reach South Georgia, located 800 miles to the northeast of the peninsula, and only a handful venture deep into the Ross Sea on the other side of the continent.) Typically, one-third of all visitors come from the U.S., with Australian travelers ranking second and Chinese tourists third. Most ships travel just to the South Shetland Islands and the 1,000-mile-long Antarctic Peninsula. Today, cruise ships visit just the tip of the iceberg compared with the voyages of the great explorers. They abandoned their attempt when the ship was trapped in sea ice, but incredibly, thanks to Shackleton's courage and determination, all crewmembers survived. In 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton and his crew set sail aboard Endurance on a quest to be the first to cross the southernmost continent over land. The history of Antarctica's exploration includes Robert Scott and Roald Amundsen's famous race for the South Pole, as well as one of the greatest survival stories of all time. Overwhelming and awe-inspiring, it has a raw, emotional effect on visitors that few destinations match and is often described as "visiting another planet." Still, only 35,000 tourists visit each year - a small number compared with Alaska's 1 million cruise visitors. It has no indigenous people, no politics and no economy, yet it covers almost 10 percent of the earth's surface - making it 1.5 times the size of the United States. Antarctica is the last untouched continent, making it a desirable destination for the intrepid traveler.
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