A visit to the White Continent is much more than a holiday. Remote and unspoilt, renewed with each season, any ourney amid its expanse of white and blue qualifies as something of a ground-breaking exploration. It’s an adventure the like of which you’ll find nowhere else on earth.

In response to the interest and popularity of our cruises, Discovery’s programme of Antarctic itineraries is wider than it’s ever been. In addition to the regular haunts we’ve visited around the Antarctic Peninsula over many years, our compass now includes more stops around the sub-Antarctic Islands – South Georgia, the South Shetlands and the South Orkneys. You’ll spy soaring peaks tipped with snow and step onto dark, rocky beaches that only make their appearance during this brief season.

AUSTRAL SUMMER, Temperatures, like the landscape, will surprise many. Averages can range from -5ºC up to + 5ºC (23-41ºF), much milder than you’d expect. Daylight at this time of year lasts as long as 20 hours in 24. It’s a season that draws all kinds of wildlife towards the pole, one that will host an everchanging display of sensational sights: