Every journey to Antarctica is unique, as our route is influenced by the prevailing weather and ice conditions. Each day the Captain will discuss options for destinations of the day, which includes some truly awe-inspiring landscapes. The South Shetland Islands are home to raucous colonies of penguins, seals and seabirds as well as eerie abandoned whaling stations. Steeped in lore and history, Deception Island is in fact the flooded caldera of an active volcano where tens of thousands of chinstrap penguins roam freely. Hot rocks beneath the water’s surface warm the sea here, making it a good spot for swimming. Ethereal icebergs drift north from the Weddell Sea, and newly fledged emperor penguins waddle tentatively atop ice floes. In the western reaches of the Antarctic Peninsula, bays and islands of unimaginable beauty boast immense glaciers, ice cliffs, gentoo penguin colonies and active scientific research stations.