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Hot Ice: Breeding Practices of Five Polar Animals
Last Valentine's Day we gave you 14 wildlife pictures highlighting the ins, outs, ups, and downs of polar romance. This year we're moving on to something a little more advanced: the nitty-gritty details of polar wildlife breeding rituals.
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A visit to the fascinating island of Jan Mayen
After exploring the remote island of Fair Isle, our Atlantic Odyssey voyage once more turned its attentions northwards and left the outer extremities of the UK behind. Our destination was Jan Mayen, a volcanic island situated on the mid-Atlantic ridge just north of 71° (about 550 kilometers north of Iceland and 450 kilometers east of Greenland).
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Why You Should Visit Greenland: 11 Things to See, Do, and Explore
There's nothing quite like witnessing your first Greenland glacier, navigating into the island's largest fjord system (which also happens to be Earth's largest), or observing a humpback whale breach over the dark Greenland Sea.
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Living the Antarctic Dream
From October to March, during the Austral summer, thousands of breeding gentoo, Adèlie, and chinstrap penguins flock to the Western Antarctic Peninsula to rear their chicks and feast on krill before the harsh winter arrives. Alongside the penguins, field biologists from around the world gather to study these habits for conservation research. Observing these animals is one thing, but residing in an Antarctic field station for an entire breeding season is another. One particular field camp on King George Island, managed by American scientists, has perfected this Antarctic lifestyle and has thrived for over 30 years.
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Life in a Penguin Colony
Captain Pieter J. Lenie Base, also known as Base Copacabana or simply Copa Base, is situated on King George Island off the western shores of the Antarctic Peninsula. This American research station has been home to scientists studying Adélie, gentoo, and chinstrap penguins for over three decades, aiming to understand how to best conserve these cherished species.
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Arctic and Antarctic Basecamp Cruises – Choose Your Own Adventure
There’s an astonishing variety of activities to choose from when planning an Arctic trip or Antarctic cruise, which can be a bit overwhelming. How do you choose just one voyage over another when you want to experience everything? Happily, you don’t have to give up one activity for another. Basecamp cruises have you covered.
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Five Reasons Why Snowshoeing is a Perfect Polar Activity
One of the most beloved polar sports is also one of the oldest. Snowshoeing has been the preferred means of foot travel in the Arctic since antiquity, and in the years since Antarctica was discovered, it has been highly popular among researchers and polar tourists alike.
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Gough Island: Seabird Capital of the South Atlantic
Gough Island is a remote volcanic island in the South Atlantic, uninhabited except for a small party of meteorologists and (sometimes) biologists.
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South Georgia in Spring
What a fantastic time to be in South Georgia! Perhaps the best time of the year! The wildlife is abundant, and the light is simply magical for photography. Kings, Gentoos, Chinstraps, and Macaronis are all present along the shorelines. Elephant and Fur seals are also plentiful! Wandering albatrosses are welcoming their newly hatched chicks, while the non-breeders are actively engaged in their courtship rituals, practicing a ceremonial dance. Light-mantled, Sooty, and Grey-headed albatrosses are still feeding their fluffy chicks, as are the Giant petrels. We've been fortunate with the weather, finding ourselves in the right place at the right time to succeed in all our landings and zodiac cruises so far.
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Encounter with the emperor penguin in Antarctica
Dutch journalist Gemma Venhuizen embarked on the MV Ortelius during the Weddell Sea cruise 'In search of the emperor penguins'. She had several encounters with this majestic penguin species - both from the sea and from the air.
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The bowhead whale, whaling about the Arctic
The bowhead whale typically resides near pack ice, often in shallow waters. These whales are commonly found north of Europe, between Canada and Greenland, in the Hudson Bay area, the Okhotsk Sea, and the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort seas. In these regions, they filter food through their large baleen plates. Bowheads are known to open their large mouths and graze along the surface, in the water column, or on the sea floor.
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Science of the Ross Ice Shelf
Antarctica’s Ross Ice Shelf is vast, spanning 487,000 sq. km – comparable to the size of France – with a thickness that varies from a few hundred meters near the sea to over 1,200 meters away from the floating edge. The edge along the Ross Sea forms a towering ice wall, rising up to 50 meters above the water, with most of the ice submerged below the waterline.
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Arctic Flowers, Trees, and Other Plant Life
When many people think of the Arctic, they probably imagine a stark white wasteland devoid of anything except snow, glaciers, and the occasional far-wandering polar bear.
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The History of Antarctica in Maps
Long before human eyes ever beheld Antarctica, the ancients were convinced that it existed – or at least something like it.
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Seizing the Season: Spitsbergen’s Late Spring, Early Summer
Most Arctic expedition cruises can be categorized into two main types: those that operate during the autumn and winter, focusing on the northern lights, and those that sail during the high season (mid to late summer), concentrating on a broader range of experiences.
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Polar bear feast
The polar bear was relishing his meal; the snow and his face were turning red from the blood. As we observed him eating, our own stomachs began to grumble. It was time for lunch.
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The Ancient Fossil Forests of Antarctica
Over a hundred years ago, Robert Falcon Scott’s expedition to Antarctica discovered fossils of plants on the Beardmore Glacier, less than 500 km (310 miles) from the South Pole. Edward Wilson, who was the expedition’s chief scientist, recorded the findings in his diary, stating that “most of the bigger leaves were like beech leaves in shape and venation.”
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Top Antarctica Cruise Experiences for 2025
Antarctica, the world’s southernmost continent, captivates adventurous travelers with its breathtaking landscapes and rich biodiversity. Cruises to this icy destination offer unparalleled access to pristine wilderness, unique wildlife, and transformative experiences. In 2025, the allure of Antarctica promises to be even greater, with cutting-edge expeditions and eco-conscious travel options reshaping the journey south.
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Weddell seals: The data collectors scientists of Antarctica
Weddell seals inhabit some of the coldest and darkest waters deep within the Ross Sea ice, making them the southernmost naturally occurring mammals on Earth. During the winter and summer months, their movements are largely governed by the presence of sea ice and the availability of suitable breathing and exit holes.
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The Eight Great Penguin Species of Antarctica
There are 17 species of penguin on the planet, but the eight you’ll most likely recognize live in Antarctica, its nearby islands, and the sub-Antarctic archipelagos of South Georgia and the Falklands. These are the core species we tend to see on our expedition cruises.