Trip Report: Antarctica - January 2026

There are few places on earth that feel truly untouched by man. Places so isolated, so inhospitable, that the only residents are those who have had millennia to adapt to the environment. Antarctica is that pristine landscape. A place so wild and remote it boggles the mind.  

It was with great excitement that I met our group of six intrepid photographers in southern Chile for an expedition to the Antarctic Peninsula. We would be living aboard the Ocean Tramp, a 66-foot sailboat perfectly outfitted for a bespoke Antarctic experience.  

This trip is designed to maximize our time and flexibility in the peninsula. We opt to fly over the notoriously rough Drake Passage, saving us four days of sea travel and nausea. Once we arrive in Antarctica, we are the only passengers and have the ability to choose where we go and when. This affords us the ability to be where we want to be when the light is right. The second we step on the ship, we are working out plans to maximize our photo opportunities. This is so invaluable and something that just doesn’t happen on larger cruise ships. 

Our adventure began in Punta Arenas with an early call to get to the airport to take advantage of a weather window in King George Island. We arrived on a small dirt runway and were quickly ushered to the beach where Ollie, the captain of our ship, was waiting with a zodiac to take us aboard. As we donned life jackets and listened to the safety briefing, it was impossible to ignore a handful of penguins wandering down the beach. We had made it to the end of the world, and the excitement levels were high. 

Once aboard we settled into what would be our home for the next two weeks. The Ocean Tramp is a comfortable and well-equipped vessel. It’s four man crew were top notch, working with us throughout the trip to increase photo opportunities and keeping us well fed. We had two zodiacs allowing us plenty of space to cruise around or make landings. The open deck allows constant access to the wildlife around us at a low angle, which is a huge advantage over the taller ships around.  

We left King George Island later that afternoon for an all-night crossing of the Bransfield Strait to the peninsula itself. A few hours into the sailing, we spotted a couple of curious humpback whales. We stopped the yacht and the whales came quite close, checking us out in the beautiful sunset light. What a start to the trip! 

We awoke the next morning to the sight of icebergs. As we got closer to land, the source of these bergs was overwhelming. Massive glaciers everywhere. It felt like every square inch of land had ice on it. The mountains reminded me of the mighty Himalaya... except they had more ice and rose directly out of the sea! The word impressive doesn’t begin to describe it. 

The next day we visited the largest gentoo penguin colony on the peninsula. This was our first encounter with penguins on land. Photos of a large penguin colony really don’t do justice to the experience. The colonies are visually overwhelming. So much action happening all around you. That doesn’t even begin to touch on the sound of them calling to each other and the smell of thousands of penguins together. 

I found penguins so fun to watch. Some penguins are born gatherers, always on a mission to find the perfect pebble for their partners nests. These guys are constantly waddling around picking up rock after rock until they find one they like. The other group of penguins are born thieves, patiently waiting for an opportunity to steal a pebble from one nest and bring it to their own. This of course causes all sorts of bickering and chaos. It was so entertaining and we were happy to sit and watch the show for hours! 

The landings were another reminder of the huge advantage we have as a small ship and group. Most of the ships in Antarctica book the landings in the middle of the day, shuttling up to a hundred people on the beach for a short interval. We have the flexibility to book the landing site in the late evening light, perfect for photography. We also always had all of our landings fully to ourselves for several hours at a time, able to work the scene and wildlife at our own pace. 

As the days went on, we settled into the rhythm of the trip and life aboard a sail boat. The penguins became our constant companions and the mountains offered jaw dropping view after jaw dropping view. The weather remained phenomenal, allowing us to traverse the peninsula like a car hitting a string of green lights down the road. We didn’t let this window of good weather go to waste, often photographing at all hours of the day. 

We were able to have amazing encounters with all three species of penguins that live in this area of Antarctica: gentoo, Adélie, and Chinstrap. In late December/early January all three species have young chicks on their nest. Some colonies had older chicks willing to stand a bit away from the parent while others had very young chicks rarely emerging from the warmth of their parents belly. At Port Lockroy, we were even able to witness a chick breaking out of its shell for the first time. What an amazing thing to witness in nature! 

In addition to penguins we saw Leopard, Weddell, Crabeater, Fur, and Elephant Seals. Whales were abundant wherever we went as the all of the southern Pacific humpbacks use Antarctica as their summer feeding grounds. Sea birds were a constant throughout the trip both on land at off the yacht. The wildlife encounters were great everyday and the landscapes provided a constant, epic, background to the action.  

This was one of the more productive trips any of us had been on. We were able to make landings every day, sometimes twice a day if we wanted. Each one providing new and interesting photo opportunities. The only issue was making sure we had enough memory card and hard drive space for all the photos we were taking. Which of course, is a good problem to have sometimes! 

Antarctica is that special place, a location that lives up to the reputation. In the weeks since returning, I have found my mind day dreaming to the call of penguins, the ice flowing from the  peaks above, and the gentle rock of the boat. It is a trip of a lifetime, and I am grateful for all of our guests and crew at BCJ for making it possible.