At last we reached the Antarctic Peninsula, and our first stop was Neko Harbour, a landing on the Antarctic mainland itself. The scenery all around us was hard to take in, with the ship anchored in calm water beneath a huge glacier and snow-covered mountains.
We climbed into the zodiacs from the ship, went ashore and stood there just looking. A gentoo penguin colony was waiting for us on land, and humpback whales were moving slowly through the bay. The glacier here calves, which can send waves up the beach, so the guides keep everyone up the slope.
In the afternoon the ship reached Paradise Bay, and we took a zodiac tour around it at sunset. We spotted more penguins, and a leopard seal too.
Good to know
- Neko Harbour: a landing on the Antarctic mainland itself. The glacier here calves, which can send waves up the beach, so the guides keep you up the slope. Antarctic Treaty site guide
- Wildlife distance: stay at least 5m from penguins and seals, and let them come past you rather than the other way round. Antarctic visitor guidelines
We checked these details in October 2026. Times, prices and rules do change, so it’s worth a quick look at the official sites before you go.