The scenic route to Antarctica is by small ship via The Falkland Islands, South Georgia and South Orkney Islands, where in the latter two the abundance of wildlife and lack of permanent human presence produces scenes of breathtaking primal quality. The effect of stepping onto a sizeable beach filled from shore to the horizon with thousands of penguins, cavorting fur seal pups, and dozing elephant seals, all completely oblivious to your presence, is profound.

The scene changed as the ship approached the tip of Antarctica. In my imagination I expected a vast flatness of unrelieved whiteness. Instead we saw surpassingly beautiful mountainous islands, blue icebergs, plenty of penguins of various species, and the king of them all, leopard seals. Jumping off of little Zodiacs onto small off-shore islands and the Antarctic continent itself, to wander at will among the unafraid animals, bleached hundred-year-old whale bones--untouched remnants of long-ago whaling days--in the pale Antarctic summer light, was a supreme pleasure.

Click on a picture to see a larger view.

Weddell Seal Portrait,
Antarctica

Bottom of an Iceberg,
Antarctica

Iceberg and Mountain,
South Orkney Islands

Gentoo Trio, Falklands

Gentoos to the Sea, Falklands

Albatross Rookery, Falklands

King Penguin Argument, South Georgia

Seals Near Shackleton's Grave, Grytviken, South Georgia

King Penguin and Ship, Falklands

Elephant Seal Disturbed,
South Georgia

Ancient Whale Bone,
South Georgia

King Penguin Profile,
South Georgia

Iceberg Dome,
South Orkney Islands

Floating Chinstrap Penguin,
South Georgia

Fur Seal Flippers,
South Georgia