An unbelievable 70,000 penguin pairs call this area home. It?s only one square mile in size and is covered with the black and white, thigh-high birds.

They clean themselves constantly, and actively defend themselves, their territory and their chicks from skuas and seals that come too close.It seems the little ones who are still brown and covered with down, are always hungry for their parent's predigested food. The parents constantly feed these unruly chicks.As soon as one penguin parent get's back and is full, they do a sort of ritual dance with bowing and pecking before the other parent dives in the ocean for his turn. Contact this website if you require information on affordable travel to antarctica.

Penguins are neither cute, nor are they cuddly.They are fussy, defiant animals that really stink.Nevertheless, people still travel to Antarctica just for the chance to be close to these flightless birds.

Antarctica has much more to offer than just penguins.A gorgeous background of sea and landscapes hosts animals like whales, dolphins and seals, as well as seabirds like albatross. Some of the cathedrals in Europe sport spires that are much shorter than the ones found on glaciers in Antarctica.The thrill of traveling to a place where few have gone before may appeal to you. Less people than fit in an average football stadium have visited Antarctica.Antarctica is one of the most beautiful places has to offer us.

Getting to the continent is a major section of the adventure.The voyage is thrilling, costly and rarely taken.If you are leaving from the US, it takes at the very least 20 hours of air travel to make it to the southernmost port of Argentina. There are other places you can travel to in order to get to an embarkation point, like Punta Arenas, Chile, Christchurch, New Zealand, or Cape Town, South Africa. You can still only reach the land by sea; and you must endure several days of rough water to get to Antarctica.Further information on trips to antarctica can be found there.

Bigger than the United StatesAnd Mexico put together, the continent holds over 70 percent of all the freshwater preserves and is so heavy that it causes the earth?s surface to indent. When you count all the ice shelves that surround the continent, the area is larger than North America, Europe and Greenland put together.Cruises are available from ten to twenty-eight days in length.The ships that are taking you to Antarctica aren't giant cruise ships, either, they're much smaller. These boats are not the type of cruises that sail in the Caribbean or Mediterranean.Rather than hosting casinos, they'll include slideshows and lectures about the history and science of your destination.

These ships will put their passengers onto rafts so that they can approach the rookeries of penguins and colonies of seals, or to get them to research stations. At these stations, scientists investigate a wide variety of things, from the nature of the ozone layer to how life can sustain in Antarctic climates.

The original five signors of the international agreement on Antarctica maintain science research facilities on the continent. These countries agreed that Antarctica must be border-free, commerce-free and nuclear-free. They created an area of protection for science learning.

Some think this eco-tourism is dangerous.A DC-10 had crashed in 1979 and killed over 250 people, which effectively ended tourism by simply flying over the continent.Environmentalists see tourists as a threat to Antarctica?s fragile ecosystem. One of the most active debates between politicians, scientists, and environmentalists is whether or not tourism to Antarctica should be a limited thing. Each wants to have a pristine Antarctica.The second side is the fact that some of the tourists who have been to Antarctica see how beautiful it is and become environmentalists themselves.

As of this moment, no restrictions are in place for touring Antarctica. Those who do choose to visit Antarctica should follow the basic rules of ecotourism, however.Take only photographs, leave only footprints, and don't bother the natives.When packing for the trip, you need to keep in mind to pack clothing you can layer. Down-filled parkas are usually offered by the ships, but you'll want your own waterproof boots and lots of extra socks.Don't forget your own camera, sunglasses and very strong sun block. You may find some to buy onboard, but they'll be super expensive, and there aren't any convenience stores in Antarctica.