Set foot on the world's last great wilderness — the Antarctic continent — at storied landing sites such as Neko Harbour or Cuverville Island. Walking among tens of thousands of penguins on terrain unchanged for millennia is an experience that reorders your sense of scale.
What to expect
Zodiac transfers deposit you on black volcanic gravel or compressed snow, where penguin 'highways' wind past your boots without the slightest concern for your presence. Expert naturalists lead small walking groups along IAATO-approved paths, pausing to explain penguin social hierarchies, glacial moraines, and the geological history underfoot. Glacier viewpoints reward hikers who take the steeper optional trails with panoramic vistas of the Peninsula that exist in very few photographs. The return Zodiac often detours past a leopard seal draped on a nearby floe.
Good to know
Wear sturdy, waterproof footwear — rubber boots are typically provided. Biosecurity protocols (boot washing) are mandatory before and after each landing; arrive at the gangway a few minutes early. Camera batteries drain fast in sub-zero temperatures; carry a spare inside an inner pocket.