Antarctica Yacht Charter
The gateway to the Antarctic, the South Shetland Islands lie due south of the infamous Drake Passage. Step aboard to voyage between King George and sister islands, which are home to chinstrap and Adélie penguin and Antarctic fur and elephant seal colonies, while whales majestically breach the icy waters for a National Geographic magazine cover moment. Be sure to visit Deception Island, formed by the flooded caldera of an active volcano to take a polar plunge with the ocean water ‘warmed’ by underground volcanic activity.
To the west, the Danco Coast and Gerlache Strait are home to some of Antarctica’s most scenic spots including a duo of natural harbours set against a dramatic backdrop of 2,000-metre-high mountains. Hop into a Zodiac to get up and close to the thousands of gentoo penguins who breed here, or get the lowdown on daily life in this remote continent from local research station scientists.
Miles of icebergs line the northeastern Antarctic Sound – aka Iceberg Alley – and drift in from the Weddell Sea to create a spectacular white-on-blue landscape that is a constantly shifting and evolving panoramic tableau.
And, pack ice conditions permitting, make your way into Crystal Sound on the western side of the peninsula, to cross the Antarctic Circle and step ashore at Detaille Island where a deserted British base abandoned in the 1950s offers a fascinating step back in time.
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