Landing Possibilities in Antarctica

These are expedition cruises; where weather, tides, ice conditions and wildlife sightings can all affect the day-to-day activities and the itinerary, and sailing plans can change on a regular basis. This means that each expedition with Hurtigruten is unique. The ship's captain, crew and Expedition Team are experts in this polar wilderness and rest assured, they will take you to the best possible places.

1. Half Moon Island

This is a minor Antarctic island, lying 1.35 km north of Burgas Peninsula, Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands of the Antarctic Peninsula region. Its surface area is 171 hectares. The Argentine Cámara Base is located on the island. Enjoy a stay on this staggeringly photogenic island. You will explore the serrated and creviced cliffs, home to a large colony of chinstrap penguins.

2. Deception Island

This distinctive ring-shaped volcanic caldera has a navigable opening into the flooded interior. It is situated near the tip of the Antarctic peninsula and has erupted several times since humans first set foot in the South Shetlands around 1820. It is home to a wide variety of wildlife and has repeatedly spewed ash and hot lava into the frigid waters of the surrounding ocean. A violent eruption about 10,000 years ago caused the volcano's summit to collapse and formed the flooded caldera in the centre of the island.

3. Yankee Harbour

This is a small natural harbour entered from Shopski Cove between Glacier Bluff and Spit Point, indenting the south-west side of Greenwich Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. One of the main sights here is the large colony of gentoo penguins, estimated to be 4,000 breeding pairs.

4. Antarctic Sound

This body of water is about 30 miles long and and at its narrowest less than 9 miles wide, separating the Joinville Island group from the northeast end of the Antarctic Peninsula. The huge ice shelves of the Antarctic continent give birth to mile-long tabular icebergs. The strong currents of the Weddell Sea bring these massive flat-topped bergs north into the Antarctic Sound, hence it's nickname, "Iceberg Alley".

5. Brown Bluff

This million-year-old volcano acquired its name from its rust-coloured slopes and can be found on the South-western coast of the Antarctic Sound. Known as a tuya, a flat-topped and steep-sided volcano that has erupted from within a glacier, it is a very unusual sight, and in fact there are quite rare worldwide. It is the perfect spot for close-up penguin shots, as it has a pebble beach peppered with lava "bombs" where you can get up close to Adelie penguins as they make their way out to sea.

6. Cuverville Island

Cuverville Island stands at the entrance of Errera Channel and is flanked by the precipitous mountains and glaciers of the Antarctic mainland. it has a rocky dome that dominates most of the island and is well-known for its large variety of wildlife including the largest known colony of gentoo penguins in the Antarctic Peninsula. It is estimated that there are 7,000 breeding pairs on the island, hence it being identified as an 'Important Bird Area'. The Island is also home to several species of Antarctic seal, as well as an array of Antarctic birds, such as shags and Southern Giant petrels.

7. Neko Harbour

Neko is an inlet of the Antarctic Peninsula on Andvord Bay, situated on the west coast of Graham Land and is one of the places in this area where you have a chance to land on the Antarctic mainland.

8. Paradise Harbour

Offering another rare opportunity for a mainland landing, Paradise Harbour is surrounded by heavily glaciated mountains and ice cliffs and is a great place to see spectacular icebergs, which 'calve' off the head of the harbour. Seals can be sighted reclining on convenient ice floes, and there are large populations of terns, petrels, cormorants and penguins.

9. Lemaire Channel

This wide channel is about 7 miles long and is one of the most beautiful passages in Antarctica. This gateway to the far south Antarctic Peninsula spans between Booth Island and the Peninsula itself, and is one of multiple highlights of Antarctica.

10. Antarctic Circle

The Antarctic Circle is a parallel of latitude on the Earth at 66°33’ south of the equator. On some of the expeditions between January and March, you will hopefully get to explore beyond the Circle - far beyond the limit of most cruises in Antarctica.

11. Falkland Islands

The Falkland Islands are a remote South Atlantic archipelago with rugged terrain and cliff-lined coasts. Its hundreds of islands and islets feature vast open spaces and white sandy beaches and are home to sheep farms and abundant bird life. The capital, Stanley, sits on East Falkland, the largest island. Known as a birdwatcher's paradise, the islands also host five different species of penguins.

12. South Georgia

South Georgia is a mountainous, barren island in the South Atlantic Ocean about 800 miles east-southeast of the Falkland Islands. It is home to stunning fjords, mountains and beaches, and provides a perfect environment for animals to flourish. Expect to see seals and an abundance of penguin colonies.