In 2004, 4,000 pairs of Emperor Penguins were confirmed at a previously unknown site near Snow Hill Island in the Weddell Sea - this voyage will take you there!

Sailing onboard a powerful purpose-built icebreaker with the ability to penetrate the ice of the Weddell Sea, you can now visit the Snow Hill Emperor Penguin rookery and observe these extraordinary creatures early in their breeding season. This safari is ideal for photographers and nature lovers as you will have extended time in the rookery with plenty of chances to record the Emperor's life in its natural environment.

The Emperor Penguin is one of the most fascinating and also one of the hardest birds in the world to see. The only 'true' Antarctic bird, Emperor Penguins breed in the middle of winter, when night lasts for months and temperatures reach minus 60 degreesC. They have no nest and the female lays a single egg that is incubated by the male on his feet for nine weeks. The Emperor Penguin safari is timed for early spring, when the chicks have hatched and the colony is alive with activity. Reaching the Snow Hill rookery under the best possible conditions is the goal of the expedition. The Captain and Expedition Leader consult charts, weather bulletins and satellite images to determine where to position the icebreaker for efficient helicopter flights to the rookery.

The icebreaker's helicopters will ferry you to a landing site about two kilometres or more from the rookery and you will walk a well marked path across the metres-thick sea ice to within a short distance from the penguins. Visiting early in the breeding season the Emperor chicks are still young, so you may see them brooding on their parents' feet or huddling together in large, communal creches. Nothing can match the sight of these remarkable creatures tobogganing, with surprising speed, across the ice - or shooting out of the sea onto the shore.

While the Emperors are the priority on this voyage, you may also have an opportunity to visit colonies of Adelie, Chinstrap and Gentoo Penguins at the northern end of the Antarctic Peninsula. Your exact route will be determined by the conditions encountered during the voyage.