Our first stop was Port Stanley. The Falkland Islands are generally remembered as the place where Great Britain and Argentina fought a war but we discovered that their importance is especially significant in terms of the Gold Rush era.

Several sight-seeing options were available in Port Stanley. I chose the audio tour so that I could have the chance to explore a bit on my own, including a stop in at the Globe Tavern a favorite haunt for the scientific crews who go there while on leave.

Upon leaving Port Stanley, we set sail for South Georgia. Within a few hours, we entered the Antarctic Convergence sailing the Scotia Sea where there was a noticeable drop in temperature. There were plenty of albatross, petrels, and pichons flying around the ship. Dolphins could be seen splashing in the distance.

The expedition crews lectures were informative and eclectic - the exploitation of whales, seals, and fish, penguin life, Sir Ernest Shackleton, plate tectonics, and global warming -to name a few.

Each day we left the ship to board a zodiac which took us to our destination where would hike and climb or simply sit and observe the penguins and seals. Despite enormous swells at times, the ship’s crew did an excellent job of getting everyone into and off the zodiacs safely.

Highlights of This Fabulous Journey South

Salisbury Plain ( north coast of south Georgia)which lies between the mouths of two glaciers with its “welcoming committee” of king penguins and fur seal pups; where the mature seal “beach masters” bask in the sun, looking like huge rocks.

Elsehul, an area where there are colonies of fur and elephant seals with Gentoo penguins interspersed among them, living in complete harmony.

Stromness Bay, where Shackleton arrived in his heroic effort to save his crew who were stranded on elephant Island; where the old whaling station, abandoned long ago, stands vacant and rusting; where we climbed the ridge past the waterfall to re-create Shackleton’s trek into Stromness; white reindeer, brought there by the whalers, still roaming the hills.

Fin whales and orcas moving in graceful ballet-like patterns alongside the ship

Icebergs with their blue refracted light that seem to have been carved by a sculptor

Elephant Island where Shackleton’s crew remained stranded for four months living in upturned life boats waiting for their rescue.

Half-Moon Bay and Livingston Island where chinstrap penguins abound

Deception Island where thermal springs heat the water so that the more adventurous passengers can shed their parkas and strip down to bathing suits to splash around in the water

Neptune’s Window where you can gaze across the bay atop a ridge and catch your first glimpse of the Antarctic Peninsula

Neko Harbor where you actually set foot on the Antarctic Continent.

Lemaire Channel, also known as Kodak Alley or Fuji’s Fiord, with its breathtaking scenery and two mountain peaks known as “Una’s Tits” - named after a secretary working for what is now known as the British Antarctic Survey (BAS)

Copyright © 2014 by Go Nomad. This article was written by Chloe JonPaul and originally published on www.gonomad.co

*Image of iceberg off coast of Antarctica via Shutterstock

*Image of penguins via Shutterstock

Antarctica for All Ages: The Trip of a Lifetime