Melchior Island, Antarctica

The Melchior islands are located on the Antarctic Peninsular. They are known as the "Venice of Antarctica" because of their many narrow canals and islands. The waters here are shallow and disturbed by swell and current.

The Antarctic Peninsula is the northernmost part of the mainland of Antarctica, and almost the only part of that continent that extends outside the Antarctic Circle. It lies in the Western Hemisphere, facing South America. The peninsula is highly mountainous, its highest peaks rising to approximately 2,800 metres (9,186 feet).

The Antarctic Peninsula is regarded by many visitors as being one of the most beautiful places on earth. Jagged mountain peaks clad in glaciers flowing sometimes down to the sea and sometimes spilling into mid air from an altitude of hundreds of feet or more.

Attractions include giant icebergs, penguins, seals, whales, pack ice, sea birds and more

Things to see and do

* Emperor Penguin Colonies
* View pack ice and giant icebergs
* Humpback whales
* Zodiac excursions
* Whale watching & fur seals

General Information

Cruise Season - Nov - April
Currency - Peso (ARS)
Language - Spanish
Land Area - 36,000,000 km²
Population - 1,000 (Winter) - 35,000 (Summer)
Electricity - 2 pin round pins European style
Time - GMT minus three hours
International Country Telephone Code - +54

Port Location - Departure for cruises to the Antarctic Peninsula is from the port of Ushuaia, Argentina.

Transport Links - There are daily Aerolineas Argentinas and LAN flights from Buenos Aires. LAN Chile, through its LAN Express services, flies daily from Santiago de Chile, stopping over in Puerto Montt and Punta Arenas.

Buses from/to all destinations (apart from Puerto Natales) all stop at Rio Gallegos. It can be cheaper to just buy a ticket to Rio Gallegos and purchase an onward ticket from there. The ride to Rio Gallegos involves crossing into Chile and takes around 12 hours.