The Wonderful Wildlife of the Seventh Continent

After visiting the Seven Modern Wonders of the World, I wanted to finish another personal travel goal: to visit all seven continents. To do this, I had to visit the only one missing on my list: Antarctica! I had seen so many photos and videos out in the world, cruelly ‘rubbed in my face’ daily at work as we consulted with many others heading to the great Southern Continent. Those photos, in hindsight, didn’t do justice to this shinning white jewel at the bottom of our world. Antarctica is a place that I needed to see with my own eyes and I recommend you do the same if you ever have the opportunity. There is no other place, outside of the Galapagos—another destination within my purview as a Central & South America destination specialist—that I have visited that allowed me to come so close to the wildlife species that inhabit the region. Penguins of all stripes (and patches and patterns), seals from the small to the large and sluggish (elephant) to the aggressive (leopard), sea lions, and a plethora of winged wildlife (a birder’s heaven is Antarctica). There were birds on the ocean, in the air, and on the back of the sluggish seals. Meanwhile, in the waters, whales were in numbers to challenge the birds. Humpback, minke, fin, and killer whales made an appearance, some just few meters away from our Zodiac boat. Towering above all of this wildlife were glaciers and icebergs of all different shapes and sizes. Their colours, molded by the strong winds that wind their way through the region in winter (April to September), were visible during the day and night, thanks to the midnight sun during the Antarctic summer (October to March). All these elements and more made Antarctica an unforgettable trip.