Your stare becomes locked as you observe their great numbers, seventy thousand or more breeding pairs all happily waddling around on their mile square rookery of mud and rock, wearing their tidily pressed tuxedos.

They clean themselves obsessively, and scare away neighbors who encroach by their nests, and fend off troublesome, chick threatening seals and skuas. Brown, fluffy downed chicks constantly clamor, placing their heads into their parents’ beaks for any food that they have. antarctica cruise information is only a click away.

Penguins work around the clock to feed their young. When one returns from the icy ocean full of food, a ritual of bows and pecks ensues before the mate struts off for a stint at sea.

Penguins are not really that cute. They are foul-smelling and noisy but also fascinating at the same time. But large numbers of visitors to Antarctica every year to stand with them. The vast frozen landscape of the Antarctic really is like the edge of the world.

The Penguins aren’t the only thing people come to see. There are other sea birds, seals, whales, dolphins, albatross and an astonishingly beautiful land and seascape of icebergs resembling dragons and other mythical creatures and glaciers with spires as tall as those found on the cathedrals of Europe. If you’re looking to learn about cruises to antartica, visit their site for more details.

The capacity of a football stadium is probably larger than the number of people who have visited this wonderland. To many, Antarctica is like a dream destination, holier than any place of worship. As soon as you begin your journey, the thrill has already begun. Despite being expensive, this trip is very special, thrilling and unusual. Getting to Antarctica is no easy task because from the U.S. one has to first get to either Ushuaia in Argentina or Punta Arenas in Chile, Cape Town in South Africa, or Christchurch in New Zealand by a 20-hour flight and then begin the onward sea voyage. For their onward journey to Antarctica, people can board certified ice-rated ships at any of these ports. Withstanding days of travel in rough seas, this is by far the only way passengers can reach the big icy continent.

While Antarctica, as is seen above the surface of the water, is about a third larger than the U.S., the icy shelves surrounding it account for almost the same area in addition. With a thickness of two miles and exerting a massive pressure on the earth?s surface, this vast ice mass holds 70 percent of the Earth?s fresh water.

Nine ships will be plying to Antarctica from February 10 to 18, offering various itineraries. Most of the ships are small, accommodating 75 to 200 passengers, though one carries 400 passengers. Getting to know about the natural and historical perspective of Antarctica is the predominant theme of this journey.

The ships use zodiac rafts to land passengers near penguin rookeries and seal colonies or put them ashore at Antarctic research stations where scientists study everything from what keeps Antarctic fish from freezing to how the hole in the ozone layer causes global warming.

Signatories to the Antarctic Treaty, which include the U.S., Argentina, Chile, China, and Russia besides a few other agencies, look after the upkeep of the research stations. The basic purpose of the Antarctic Treaty is to keep the continent free from nuclear and commercial activity and to use it as a borderless laboratory. Some research facilities see the arrival of visitors as a sort of encroachment on their territory while at many other locations they actually encourage such visits.

Esperanza station, set up by Argentina at Hope Bay, is a collection of orange-colored bungalows housing recreational and work areas, a school and church, all of which is accessible to tourists. Every living soul, be it scientists, the military personnel, children and even animals, seems to be in harmony with everyone around.

Teniente Marsh station is a base built by Chile on King George?s Island and it has everything from a provisions shop to a restaurant and surprisingly even a post office. China’s Great Wall Station is a good place to go and buy T-shirts, curios, stuffed penguins and a lot more. Barring a few ships allowed at certain specific times, no other ships are allowed anywhere close to the United States’ Palmer Station base in Anvers Island. At most places, tourists are not allowed inside residential and work areas.