2023.24 South Georgia & Antarctic Peninsula (Buenos Aires)

PARADISE HARBOR Paradise Harbor is a wide bay and natural harbor on the West Antarctic Peninsula. Mountains, glaciers and ice cliffs offer spectacular views. Icebergs occasionally calve from the glaciers, providing a place for seals, penguins and seabirds to rest and play. An Argentine base, Almirante Brown Station—named after Admiral Guillermo Brown, father of the Argentine Navy—is also located in Paradise Harbor, and was operated from 1951 until a large section of it burned down in 1984. It has since been partially rebuilt and today is used during summer months for scientific research. PAULET ISLAND Located in the northwestern Weddell Sea, Paulet Island is home to a large Adélie penguin rookery. With a volcanic cone that rises 1,158 feet (353 meters), the island reminds you that this was once a very active landscape. In addition to penguins, you may be interested in viewing the remains of a historic hut built by members of the Swedish Antarctic

Expedition of 1901-04. A cross marks the gravesite of Ole Wennersgaard, a member of the crew. WILHELMINA BAY Humpback whales abound in “Whale- mina Bay,” as it’s nicknamed, and the scenery is spectacular. Sheer cliffs and glaciers surround the calm waters of the protected bay, named after Wilhelmina, queen of the Netherlands from 1890 to 1948. If you’re lucky, you may see the humpbacks bubble-net feeding: they exhale while swimming in a wide circle below the surface, trapping their prey in a “net” of bubbles, and then swim straight up from below, mouths open. A truly astounding sight! WATERBOAT POINT A surveyor and a geologist lived in a makeshift shelter utilizing an up-turned water boat on this point from 1921 to 1922. The remains of their camp have been designated an Antarctic historic site. The aptly named Waterboat Point is also home to a Chilean Antarctic research

station, named González Videla Base after the first sitting head of state to visit the Antarctic continent. When the base is manned, you may be welcomed inside for a visit by the base personnel, or you may visit the resident nesting gentoo rookery if the base is inactive. South Shetland Islands AITCHO ISLANDS This group of small islands is situated in the northern entrance of the English Strait. You can often spot a great mix of wildlife in the area, with gentoo and chinstrap penguins having established rookeries on the islands. Southern elephant and fur seals frequently haul out here, too. DECEPTION ISLAND Deception Island is a flooded circular caldera formed by the collapse of an active volcano. To reach this protected harbor, it is necessary to sail through a narrow passage called Neptune’s Bellows. Inside are several bays used at

Call your Travel Professional or a Quark Polar Travel Adviser at 1.888.892.0073 | Visit QuarkExpeditions.com for additional details

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