Landing Sites · Antarctica, South Georgia & the Falklands
There are no ports down here. A ship anchors, the Zodiacs go in, and the expedition leader picks the landing on the morning, by the weather and the ice. These are 32 of the places they use — pick the animal you came for and see where it lives.
Antarctica has no piers and no ports of call in the usual sense. Your ship anchors off a site, the Zodiacs (small inflatable boats) ferry you ashore in shifts, and you walk inside a roped or flagged area with the expedition team.
The rules shape all of it. IAATO’s operators (the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators, the industry body that sets the landing rules) keep to no more than 100 people ashore from a ship at once and one ship at a site at a time, and ships carrying more than 500 passengers don’t land anyone at all. They sail past.
So the itinerary is a menu, not a schedule. The expedition leader decides each morning which landing the wind, swell and ice will allow. A site on the brochure is a hope, not a booking.
Start with the animals and the region, then pick the voyage that goes there. That’s what the map below is for.
Sources: IAATO Antarctic Treaty site guidelines
Pick a penguin, a seal, an activity or a month. The map and the list narrow together. Colours are regions — the Peninsula on every voyage, the rest on the longer ones.
All 32 sites are listed below, numbered to match the map.
The animal you came for
What you want to do
Getting ashore
Your month (highlights month-tied sites)
Danco Coast (mainland) · Antarctic Peninsula
Glacier walls right over a gentoo colony, and it's the most-landed site on the Peninsula. The catch is calving waves, so the beach isn't where you linger.
Look for: Gentoo penguin, Weddell seal, skua, kelp gull
Ashore: Cobble beach landing southwest of the refuge hut; free roaming under supervision, no guided routes. Calving can send waves onto the beach, so be ready to move uphill.
Danco Coast (mainland) · Antarctic Peninsula
Argentina’s Brown Station (Almirante Brown) with a steep little hill and nesting gentoos. The colony’s small, and the bay often works better from a Zodiac.
Look for: Gentoo penguin, Weddell seal, blue-eyed shag
Ashore: Brown is Argentina’s summer-only station; the hill behind it is steep, about 84 m. No formal tours. Many ships Zodiac-cruise or kayak the bay instead of landing.
Cuverville Island · Antarctic Peninsula
A big gentoo colony with leopard seals hunting offshore — it closed for bird flu for about six weeks in 2024-25, so it's never a sure thing.
Look for: Gentoo penguin, leopard seal, fur seal, Weddell seal, blue-eyed shag, skua, snowy sheathbill
Ashore: Wide cobble beach at the north end; free roaming outside the roped penguin routes, small groups of up to 15 to the eastern end. In the late (moulting) season penguin density can keep you near the beach.
Danco Island · Antarctic Peninsula
A long climb up a snow-free slope past gentoo highways. Stay out of the penguins’ snow trenches; those are the birds’ roads.
Look for: Gentoo penguin, snowy sheathbill, crabeater seal, Weddell seal
Ashore: Lands on the west end of the north shore near old Base O; a long snow-free slope climbs toward the summit, but the permanent ice above is crevassed and for roped, trained parties only.
Danco Coast (mainland) · Antarctic Peninsula
A real continental landing. The climb to the chinstraps on the ridge is steep, and the Gerlache Strait opens up below you.
Look for: Chinstrap penguin, blue-eyed shag, fur seal, leopard seal, Weddell seal, humpback whale
Ashore: Rock-platform landing about 500 m along the southern shore, then a moderate marked or guided climb to the saddle; the ice toward Spigot Peak is corniced and crevassed.
Danco Coast (mainland) · Antarctic Peninsula
A known humpback feeding ground. You watch from the ship or a Zodiac, since there’s nowhere to land.
Look for: Humpback whale
Wiencke Island & Port Lockroy · Antarctic Peninsula
Base A's museum, shop and Penguin Post Office are set to open for 2026-27 while repairs carry on, with gentoos nesting around the hut — it's small, so landings run in tight shifts.
Look for: Gentoo penguin, snowy sheathbill, Weddell seal, skua
Ashore: Up to 60 visitors ashore and 35 inside Bransfield House at a time, about 350 a day; landings 07:00-18:00. Neighbouring Jougla Point is a separate landing with gentoos, shags and whale bones.
Wiencke Island & Port Lockroy · Antarctic Peninsula
Two old field huts and gentoos on Dorian Bay, and a spot used for overnight camping. Brash ice can shut the bay with little warning.
Look for: Gentoo penguin, Weddell seal, fur seal, crabeater seal, leopard seal
Ashore: Lands in Dorian Bay beside the British Damoy Hut (a listed historic site, up to 10 inside) and the Argentine hut; free roaming, but the glacier toward Jabet Peak is crevassed. Brash ice can block the bay fast.
Booth Island · Antarctic Peninsula
About 11 km of channel only about 600 m wide at the narrowest, between Booth Island and the mainland. Early-season icebergs can block it and send the ship around the outside instead.
Look for: Orca, humpback whale, minke whale
Booth Island · Antarctic Peninsula
All three brush-tailed penguins (gentoo, chinstrap and Adélie) nest here, plus the cairn from Charcot’s first French expedition. Watch the snow overhangs by the landing.
Look for: Gentoo penguin, chinstrap penguin, Adélie penguin, fur seal, Weddell seal
Ashore: Land in Salpêtrière Bay and walk a short saddle to Port Charcot; the walk to Charcot’s cairn should be guided because of steep, slippery slopes.
Pléneau Island · Antarctic Peninsula
Iceberg scenery at the south end of the Lemaire, with elephant seals hauled out. You land on rocks, so expect to scramble.
Look for: Gentoo penguin, elephant seal, Weddell seal, leopard seal, blue-eyed shag
Ashore: Rock-and-boulder landing at the east-northeast end facing Booth Island; free roaming outside the tern and shag nesting areas; the ice cap is crevassed.
Petermann Island · Antarctic Peninsula
Gentoos and Adélies on one small island, the site of Charcot's second French expedition. The crevassed ice cap behind it is off limits without proper guides.
Look for: Gentoo penguin, Adélie penguin, blue-eyed shag, snowy sheathbill, skua
Ashore: Land along Port Circumcision; guided small groups to the cairn on Megalestris Hill, marked route to the southern viewpoint, three closed nesting areas.
Argentine Islands · Antarctic Peninsula
Ukraine’s year-round station, British Faraday until 1996, with the famous Faraday Bar. Only about 2,000 to 5,000 visitors make it here in a season.
Look for: People, huts and history more than wildlife
Ashore: Station tours of up to 30 people take about 30-45 minutes (labs, library, the Faraday Bar); Wordie House (a listed historic site) takes up to 10 inside, by permission.
Detaille Island · Antarctic Peninsula
A 1956 British hut left much as it was, just south of the Antarctic Circle. Polar-circle trips come for the history more than the wildlife.
Look for: People, huts and history more than wildlife
Ashore: Land in the small bay south of the hut; up to 50 ashore and 12 inside Base W (a listed historic site) at once; rocks are slippery when wet.
Tabarin Peninsula · Antarctic Peninsula
Red-brown volcanic cliffs over an Adélie colony on the mainland itself. Wind and blown-in pack ice cancel it often, and bird flu closed it from mid-December 2024 to late February 2025.
Look for: Adélie penguin, gentoo penguin, Weddell seal, leopard seal, kelp gull, skua
Ashore: Lands at the east end of the beach behind two reefs; free roaming on the flat beach, marked moraine walk, Adélie colony closed but viewable from its edge.
Deception Island · South Shetland Islands
A ruined whaling station and old British Base B inside a live volcano’s caldera. The buildings can collapse, so you look from 5 m and don’t go in.
Look for: Chinstrap penguin, gentoo penguin, fur seal, Weddell seal, crabeater seal, leopard seal, kelp gull
Ashore: Lands by the floating dock in front of the whaling station; guided single-file walks to Neptune’s Window and up Ronald Hill (about 103 m); buildings are off limits.
Deception Island · South Shetland Islands
A walk up a young crater for the view back across the caldera. You come for the volcanic scenery; there aren’t many penguins.
Look for: Fur seal, Weddell seal
Ashore: Beach landing just southwest of the crater, then closely guided small groups up to the crater lip; the soil is friable and can give way.
Half Moon Island · South Shetland Islands
Chinstraps nesting around a small hill under a navigation tower. The path squeezes through a penguin pass, so you'll be stepping aside a lot.
Look for: Chinstrap penguin, fur seal, Weddell seal, blue-eyed shag, kelp gull, skua
Restricted months: Chinstrap breeding and early incubation, about October to mid-January, when walks beyond the pass are discouraged
Ashore: Small north-shore beach at the southeast tip, marked by an old dory; guided walk to the eastern tip through a narrow penguin pass. Argentina’s Cámara station is excluded from the guidelines.
Aitcho Islands · South Shetland Islands
Gentoos and chinstraps side by side with elephant seals on the beach. The green moss in the middle is off limits, so most of the walk is shoreline.
Look for: Gentoo penguin, chinstrap penguin, elephant seal, Weddell seal, fur seal, southern giant petrel, skua
Month-tied: Antarctic fur seals arrive from late December
Ashore: Lands at the east end (north sand beach or cobbled south beach); the moss carpet in the middle is closed except one guided stream-bed route for groups of up to 10.
Greenwich Island · South Shetland Islands
Several thousand gentoo pairs and old sealers’ relics on a long, easy spit. Wind can push ice in and block the landing fast.
Look for: Gentoo penguin, fur seal, elephant seal, Weddell seal, skua
Ashore: Lands along the gravel spit, preferably inside; free roaming with longer walks along the curved spit; raised terraces with nesting gentoos are closed.
Livingston Island · South Shetland Islands
Gentoos, chinstraps, a few macaronis and giant petrels in one compact spot. It’s limited to small ships, and visits are discouraged until about mid-January.
Look for: Gentoo penguin, chinstrap penguin, macaroni penguin, southern giant petrel, fur seal, elephant seal, Weddell seal
Restricted months: Visits strongly discouraged from the start of breeding in October until after early penguin incubation, about mid-January
Ashore: Small cobble beach on the north coast; guided single-file groups of 15-20 on the Point, no more than 50 there at once; only ships of 200 passengers or fewer.
South Georgia
The 1904 whaling station, museum, 1913 church and Shackleton's grave in one walk — fur seals own the beach, so give them room.
Look for: Fur seal, elephant seal, king penguin, South Georgia pintail, South Georgia pipit
Ashore: Land on the beaches by the sealer Dias in front of the museum (larger tenders may use the Tijuca jetty); free roaming around the station and out to the cemetery; King Edward Point is a working station, and the bittercress areas are no-go.
South Georgia
A big king penguin colony on the Bay of Isles. Katabatic winds and north swell kill a lot of landings, and peak fur seal season can make the beach impossible.
Look for: King penguin, elephant seal, fur seal, skua
Ashore: Long gravel beach in front of the outwash plain, surf permitting; the king colony plus a 10 m buffer is closed; hikes above the colony are scouted and flagged. Rivers can run deep and fast.
South Georgia
South Georgia's largest king colony, according to the government's own plan — you may have to wade or wait on a glacial river.
Look for: King penguin, elephant seal, fur seal, skua
Ashore: Zodiacs land south of the glacial outflow; free roaming on the outwash plain and beach; colony and its north-side river closed. Meltwater rivers can be deep and fast.
South Georgia
Kings, elephant seals and the Bertrab Glacier hanging over the bay. It's exposed to swell from the south and east, so it's often a maybe.
Look for: King penguin, gentoo penguin, elephant seal, fur seal, light-mantled sooty albatross, blue-eyed shag, snowy sheathbill
Ashore: Lands in the north corner near Gold Head; upper-beach free roaming; guided Gold Head and moraine walks (graded green); 10 m from sooty albatross nests. Small ships only (200 passengers or fewer).
South Georgia
Kings at Whistle Cove and the Shackleton Walk over the hill to Stromness. The walk depends on weather and isn't on every itinerary.
Look for: King penguin
Ashore: Three sites: Anchorage Bay, Whistle Cove (king penguins at the head of the bay) and the east-shore landing for the Shackleton Walk over to Stromness.
Prion Island · South Georgia
A boardwalk to nesting wandering albatross. The boardwalk has been in disrepair, Prion wasn’t on the approved list in the 2025-26 visitor booklet, and it closes 20 November to 7 January every year, so ask your line before counting on it.
Look for: Wandering albatross, South Georgia pipit, gentoo penguin, fur seal, elephant seal, northern giant petrel
Restricted months: Closed 20 November to 7 January for peak fur seal breeding
Ashore: Single landing beach on the southeast coast, straight up to the boardwalk and stay on it to the viewing platforms; 50 ashore including staff; ships of 200 passengers or fewer.
Carcass Island · Falkland Islands
Songbirds, cheeky striated caracaras and penguins on a walk that ends in a farmhouse kitchen — the caracaras will steal anything you set down.
Look for: Magellanic penguin, gentoo penguin, striated caracara, Cobb’s wren, elephant seal, southern sea lion
Ashore: Landings are usually a short walk from the settlement, with birds along the way and smoko (tea and home baking) at the farmhouse.
Saunders Island · Falkland Islands
Four penguin species at and around The Neck, with albatross nesting on the slopes above. The albatross walk is the longest, about 1.4 km each way.
Look for: King penguin, rockhopper penguin, Magellanic penguin, gentoo penguin, black-browed albatross
Month-tied: Black-browed albatross breed about September to April, chicks leaving in April
Ashore: Zodiacs land at the North or South Beach at The Neck; marked routes of about 0.7 km (kings), 1.1 km (rockhoppers) and 1.4 km (albatross); stay outside the king penguin fence.
West Point Island · Falkland Islands
Black-browed albatross and rockhoppers nest side by side at the Devil’s Nose. By March the rockhoppers are moulting and look a bit scruffy.
Look for: Black-browed albatross, rockhopper penguin
Month-tied: Black-browed albatross chicks on nests and rockhoppers moulting in March (expedition report)
Sea Lion Island · Falkland Islands
Most of the Falklands’ elephant seals breed here, and orcas patrol the kelp from about October to February. You might see them, but nobody can schedule it.
Look for: Elephant seal, southern sea lion, orca, Magellanic penguin, gentoo penguin, rockhopper penguin, striated caracara
Month-tied: Elephant seal pups born early October; orcas hunt offshore about October to February
Ashore: Cruise passengers come ashore by Zodiac on the beaches; 6 m from all wildlife.
East Falkland · Falkland Islands
The Falklands’ biggest king penguin group, on a long white beach. From a Stanley stop it’s a long, bumpy day out, about 2.5 hours each way.
Look for: King penguin, gentoo penguin, Magellanic penguin
Month-tied: Gentoos breed from October and fledge early February; king penguins incubate about November to January
Ashore: About 2.5 hours’ drive each way from Stanley, the last part off-road over soft peat; permission is needed in advance; 6 m from wildlife.
Nothing on this list matches all of those at once. Drop one filter and try again.
The season is short: landings run from about late October to the end of March, and each slice of it is a different trip.
Go early for snow, ice and courtship. Go in December or January for chicks and endless light. Go late for whales, fledglings and, on a clear night, a chance at the southern lights.
The aurora australis needs darkness, and the Peninsula barely gets any in high summer. NOAA notes that the high latitudes where aurora occur don’t get dark in summer, so treat March nights as a bonus, not a promise.
Tap a month to see what it changes on the map.
Sources: Aurora Expeditions NOAA Australian Antarctic Division Oceanwide
Most voyages sail from Ushuaia across the Drake Passage. Air-cruises fly from Punta Arenas to King George Island instead. The long voyages add the Falklands and South Georgia on the way.
King penguins mean South Georgia; chicks mean January; whales and a chance at the aurora mean March. Seabound Journeys will match the voyage and the ship to it.
We check answers against current itineraries and fares before you book.
No. The voyage has a planned region, but the expedition leader picks each day’s landings from the weather, the ice and which sites are free. Treat a named site on the itinerary as a hope.
What you can choose is the region: Peninsula only, or the long voyages that add the Falklands and South Georgia.
IAATO’s rules allow no more than 100 passengers from a ship ashore at one time, with at least one guide for every 20, and some sites set lower limits. Only one ship can be at a landing site at a time.
Ships carrying more than 500 passengers don’t land anyone; they cruise past.
US citizens don’t need a visa for Antarctica. If you travel with an IAATO operator, the operator usually holds the permit and files the US advance notification; confirm it with your line. You need a passport for Argentina or Chile, and for the Falklands if your voyage calls there.
South Georgia — Salisbury Plain, St Andrews Bay, Gold Harbour, Fortuna Bay and sometimes Grytviken — and in the Falklands, Volunteer Point and Saunders Island. They don’t breed on the Antarctic Peninsula.
On this page: Brown Bluff on the Weddell Sea side, Petermann Island and Port Charcot further south. Gentoos and chinstraps are far more common on the usual Peninsula loop.
Rarely. The aurora needs darkness, and in December and January the Peninsula gets about 20 hours of light or more. NOAA notes that the high latitudes where aurora occur don’t get dark in summer.
Late-season voyages in March bring night back, and some lines run March trips for the southern lights — but no one can promise it.
Since 2023-24 you don’t sit or lie down in wildlife areas, and bags and gear stay off the ground. Teams check colonies before landing and cancel if birds look sick. In 2024-25, Cuverville Island and Brown Bluff were closed for weeks at a time.
If king penguins and elephant seals are why you’re going, yes. The big colonies are there, not on the Peninsula. It adds about a week to the voyage and a permit of about £250 a head (£275 from July 2027). Lines usually buy it for you, so ask whether your fare includes it.
The Antarctic Treaty’s own site guidelines first, then IAATO, the South Georgia and Falklands governments, and the lines’ field reports. Each is labelled. All read in October 2026.
Tell us roughly when and who's going — we'll match the itinerary and ship to how you travel.
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