Nearly twice the size of Australia, the Earth's southernmost continent, Antarctica is 5.4 million square miles of mesmerising scenery. Although around 98 per cent of Antarctica is covered by ice, it's still considered a desert with only around eight inches of rain along the coastline and even less precipitation inland. For travellers it's the sight of the incredible white-covered terrain and the array of animals that are the big attractions. Recently, Flight Centre team members took a cruise to this astonishing continent and returned with these images from their adventures.
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Gentoo Penguins
"I embarked on a 19-day Antarctic Peninsula, Falkland Islands and South Georgia cruise with Peregrine. I thoroughly recommend including South Georgia in an Antarctic cruise as the sheer scale of wildlife is breathtaking, in addition to stunning scenery. Gentoo Penguins are known to jealously guard their nests of stones as much as their chicks and visiting a colony during breeding season is a noisy affair. The constant honking and squawking is certainly a sound I will remember," said Olivia Mair.
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Diving into the Sea
"While exploring the bay at Brown Bluff, Antarctica, we startled a group of Adelie penguins resting on an ice flow. I just managed to turn in time to capture their leap into the water - so being ready with your camera is a must," said Olivia.
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Impressive Blue Hues
"The blues and greens of the ice intensify the closer you get, so choosing a cruise that provides zodiacs for closer exploration will allow you to see the ice in all its glory," said Olivia.
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Icebergs
"Cruising in silence amongst the icebergs in the Weddell Sea is one of the highlights of my Antarctic cruise," said Olivia.
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King Penguins
"King Penguins huddle together for protection as the snow falls at Gold Harbour, South Georgia," said Olivia.
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Lemaire Channel
Katherine Schussler embarked on the 13-day Antarctica Classic in Depth with G Adventures last November. "The ship was super comfortable and the crew were absolutely amazing. I've done the Arctic with them as well (same boat, many of the same crew) so I know it wasn't a once off for the amazing experience. We had beautiful weather to sail through the Lemaire Channel, appropriately nicknamed "Kodak Gap". The water was so calm we got these great reflections and the sun was shining so it was as close to 'warm' as you can get in Antarctica. There was some thin ice in the channel that we got to break through and we cruise through slowly, taking in the amazing views," said Katherine.
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Elephant Seals
"This picture was taken at Turret Point where we got to see the elephant seals socialising. They were pretty loud and quite smelly! It was entertaining to watch them clambering all over each other and despite their massive weight, this seal appeared to be doing some yoga in the middle of the group," said Katherine.
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Sleeping Weddell Seal
"This was taken on my final day in Antarctica - it was actually the last picture I took and probably one of my favourites. It was taken at Turret Point in the South Shetland Islands and the seal was having a nap. I was maybe five metres away and loved being able to capture so much detail in it's face," said Katherine.
