Have you ever wanted to be the one to say that you have actually observed polar animals in their native habitat? In order to do this you need to come to Antarctica. Being Earth’s most southern continent, Antarctica is considered, on average, the coldest, driest, and windiest continent on earth. But due to many natural wonders found there, it can contain some of the most beautiful scenery untouched by man found anywhere else in the world.
Antarctica, by far, is really one of the most BEAUTIFUL places in the world! Although it is the coldest, windiest, and driest continent, the things found here make up for all the "negativities". The serene waters, the clear skies, and the icebergs of purity... Yummy. One can relax here and just enjoy the scenery because it is a once in a lifetime experience and worth treasuring forever.
"People come down here for the wildlife," says an Antarctic guide David McGonigal. "But they return for the ice." Yes, truly the ice in Antarctica is wonderful. They are the rocks of the hot deserts, but white, pure, and cold. They can in the form of spires, tables, wedges, and domes. Over millennia, the air in glacier ice is pressed out, compressing the water into an essence of itself. So the deeper the blue, the older the berg. In these abstract, fragments is contained a record of ourselves and our planetary history like the rings on a 1,000-year-old tree.
This place is also famous for its wildlife. Seals and many seabirds can be found here living and breeding. But what is the sought-after activity done here is of course-- meeting a penguin face to face and just in arm's reach.
Well, this is the things you can expect to see in the summer months in the Antarctic:
November and Early December (Late Spring/Early Summer):
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Mid-December and January (Mid Summer) :
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February and March (Late Summer) :
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The things listed below is what should be in one's bucket list going to this place:
1. Get up close & personal with the penguins
2. Swim in Antarctica at Deception Bay
3. Take a zodiac cruise in Antarctica
4. Send a post card from Antarctica: Port Lockroy
5. View the natural beauty at the Lemaire Channel
6. Admire the wildlife
7. Watch the dazzling Aurora australis
(1) The most popular tourist attraction in Antarctica, hands down. There aren’t too many places in the world where you can be at arm’s length from thousands of penguins. You can walk among the massive colonies and even see penguin chicks during the right time of year! There are four species of penguins living in the mainland: the Adelie, the Emperor, the Chinstrap, and the Gentoo penguins. They are just like in Happy Feet, but cuter and cuddlier!
(2) Deception Bay is actually a caldera of a volcano and the prime site for going swimming in Antarctica. The reason this site is chosen is because the water is generally warmer due to the volcano and also because the world’s largest Chin Strap Penguin Colony lives on the island. Deception Island (62°57'S, 60°38'W) is an island located in the South Shetland Islands off the northwest side of the Antarctic Peninsula and has been a focus of human activity in Antarctica since the early 1820s with the hunting of seal. In fact, the island was given its name by the American sealer Nathanial Palmer who visited the island in 1820. Deception Island is also noted for being the largest active volcano in the region and one of the main sources of seismic and volcanic activity in the Antarctic. The surrounding shoreline (inside/outside the caldera) is made-up of dark gray to black dense to fine-grained igneous rock.
(3) A zodiac is a small boat where roughly 8-12 people are able to be taken inside some of the smaller passageways in Antarctica. You will be able to see icebergs up close and personal and if you are lucky, many different types of seals including leopard seals. There are six species of seals in Antarctica: Antarctic Fur Seals, Crabeater Seals, Leopard Seals, Ross Seals, and Weddell Seals.
(4) The national park in Tierra Del Fuego in Ushuaia claims to the have the southernmost post office in the world which is actually incorrect since there are post offices in Antarctica. The post office in Port Lockroy sits among a massive penguin colony and also picturesque icebergs. Don’t be surprised if it takes 2-3 months for your postcard to arrive! An another thing, the stamp used in the post card is really the Antarctic stamp!
(5) There aren’t many places in the world like the Lemaire Channel. Due to shifting winds the channel may be blocked by icebergs but if you get the chance to see it your life will change forever. Snow capped mountains reflecting off the calm waters of the Antarctic will give you some of the best pictures on your trip.
(6) There aren’t many places in the world that offer the kind of wildlife that Antarctica offers. In addition to penguins which are the main attraction, you can also view many different types of birds, seals, and more.
(7) One should be very lucky if he or she has seen this! These Southern Lights are very beautiful to watch. They can have many colors: pale green and pink the most common. However, different shades of red, yellow, green, blue, and violet can also be seen. This phenomenon is caused by plasma particles from the sun (part of the solar wind) that enters the atmosphere. You can mesmerize on the beauty of this light show because one aurora will last on the order of 15 to 40 minutes and may recur in 2 to 3 hours!
I COULD LIVE HERE!!