You cannot help but be stunned by the sheer volume as these three feet high, tuxedo wearing birds slip and slide their way around their mud caked rookery, with well over 100 thousand of them it’s not the sort of thing you tend to forget.

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.

Penguin parents are feeding machines. 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 really aren’t actually very cute. They’re pugnacious and pushy, foul-smelling and noisy. But still, they’re fascinating and the opportunity to stand amongst them, close enough to be touched by their flippers, draws more numbers of tourists to visit the Antarctic. It really is the vast frozen continent at the bottom of the world.

There is also much more to see than just penguins. There are other sea birds, dolphins, seals, albatross and glaciers and a sea of icebergs that resemble beasts.

This wonderland has had so few visitors till date that the crowd at a typical football match might be far larger in number. To many, Antarctica is like a dream destination, holier than any place of worship. It is adventure all the way from the moment you set out on this voyage. Although a bit expensive, this trip gives you your money?s worth because of its exclusive and exciting nature. A 20-hour flight to Ushuaia in Argentina or Punta Arenas in Chile, Cape Town in South Africa, or Christchurch in New Zealand needs to be endured before beginning the onward voyage by sea to Antarctica. To board ice-rated expedition cruise ships, any of these ports is an equally good option. Rough seas and several days of travel is the only way to reach The Big Ice.

Larger than the U.S. and Mexico combined, continental Antarctica is surrounded by ice shelves forming a surface bigger than North America, Europe and Greenland combined. It’s a vast desert of ice, two miles thick, accounting for 70 percent of Earth’s fresh water preserves and so heavy it dents Earth’s surface.

Nine ships will be plying to Antarctica from February 10 to 18, offering various itineraries. There is only one ship that carries 400 passengers while all the others are small and carry between 75 and 200 passengers. They are less formal than larger cruise vessels plying Caribbean or Mediterranean waters; instead of casinos, they feature lectures and slide shows about Antarctica’s natural science and history.

Scientists busy unraveling the mysteries of Antarctica, penguins and their vast rookeries and swathes of seals in their colonies is what awaits passengers when they make landings using zodiac rafts.

Signatories to the Antarctic Treaty, the U.S., Argentina, Chile, China, Russia and a few other parties, maintain the research stations. Using Antarctica as an environmentally insulated laboratory, not having any territorial borders and keeping the entire continent free from commercial and nuclear activity is what participating nations agreed upon as a part of the Antarctic Treaty. Tourists are seen as a nuisance by some research stations while at a few places they are most welcome.

At a frozen plain at Hope Bay is Argentina?s Esperanza station in which tourists can freely wander through the town of bungalows the adjoining recreational areas, the church, school as well as through their work areas. All the children around, the military staff and their dogs, the meteorologists and the penguins seem to be living together harmoniously.

King George?s Island has nine bases of which Chile’s Teniente Marsh station is the largest and its quiet neighborhood even has a restaurant, a provisions shop and a post office. In the vicinity, is the Great Wall Station, run by its Chinese staff, where you can buy T-shirts, stuffed penguins, medals, souvenirs and other curios. The Palmer Station on Anvers Island is a large U.S. base where only select ships are allowed to berth and, that too, at specific times. Residential areas and laboratories are out of bounds for tourists.

You will gain a deeper understanding about exciting travel to antarctica by checking out that resource. Find out more about antarctica vacation through this website.