Nothing compares to the epic white wilderness that is Antarctica, a land of snow, rock, ice and water. It’s simply stunning.
There is no place in the world quite like Antarctica. Its surreal remoteness, gargantuan ice sheets, vast and jagged mountain ranges, and myriad alien life forms challenge you to embrace life to the fullest. Anyone who’s been will tell you that you must earn the respect of this continent, not the other way around. Unlike any other destination in the world, ice –not clocks, magazine trends or tourism calendars – determines all rights of passage here.
Its charm, you ask? Inspiration. Antarctica is untameable. It is a land in which any savvy explorer will experience an indescribable feeling of being a small speck in a vast, surreal, unkind and harshly beautiful land. Here you are insignificant, and at the mercy of Mother Nature in all her ferocity. This is a land where ice palaces reign supreme, where unexplored and untouched mountains reveal themselves in an instant through a veil of deadly marine mist, where the weather has its own menacing and dark rhythms. And If you’re lucky enough to go, you’ll join an exclusive ‘it club’ entirely free of humankind’s imprint. In short, Antarctica is pure elemental magic.
From emperor penguins in Port Lockroy to the icebergs of the Lemaire Channel, the snow-capped peaks of South Georgia to giant, leaping humpback whales navigating the Drake Passage, here are 23 photos of Antarctica that will give you all the feels.
The absolute beauty of Andord Bay, Graham Land…
A world of blues and whites | © Jo Crebbin / Shutterstock
The cute Weddell seal pups playing on the ice of the Antarctic Peninsula…
Cuteness overload alert! | © Dmytro Pylypenko / Shutterstock
The huge icebergs of the Drake Passage…
It looks like a portal to another world…. | © Stephen Lew / Shutterstock
An almost sculptural iceberg | © Gen Productions / Shutterstock
Imagine going round this bend! | © Jo Crebbin / Shutterstock
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Angular icebergs contribute to the starkness of the landscape | © Volodymyr Goinyk / Shutterstock
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Gentoo Penguins standing sentinel © Andrey Nosik / Shutterstock
Looks almost like ice cream | © Armin Rose / Shutterstock
What lies beneath…. | © Jo Crebbin / Shutterstock
The Great Ice Wall of Brunt…
Mother Nature is ahead of the curve when it comes to building walls…. | © Antarctic / Shutterstock
The breathtaking views of the Lemaire Channel…
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Whales’ paradise | © Alexey Suloev / Shutterstock
The King Penguin colonies of the Falklands…
A waddle of penguins | © Andre Anita / Shutterstock
And St Andrews Bay in South Georgia…
Emperor penguins strutting their stuff on shore | © Jo Crebbin / Shutterstock
The dreamy ice caves at the Vernadsky Research Base…
Light makes a blue reflection in the ice caves | © Armin Rose / Shutterstock
…And here they are flooded with violet light | © Volodymyr Goinyk / Shutterstock
The Instagram-perfect mountain reflections of the Ronne Ice Shelf…
Mirror image | © Volodymyr Goinyk / Shutterstock
The Gentoo penguins of Port Lockroy…
In contrast to Chinstrap, Emperor and Adélie penguins, Gentoo penguins can be found near their breeding colonies all year round | © Willem Tims / Shutterstock
The laughing elephant sea lions of South Georgia…
Hahaha, sea lion-style | © Anton Ivanov / Shutterstock
The epic Rising Glacier at Drygalski Fjord, South Georgia…
Rising Glacier flows southeast into Drygalski Gorge| © Amelie Koch / Shutterstock
The Humpback whales of the Ross Sea…
A Humpback whale breaches in Ross Sea | © MZPHOTO.CZ / Shutterstock
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The Humpback is a species of baleen whale with long pectoral fins and a knobbly head | © Dmytro Pylypenko / Shutterstock
The Chinstrap penguins of Half Moon Island, South Shetland Islands…
Chinstrap penguins enjoying the snow and shelter on Half Moon Island | © Anton Ivanov / Shutterstock
The mystical landscapes of the Lemaire Channel…
These massive peaks are frequently shrouded in clouds | © Evenfh / Shutterstock
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