We joined a Polar Latitudes expedition to Antarctica and have assembled here a collection of some of our favorite Instagram Antarctica photos – penguins, endless ice, blue water.

Antarctica is a vast, mostly unexplored continent with expanses of ice in shades of blue you have never experienced, wildlife like the ever-adorable penguins, and picturesque bays and coves begging to be navigated. Any journey to the southernmost continent remains in your memory for years to come, just as ours has from early 2018 with Polar Latitudes.

Over the course of our 12-day adventure, we enjoyed not only the sights, but the amazing education offered by Polar Latitudes staff, including history lessons, wildlife education, bird photography, and visits to science bases. Therese, who is not a lover of cold, even stayed pleasantly warm throughout, eliminating one excuse for you not to go. Even the wet and quite stormy weather on the return gave everybody something to talk about – particularly watching the skilled waiters practically grab flying plates and catch tipping passengers. Honestly, there is nothing quite so exciting as motoring along a rugged coastline on the way to a landing or just to cruise rocks in search of wildlife. We heartily recommend smaller ship expeditions, like Polar Latitudes, because of the personal nature, friends made, and ability for everyone to head to shore twice a day.

Here, we’ve included a few of our best Antarctica photos to help inspire your visit to Antarctica – or remember your own past adventure. Be sure to follow us on Instagram to stay up to date with our latest inspiring images from near and far.

A collection of a few of our best Antarctica photos from Instagram

Strike a pose

Penguins do the cutest things. Here, they seriously seem to be striking a pose. How does my hair look? Is this my best side? Am I smiling nicely? Yessir, penguins just are non-stop adorable, right?

You talking to me?

Hello, Mr. Penguin! (Or is it Ms. Penguin?) Can’t beat a cute penguin, can you? And they are of course a highlight of any expedition to Antarctica. But tread carefully so as not to damage or endanger, thus choosing a company that pays good attention to the limited numbers that can go ashore at one time AND don’t ever approach or touch these cuties. Now, that said, if they approach you, all bets are off (but you still can’t touch!) And they are awfully curious little guys.

Getting the shot while staying warm

Therese Iknoian lining up a shot on a cold and windy deck of our Polar Latitudes expedition ship in Antarctica. Therese was well layered to protect herself against the cold while taking photos and yes, the system worked. Mittens as you see were easy on and off, but never far from reach.

A most curious penguin

“Hey, that’s me!” On Cuverville Island in Antarctica, if you stand very still, or crouch, as Therese did here, sometimes those adorable little guys wander right up to you. Therese was trying to take the penguin’s photo until it decided it needed to come very close to check and see if it approved of the pic. Penguin encounter rules: no touching, no sudden movements, and stay at least five meters away, unless the penguin itself breaks that rule as this one did here! So very very cool.

Antarctica rainbow

Rainbows in Antarctica on your first day there seem like a good sign, don’t you think? This one pulled everybody out to the deck on our expedition not long ago.

Pingo the ambassador

Pingo the penguin bringing people together despite a language barrier. Anywhere in the word (here, it was in a Zodiac cruising in Paradise Cove in Antarctica), members of our traveling family of stuffed animals become instant ambassadors and stars as people we meet insist (often via hand gestures and laughter) we take a photo with them holding our “furry ambassador of the world.”

The flotilla

Flotilla of colorful kayaks being towed away from our Polar Latitudes ship in preparation for a kayak tour.

A gang of penguins

OK boys, we got him surrounded … now grab his pack and look for snacks. Michael experiencing a Cuverville penguin mob in Antarctica as he attempted to take a photo of one, only to be surrounded by a gang of waddling, pecking, most curious teenagers. The “stay five meters away from penguins” rule only applies to humans and is null and void if the penguins themselves, as they often do, decide to approach when you are standing or crouching in place. These are juvenile gentoo penguins, many still losing their downy feathers as you can see. So very fun!! But remember NO touching the penguins, ever!

Jumpsta in Antarctica

On top of the world at the end of the earth … a jumpsta at an overlook above the historic Wordie House near the Vernadsky Research Base (Ukrainian) in Antarctica.

Happy feet

Try not to smile as you watch this adorable gentoo penguin juvenile splashing happily in a puddle on a snowfield on Cuverville Island in Antarctica. Oh, and turn up the volume to hear the splashing feet. He (she?) is still shedding downy feathers for real adult penguin plumage. As we sit at home now we’re fondly remembering our trip to Antarctica with Polar Latitudes.

Paradise Harbor reflections

Amazing glacier ice and reflections in Skontorp Cove, located in Paradise Harbor in Antarctica. The only sounds were the water lapping against the sides of our Zodiac and the crackles from the ice as we floated quietly, listening and looking in awe.

Penguin  bath time

Because who doesn’t love penguins! Bath time boys … we need more bubbles.

Escort from Ushuaia

On your way! When your voyage to Antarctica departs Ushuaia, Argentina, you are accompanied for a few hours by a small pilot ship. You know you are truly on your way when the pilot ship gives notice you are safely in open waters and to be safe, then turns to return to Ushuaia. That was exciting the first night to see the ship out on the dark seas and know, yes, we are indeed off to Antarctica!⁣

ORCA off the port side

ORCA just off the port side of our ship, the MS Hebridean Sky, on our adventure in Antarctica. The pod of five ORCA, including one calf, swam under our bow and stayed near our ship for some time. Truly magnificent!

A proper pub in Antarctica?

A proper pub in Antarctica? Leave it to the Brits to create one, and the Ukrainians (who took the base over in 1996 for the symbolic price of one British pound — renaming it Vernadsky Research Base) to keep the drinking tradition alive and well. The Ukrainians have even upped the ante by offering home-distilled vodka. We visited the base on our Polar Latitudes Antarctica adventure … and can vouch that this place still has the appearance of a proper English pub … with Ukrainian trappings.

Penguins on the rocks

Penguins! On our first day in Antarctica, we just headed out for a tour on the Zodiacs to check out the sights, wildlife and coves. It was blowing, sleeting and quite chilly, thus a good test of the layering system that Therese had figured out to keep her — NOT a lover of cold — warm enough to enjoy. Yes, the system worked, and she was stoked about the next week. These little penguins on the rock must have wondered why all those people in red jackets were so excited — it WAS our first penguin sighting!

Hello from the Chilean base

You can just see our expedition ship, the MS Hebridean Sky, in the background as we pose for a shot in front of a sign for the Chilean Base on Isabel Riquelme Island. There is a small gift shop here where you can buy a postcard and have it mailed with an official Antarctica postmark for a souvenir. The island is a penguin sanctuary, and the buildings on the base are surrounded, literally, by thousands of penguins (and the associated noise and smell).

Crabeater seal

After departing the Chilean base, but before we reboarded our ship, we took a quick tour of the floating ice chunks around the island and stumbled onto this beauty — quite by surprise. This is a crabeater seal we were told, and it quickly went from this staring look to a full on, deep-throated roar with requisite teeth bared to tell us, “hey, take that Zodiac and get outta here, I’m resting.”

Kayaking in Paradise Harbor

A special way to experience Antarctica … quiet, intimate, unforgettable. Kayak excursion in Paradise Harbor. Select pieces of Michael’s iPad artwork are available to download for free if you are a member of our Subscriber Club. His artwork is also available for sale.

Hey where did everybody go?

A lone chinstrap penguin in Port Charcot, Antarctica. Wait, I thought I had friends??

Nothing but smiles

Hello from Port Charcot in Antarctica! Temps are chilly, but smiles are all big and warm. LOVE this place. Love the expedition!

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