Pole Positions

Falkland Islands

A little bit of Britain in the South Seas, the Falklands is a fascinating mix of familiar pubs and friendly community spirit, with grassy hills, bizarre geology and large colonies of penguins. Stopping off in Stanley, you can stroll past quaint houses and spot remnants of the Falklands War.

Drake Passage

Don’t panic! This notorious stretch of ocean between Tierra del Fuego and Antarctica isn’t always choppy – but even if it is, try to embrace the experience. Dose up on seasickness remedies and ginger tea or biscuits, and watch as waves crash over the bow – just as they crashed on the ships of the early whalers and explorers. Keep your eyes peeled for petrels, albatross and other seabirds.

South Georgia

If you love penguins (and who doesn’t?), this is the island for you. Not only is it a dramatic outcrop of lofty mountains and craggy bays, it hosts vast colonies of different species of the flightless birds. Don’t miss Salisbury Plain for huge huddles of magisterial king penguins – you’re not supposed to approach closer than 5m, but no one seems to have told the penguins that… You’ll also find huge numbers of macaroni, gentoo and Adélie penguins here, as well as fascinating history – it was on South Georgia that Ernest Shackleton made his mighty hike for help after his ship Endurance sank in 1916. You can raise a dram to The Boss at his grave in Grytviken.

South Shetland Islands

This 540km-long chain of islands boasts striking landscapes and a bevy of wildlife. Deception Island, the remains of a dormant volcano, offers steaming black sand (perfect for warming cold feet) and buckets of old whaling history, while Elephant Island is daubed with vibrant-pink algae, 2,000-year-old moss and noisy rookeries of chinstrap penguins.

Antarctic Peninsula

Welcome to the White Continent. Here, sculptural bergs and great walls of ice shimmer and crack, leaving you to gawp in wonder at this, the planet’s last true wilderness. The seas are alive – keep a lookout for humpback, minke and killer whales surfacing by your bow, and for speedy seals zipping through the water or chilling on brilliantwhite ice floes. For a closer look, leave your main ship in a rigid-hulled Zodiac and skim past the colossal ice formations and breaching marine life to land on deserted bays to visit huddles of penguins and the few research stations that somehow work in this most inhospitable but breathtaking land.

Call our Latin America specialists now on 08456 345 118 to book your Antarctic Odyssey or visit www.balesworldwide.com.