Antarctica

The Antarctic Peninsula is the most visited part of Antarctica and one of the great wildlife spectacles on Earth. The peninsula stretches north towards South America, allowing expedition ships to make relatively accessible landings at penguin colonies, research stations, and pristine ice-covered coastlines. Wildlife encounters are extraordinary: chinstrap, Adélie, and gentoo penguins by the thousands, leopard seals, Weddell seals, orca, and humpback whales. From December to February (the austral summer), continuous daylight enables 20-hour days of activity. The aurora australis burns intensely in the polar winter months, but few expeditions run then due to extreme conditions. The summer expedition season is the practical window — these two months remain the most life-changing travel experience available on Earth.

The Ross Sea is the most remote and least-visited of all Antarctic destinations — and consequently the most pristine. The vast Ross Ice Shelf (the size of France) is the largest floating ice structure on Earth. Ross Island is home to Mount Erebus, the world's southernmost active volcano, still venting steam and lava bombs. The historic huts of Scott and Shackleton at Cape Evans and Cape Royds are time capsules of the heroic era of polar exploration. McMurdo Sound hosts the largest Antarctic research station. Wildlife is extraordinary: Weddell seals (the world's southernmost mammal), Emperor penguins, and Adélie penguins. The aurora australis at 77°S is among the most intense on Earth. Only a handful of icebreakers reach the Ross Sea annually — each voyage is a genuine expedition.