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Note: The films are available in German and English. However, I have only linked to the English-language trailer on YouTube in each case. I watched the movies either on YouTube, Amazon Prime or Netflix. Please check the channel of your choice for availability.

#1 Big Miracle – USA, 2012

Rescue of whales trapped in the ice.

In 1988, the small village of Point Barrow is all over the news. That's because a family of California gray whales is trapped in the ice, their access to the open sea cut off. The three animals survive only as long as the only remaining breathing hole does not freeze over. Animal rights activists, whalers, the National Guard, politicians, the U.S. President, onlookers and oil industry representatives end up working together to try to save the whales. Who will make it in the end? The Russians with their gigantic icebreaker and a captain who will stop at nothing.

Click here for the movie trailer on YouTube.

Conclusion: A really beautiful and touching polar film to cheer along.

By the way, the film is based on a true story, which is described in the book Freeing the Whales* as Operation Breakthrough.

#2 Arctic – Iceland, 2018

Survival thriller following a plane crash in the Arctic.

Arctic is a 2018 Icelandic survival thriller from director Joe Penna. Set in a remote, Arctic area, it is about pilot Overgård who is the only survivor of a plane crash. Day after day, he tries to summon rescue by radio signal. The wreckage of the plane provides him with shelter and he feeds on raw fish, which he catches in a nearby lake. When the rescue helicopter finally arrives, everything gets worse and a fight for survival begins. Not only for his own survival, but also for that of the co-pilot, who is the only one to survive the helicopter crash in the storm. On a sled, Overgård pulls the badly injured woman through a hostile landscape of polar bears, storms, frostbite and crashes. Do they make it? I won't tell you here - watch it!

Click here for the movie trailer on YouTube.

Conclusion: Pure goosebumps!

#3 Orca the Killerwhale – USA, 1977

A bull orca whose pregnant mate has been murdered by whalers takes revenge.

Orca the Killer Whale is a US animal horror film with cult status. Canadian whaler Captain Nolan wants to catch an orca for an aquarium. But this goes wrong. He harpoons a pregnant female and pulls her aboard. While hanging upside down from the crane, she loses her calf. This all happens before the eyes of the orca bull. He memorizes the whalers' faces and a vendetta against the boat crew ensues. Captain Nolan is forced to take his boat out and face the battle with the whale. He is accompanied by, among others, the sympathetic whale researcher Rachel. They follow the whale up from Newfoundland to the pack ice, where the whale sinks the ship. The final battle between Nolan and the orca is fought out in the ice and water. Only Rachel survives and is rescued by a previously called helicopter.

Click here for the movie trailer on YouTube.

Conclusion: My absolute favorite polar movie. I don't know how many times I have watched it. Somehow this must have had a strong influence on me: the first car I bought was a green Series 2 Land Rover - exactly like the one the whale researcher drives in the movie.

#4 The red Tent – Soviet Union, Italy, 1969

Prominent adventure film with Sean Connery, Claudia Cardinale, Hardy Krüger and Peter Finch.

Italian Umberto Nobile sets out for the North Pole in the airship Italia in May 1928. Adverse weather conditions, however, make a landing at the North Pole impossible. On the return flight to Spitsbergen, the airship becomes increasingly difficult to steer due to increasing icing and finally crashes. The survivors find shelter in a tent, which they paint red. The subsequent rescue operation turns out to be difficult. Thus, the polar explorer Roald Amundsen has an accident himself during the search and the icebreaker sent by the Russians is stuck in the ice. When the pilot Lundborg finds the victims, he persuades the injured Nobile to be the first to be flown out. However, the rescue of the other team members is then delayed due to weather conditions. From then on, Nobile is plagued by a guilty conscience. Nightmares haunt him night after night in which he discusses the question of guilt with the other participants.

Conclusion: A thrilling adventure film based on real facts.

Click here for the movie trailer on YouTube.

Are you cold? Find warm fleece sweaters, down jackets and gloves at Bergzeit*.

#5 Eight Below – USA, 2006

Walt Disney film about the survival story of a group of sled dogs left behind in Antarctica.

The crew of the small US research station in Antarctica is already preparing to return home. It' s the end of the season. But one last mission remains to be accomplished: Jerry Shepard is to assist professor Dr. Davis McClaren in his search for a meteorite from Mercury. With the sled dog team the two set off to Mount Melbourne and find the meteorite. Then the weather changes and the professor collapses in the ice. With the help of the brave dogs and their super sense of direction they make it back to the station. Because of the rising storm front the crew is to be flown out immediately. But there is no more room for the dogs in the plane, they have to stay behind. Jerry tries to get his dogs back - unsuccessfully. Only several months later he makes it back to the station. What happened to the dogs? Just watch it!

Click here for the movie trailer on YouTube.

Conclusion: A really nice polar movie, which I have already watched several times. And again and again I have tears in my eyes at the end.

You also want to go dog sledding? Click here to read my article about a Dog Sledding in Greenland.

#6 Encounters at the End of the World – Canada, USA, Germany, 2007

Documentary by Werner Herzog about people and places in Antarctica.

Werner Herzog's films are always something special. So is this one. Herzog and the Austrian cameraman Zeitlinger travel to Antarctica. There, at the end of the world, they meet people and tell their stories. What connects them to this place and how did they get here? The journey begins at the American McMurdo Station and continues via Ernest Shackleton's station to the South Pole and Mount Erebus. What drove Werner Herzog here himself? The underwater footage of divers: ice from below and life under the ice. Have you ever heard seals under water? In the film you have the opportunity – it sounds like an encounter on another planet.

Click here for the movie trailer on YouTube.

Conclusion: A very personal and endearing documentary about the people of Antarctica. At the end you ask yourself why you don't work there yourself.

You want more Antarctica? Then have a look at my Antarctica Articles.

#7 Nanook of the North – USA, 1922

Documentary from the silent film era.

The film follows the Inuit Nanuk and his family over several weeks. Nanuk lives with his family as a nomad in the Canadian Arctic. Together with his two wives Nyla and Cunayou, his son Allee, the baby Rainbow and the sled dogs he fights daily for survival. The daily life of the Inuit family is shown, including seal and walrus hunting, fishing, igloo building and fur trading. The care of the children and care of the sled dogs are also vividly documented. In addition to the beauty of nature, the harshness of Arctic life is also shown as the family's lives are put in danger during a sudden snowstorm.

Conclusion: For all who want to know how the daily life of the Inuit was in the twenties.

Click here for the whole movie on YouTube.

#8 Never Cry Wolf – USA, 1983

Nature film by Walt Disney, based on the autobiographical novel "Never Cry Wolf" (1963) by Canadian biologist and writer Farley Mowat.

After the plane takes off again, young biologist Tyler finds himself alone on an icy lake. Poorly equipped and inexperienced, surrounded by the white expanse of the Arctic tundra. On behalf of the government, he is to investigate the decline of the caribou population. The suspects are wolves, about which many horror stories are circulating.

After a while and with the help of an old Inuit, Tyler slowly finds his way around. Only he doesn't find any caribou. Instead, he explores a wolf pack and builds a respectful bond with the alpha pair. When the caribou herd finally arrives, he watches as the wolves chase the caribou and snatch an animal. After the fact, Tyler realizes that it was a sick animal. Might it be the hunting tourists who are behind the caribou kill after all? After this realization, and after an Inuit hunter kills "his" pair of wolves and three cubs are orphaned, Tyler's world collapses.

Click here for the movie trailer on YouTube.

Summary: The film shows the nature of the arctic tundra in wonderful pictures. A lot of wildlife, Inuit culture and a young man who turns from a fearful scientist into a nature lad and wolf lover.

#9 The Thing 2 – USA, Canada, 2011

Horror and science fiction film with woman power and shape shifter.

Norwegian scientists find a crashed spaceship and a creature trapped in the ice in Antarctica. Both are estimated to be 100,000 years old. They bring the block of ice containing the creature to their station and flown-in paleontologist Kate begins to study it. Elated by their spectacular find, the team celebrates the evening exuberantly. But they are abruptly interrupted. Because the extraterrestrial being is still alive. It frees itself from the ice block and kills the scientists. One after the other. To do this, the being transforms into the shape of the scientists as soon as it touches them. No one can distinguish anymore who is human or monster. Only inorganic material cannot transform the creature - a small detail that saves Kate's life in the end. She is the only one to survive the monster's attacks, but now finds herself alone in an icy desert.

The film tells the prequel to John Carpenter's The Thing from 1982, which was itself a remake of Christian Nyby's 1951 classic.

Click here for the movie trailer on YouTube.

Conclusion: A bit too much horror and a very unattractive creature. But great that in the film a woman is the smartest of them all.

#10 The Thing – USA, 1982

Horror and science fiction film for the hard-bitten.

It picks up where the 2011 film ends: a man tries to shoot a fleeing dog from a flying helicopter. When they reach an American research station, everything goes haywire: the helicopter explodes, the crazed shooting Norwegian is shot by the Americans themselves, and the dog is put in the kennel with the other dogs. There he then shows his true colors and kills the other dogs. Using a flamethrower, the Americans kill the creature - or so they think.

To understand the events, two of them fly to the Norwegian station. They find it almost completely destroyed. With the help of the Norwegians' records, the Americans find out what they are dealing with. The alien being is a shape-shifter that was trapped in the ice after its spaceship crashed about 100,000 years ago. After physical contact, the being can take on the form of the person in question. No one can distinguish who is human or monster anymore, they all distrust each other. There is only one thing they agree on: they must prevent the alien being from leaving the station and threatening all of humanity at all costs.

Click here for the movie trailer on YouTube.

Conclusion: You have to like horror movies...

#11 Smilla’s Sense of Snow – Denmark, Germany, Sweden, 1997

A meteorite crashed in Greenland and a suspected accident involving an Inuit boy awaken the detective in a reclusive scientist.

Smilla Jaspersen liked her neighbor, the little Greenlandic boy Isaiah. She didn't think he fell off the roof while playing. Because his footprints in the snow, in her eyes, rather indicate an escape. The scientist investigates. Her search leads her to the Greenland Mining company and finally to a research ship and Greenland. In the meantime, she experiences many dicey situations and only narrowly escapes a bomb attack. In the end she finds out the truth in Greenland and realizes the connection between the meteorite that crashed in 1859 and the death of the boy.

Click here for the movie trailer on YouTube.

Conclusion: An exciting thriller that takes us from Copenhagen to Kiruna and Greenland.

#12 Antarctica: Ice and Sky – Germany, 2015

Portrait of glaciologist Claude Lorius and plea for climate protection.

In this documentary by Luc Jacquet, we accompany French explorer Claude Lorius into the endless snow and ice landscapes of Antarctica. Lorius sets out in 1957 to study the ice masses of Antarctica.

He discovered that the air bubbles trapped in the ice provided information about the climate of past times. His work made it possible for the first time to trace climate history back 800,000 years. The insights gained into climate change are groundbreaking and proof of man-made global warming, the consequences of which Lorius warns of as early as 1965.

Click here for the movie trailer on YouTube.

Conclusion: A documentary worth seeing, which shows not only the beauty of Antarctica, but also its fragility.

#13 Glory & Honor – USA, 1998

The biographical feature film tells the story of the expeditions of Robert Edwin Peary and Matthew Henson.

At the end of the nineteenth century, the American Robert Edwin Peary set himself the goal of planting America's flag in the North Pole.

During his first exploratory voyage to Greenland in 1891, Peary is accompanied by his assistant Matthew Henson, among others. The Inuit recognize the black Henson as a kidnapped cousin. They outfit him with polar clothing and teach him their language and how to use dog sleds. This gives him a clear advantage during the rest of the expedition.

On the second expedition, Matthew Henson has risen to full expedition member and is an important link between the explorers and the Inuit. But both advances to the Pole fail and Peary loses eight of his toes to frostbite.

The Third Expedition in 1908-1909 is better equipped: with Inuit fur clothing, dog sleds and igloos, the advance to the Pole is finally to succeed. (Note: It is still disputed whether Peary actually reached the North Pole).

Click here for the whole film on YouTube.

Conclusion: For everyone who is interested in the early polar expeditions and the relationship between the explorers and the Inuit, this is a great polar film.

Are your eyes now square from watching so many movies? Then how about a book? In my article Polar Literature - Book Tips on the Arctic and Antarctic you will surely find what you are looking for. Have a look right now!

Here are a few books* as a foretaste:

There are many more great polar movies, especially documentaries. A second article with more great Arctic and Antarctic films will follow. What is your favorite film? I would love to add it to my list. Which is your favorite movie? Ich würde ihn gerne in meiner Liste ergänzen.

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Recommendations for further Reading

Do you love the polar regions as much as I do? Then check out my articles about Antarctica and a Winter Tour in Greenland .

Der Beitrag Filmtipps! Die 13 besten Polarfilme erschien zuerst auf Fernweh-Motive.

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Buchtipps zur Arktis

Meine Buchempfehlungen zur Arktis umfassen die Länder Grönland, Spitzbergen, Russland, Kanada, Alaska, Island sowie die Arktis allgemein. Es sind die Abenteuer und Expeditionen der früheren Polarforscher und Jäger, Berichte heutiger Abenteuer, Reisen mit Hundeschlitten oder Duchquerungen der Nord-West-Passage mit dem Segelboot oder russischen Eisbrecher. Am Ende des Kapitels habe ich auch außerdem eine Auswahl von Reiseführern zusammengestellt.

Die Beschreibungen habe ich mitunter von den Buchrücken übernommen.

A Woman in the Polar Night by Christiane Ritter

SPITZBERGEN. “Die Arktis ist die Zone der Welt, wo der Himmel die Erde berührt. Nicht jeder erträgt das große Licht, nicht jeder die Finsternis, nicht jeder die große Einsamkeit. Ich hatte die große Gnade, gleich am Anfang meines Abenteuers, und dies alleine, mitten hineingeschleudert zu werden in die Unerbittlichkeit der wilden Natur und erhielt meine Feuertaufe.”

Im eisigen Spitzbergen, viele hundert Kilometer von der nächsten Siedlung entfernt und ohne technische Hilfsmittel moderner Arktisexpeditionen, haben sich Christiane Ritter und ihr Mann einen Traum erfüllt. Sie lebten 1934 ein Jahr lang zusammen mit einem Pelzjäger in einer primitiven Hütte. Christiane Ritters Erlebnisbericht vermittelt eine Ahnung von der Faszination der Arktis. Mein absolutes Lieblingsbuch und Top Buchtipp über Spitzbergen!

Kälte, Wind und Freiheit: Wie die Inuit mich den Sinn des Lebens lehrten von Robert Peroni

GRÖNLAND. Eine Grönland-Durchquerung in den Achtzigerjahren wird zum Wendepunkt im Leben von Robert Peroni. Tief beeindruckt von der Schönheit der Natur und der Freundlichkeit der Inuit, beschließt der Abenteurer und Profibergsteiger, in einem 2000-Seelen-Dorf an der wilden Südostküste Grönlands zu bleiben. Er dringt ein in die ursprüngliche und geheimnisvolle Welt des Robbenjägervolks und erfährt, wonach er trotz aller Erfolge und Rekorde bislang vergeblich gesucht hatte: Glück und Zufriedenheit. Liebevoll und fesselnd erzählt Robert Peroni vom Alltag der Inuit und ruft uns eindrücklich in Erinnerung, wie bedroht ihr traditionelles Leben zunehmend ist.

Ich habe alle Bücher von Robert Peroni gelesen. Dieses hier ist sein aktuellstes und es liest sich wie eine Liebeserklärung an Grönland. Im Februar/März 2015 habe ich drei Wochen in Roberts Gasthaus “The Red House” in Tasiilaq verbracht. Es war noch vor Saisonbeginn, daher waren wir nur sechs Gäste. Während dieser Zeit habe ich immer wieder gespürt wieviel Liebe und Leidenschaft er für das Land in sich trägt. Kälte, Wind und Freiheit ist auf jeden Fall eine unverzichtbare Reiselektüre für alle, die nach Ostgrönland fahren wollen und eines meiner Lieblingsbücher zur Arktis.

Eisgesang: Meine Reise durch die Nordwestpassage von Kathleen Winter

KANADA / ALASKA. Dieses Buch ist eine Hommage an die Magie des ewigen Eises und die einzigartige Welt der Arktis.

»Ich hatte das Gefühl, an den Ort zu fahren, wo sich eine imaginäre Welt mit der wirklichen überschneidet: ein Ort, an dem die Zeit anders vergeht. Der Name ›Nordwestpassage‹ ist auf alten Weltkarten nicht verzeichnet: Es ist eher eine Vorstellung als ein Ort. Diese Vorstellung zog mich schon lange an, mit einer Macht, die ich nicht begreifen konnte.«

Auf der Fahrt an Bord eines russischen Eisbrechers durch die legendäre Nordwestpassage erlebt die kanadische Journalistin Kathleen Winter hautnah, wie fragil und gefährdet die Welt der Arktis ist. In wunderbaren Bildern schildert sie ihre Begegnungen mit dieser großartigen Landschaft und ihren Bewohnern. Winters eindringlicher Reisebericht ist zugleich die Geschichte ihrer persönlichen Lebensreise, eine Geschichte vom Verlieren und Finden, vom Suchen und vom bei sich selbst Ankommen. Es ist ein Buch, das man anfängt und nicht mehr weglegen möchte. Und schlimmer noch: es verstärkt den Wunsch, selber einmal im Leben, die Nordwestpassage durchqueren zu wollen.

Polar Wives: The Remarkable Women behind the World's Most Daring Explorers

ALLGEMEIN ARKTIS & ANTARKTIS. Shackleton, Franklin, Scott – jeder kennt die Namen der großen Polarforscher und deren Abenteuer. Doch wenig ist bekannt über die Frauen an ihrer Seite, denen die Polarhelden ihren Ruhm – und oft auch ihr Überleben – verdanken. Kari Herbert, die in Grönland aufgewachsene Tochter des britischen Polarforschers Sir Wally Herbert, hat jahrelang recherchiert und bisher ungesichtete Aufzeichnungen, Tagebücher und Briefe der Polarfrauen und ihrer Männer studiert. Mit ihren einfühlsam und fesselnd erzählten Lebensbildern von Jo Peary, Kathleen Scott, Emily Shackleton, Marie Herbert, Eleanor Anne und Jane Franklin rückt sie 200 Jahre Polargeschichte in ein neues Licht. Denn auch die Frauen der Polarhelden waren große Heldinnen, jede auf ihre eigene Art und Weise.

Der weiße Horizont. Drei Männer durchqueren Grönlands unerforschte Eiswüste von Robert Peroni

GRÖNLAND. Zu Fuß, ohne Schlittenhunde, technische Hilfsmittel und Versorgungsdepots durchqueren drei Südtiroler Bergsteiger 1400 Kilometer grönländische Eiswüste. Sie bewältigen dabei in knapp drei Monaten eine Strecke, für welche die legendäre Wegener / Koch Expedition mit Pferden volle zwei Jahre gebraucht hatte. Als die drei arktischen Wanderer dann nach 88 Tagen und schier unvorstellbaren Strapazen ihr Ziel erreichten, hatten sie neue Maßstäbe für die Grenzen menschlicher Leistungsfähigkeit gesetzt. Denn eine Leistung von mehr als 500 km unter diesen Bedingeungen galt bis dahin als unmöglich. Ein Abenteuer, das Grönlands Polizeiminister verboten hätte, wenn er rechtzeitig davon informiert gewesen wäre.

Übrigens: wenn ihr selber mal einen Fuß auf das Inlandeis von Grönland setzen wollt, dann schaut euch meinen Artikel über unsere Hiking Tour vom Eqi-Gletscher bis zum Inlandeis .

Spielplatz der Helden von Michael Köhlmeier

GRÖNLAND. Der Roman über ein spektakuläres Grönland Abenteuer. Drei Südtiroler durchquerten 1983 als erste Menschen Grönland ohne Schlittenhunde und externe Hilfsmittel. Die spektakuläre Durchquerung wird in Köhlmeiers Roman zu einem aberwitzigen Psychodrama, da vom ersten Tag an Streit zwischen den drei Bergsteigern herrscht. Obwohl so zerstritten, dass zwei von ihnen während der 88 Tage kein Wort miteinander wechseln, bewältigen sie die zuvor nicht für möglich gehaltene Route.

Michael Köhlmeier erzählt hier die Geschichte des Buches “Der weiße Horizont” von Robert Peroni aus drei verschiedenen Perspektiven. Grade wenn ihr beide Bücher lest, ist es sehr faszinierend zu erkennen, wie unterschiedlich die drei Männer die Expedition wahrgenommen haben.

Nordwestpassage für dreizehn Arglose und einen Joghurt von Tina Uebel

KANADA / ALASKA. Landschaften von grandioser Leere, sturmgefegte See, brachiales Eis – noch ist die Nordwestpassage ein Abenteuer, strapaziös und wundersam zugleich. Zumindest auf einem Segelboot. Im Sommer 2011 hat sich Kapitän Wolf Kloss mit seiner Santa Maria Australis dieser Herausforderung gestellt, und die Schriftstellerin Tina Uebel ist für drei Monate mitgesegelt. Wo endet die Welt, und wie weit kann man gehen, um an ihren Rändern zu kratzen, hat sie noch Ränder? Und was ist es, das einen dorthin treibt?

Tina Übel berichtet in einer sehr unterhaltsamen Art und Weise über eine der größten Reisen, die ich mir vorstellen kann. Grade für alle, die selber gerne Segeln ist das Buch einer meiner liebsten Buchtipps zur Arktis.

Die letzten Könige von Thule. Leben mit den Eskimos von Jean Malaurie

Malaurie teilte 14 Monate lang das Leben der 300 Polareskimos von Thule. Er ging dabei mit ihnen auf die Jagd und legte zusammen mit zwei Eskimos und deren Frauen mehr als 1500 Kilometer auf dem Polareis und den Gletschern Grönlands zurück. Sehr plastisch schildert er den Alltag seiner Gastgeber, ihre wirtschaftliche und gesellschaftliche Organisation, ihre Jagden auf Seehunde, Walrosse und Eisbären. Außerdem erläutert er ihre Familienstruktur und Sexualität, ihre Überlebenstechniken, ihre Träume und ihre Legenden, die sie sich während der Polarnacht erzählen. Das Buch ist ein absolutes Muss für jeden, der die grönländische Kultur etwas tiefergehens verstehen möchte.

Auf Schneeschuhen durch Grönland: 1888-1889 von Fridjof Nansen

GRÖNLAND. Was befindet sich im Inneren Grönlands? Gibt es dort wirklich ‘grünes Land’, oder ist sie von einer Wüste aus Eis, Schnee und Felsen bedeckt? Bis zum Jahr 1888 blieben diese Fragen unbeantwortet, die größte Insel der Erde war nur an der Küste besiedelt. Zwar hatte Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld und Robert Edwin Peary erste Vorstöße ins Innere unternommen. Doch die Durchquerung der Terra incognita blieb einem bis dahin gänzlich unbekannten Abenteurer vorbehalten: Fridtjof Nansen. Im Mai 1888 fuhren er und sein Gefährte Otto Sverdrup mit einem Robbenfänger von Island aus nach Norden. Vor der Ostküste Grönlands ließen sich die Männer auf einer Eisscholle absetzen – und schon drohte die Expedition zu scheitern, bevor sie richtig begonnen hatte. Denn die Abenteurer wurden fast fünfhundert Kilometer weit nach Süden abgetrieben, ehe es ihnen gelang, das Festland zu erreichen. Im August begann ihr Marsch ins Unbekannte, doch von ‘Grünland’ keine Spur.

Unter Jägern und Schamanen: Tagebuch der Thule-Fahrt. Reisebericht von Knut Rasmussen

GRÖNLAND. 1921: Knud Rasmussen will zusammen mit einer Gruppe von Wissenschaftlern die bislang unerforschten Regionen Nordkanadas kartografieren – vor allem aber will er den Menschen begegnen und ihre Mythen und Geschichten aufzeichnen. Über ein Jahr lang besucht er verschiedene Inuit-Gemeinschaften und macht die Bekanntschaft mit dem großen Schamanen Awwa und dessen Familie. Awwa ist der letzte der Schamanen, denn auch die christlichen Missionare sind bis hoch in den Norden vorgedrungen. Das Leben der Inuit steht vor dem großen Umbruch.

Ab 1923 führt Knud Rasmussens große Forschungsreise entlang der legendären, fast 6000 Kilometer langen Nordwestpassage bis zur Beringstraße. Mit nur einem Hundeschlitten unterwegs, ist die dreiköpfige Expeditionsgemeinschaft in diesem Abenteuer ganz auf sich gestellt.

Das Schneekind von Nicolas Vanier

KANADA & ALASKA. Die Geschichte von der Erfüllung eines Lebenstraums und Abenteuers: Der weltberühmte Abenteurer Nicolas Vanier zieht mit seiner Frau Diane und der kleinen Tochter Montaine für ein Jahr in die Wildnis von Kanada und Alaska. Sie bauen sich ein Blockhaus und ernähren sich wie die Menschen früherer Zeiten: vom Jagen, Fischen und Sammeln. Es ist ein Leben im Einklang mit der gewaltigen Natur des hohen Nordens, voller Einfachheit, Klarheit und Poesie.

Iditarod von Gary Paulsen

ALASKA. Das Iditarod ist das längste Hundeschlittenrennen der Welt. Es führt über mehr als 1850 Kilometer durch die kaum berührte Natur von Alaska. Seit 1973 wird auf Teilen der historischen Strecke des Iditarod Trails, von Anchorage nach Nome, alljährlich im März das Hunderennen ausgetragen. Eindrucksvoll beschreibt Gary Paulsen, wie er sich auf das härteste Rennen der Welt vorbereitet. Er macht dabei jeden erdenklichen Anfängerfehler und paart diese mit gelungener Selbstironie. Es ist eine Geschichte über Menschen, Hunde und die Entwicklung einer ganz außergewöhnlichen Beziehung zwischen ihnen. Ein tolles Abenteuer, ich habe viel gelacht und dabei viel über Hundeschlitten gelernt. Dieses Buch ist eines von denen, die man einfach so verschlingt.

Birds of North America and Greenland

Die Nearctic-Region, die sich über den größten Teil Nordamerikas erstreckt, einschließlich Kanada und Grönland, beherbergt eine unglaublich reiche Vielfalt an Vogelarten. Das Bestimmungsbuch Birds of North America und Greenland deckt mehr als 900 Vogelarten ab und ist dennoch prägnant, kompakt und benutzerfreundlich. Alle Arten werden knapp beschrieben und die wichtigsten Merkmale zur Identifikation sind aufgelistet. Insgesamt 102 Farbtafeln zeigen die verschiedenen Gefiedertypen.

DuMont Reise-Taschenbuch Reiseführer Grönland von Sabine Barth

GRÖNLAND. Das Interesse an den Polarregionen hat in den letzten Jahren stark zugenommen, immer häufiger wird Grönland, die größte Insel der Welt, Ziel von Urlaubsreisen. Besonders im Fokus stehen Grönlands Riesengletscher, die an den Rändern des kilometerdicken Inlandeisschildes unter berstendem Krachen ins Eismeer kalben. Scheinbar schwerelos treiben die dabei losgelösten haushohen Eisberge beispielsweise durch den Kangia-Fjord aufs offene Meer. Sabine Barth erklärt, wie und wo man dem Eis besonders nahe kommt und wie man die kalte Insel auch individuell bereisen kann. Ein besonderes Plus des Reiseführers sind mehrere Aktivtouren, wie z. B. eine Wanderung auf den Berg Ukkusissat, mit Wanderbeschreibungen und Detailkarten.

Buchtipps zur Antarktis

Hier findet ihr meine Buchempfehlungen zur Antarktis. Das sind beispielsweise die Berichte der großen Antarktis Expeditionen von Shakleton, Amundsen und Scott. Darüber hinaus habe ich noch einige Bücher von Abenteurern unserer Zeit sowie Bestimmungsbücher und Reiseführer, die ich euch empfehlen kann.

635 Tage im Eis: Die Shackleton-Expedition von Alfred Lansing

Am Anfang steht der Plan von der erstmaligen Durchquerung des weißen Kontinents. Doch das gewaltige Naturwunder Antarktis wird im Jahr 1915 für die Crew der ‘Endurance’ zur Hölle aus Eis. Beharrlich verfolgt Expeditionsleiter Sir Ernest Shackleton bald nur noch ein Ziel: 28 Männer lebend wieder in die Zivilisation zurückzubringen.

Lansing hat hier eines meiner Lieblingsbücher zur Antarktis geschrieben. Ich liebe die Geschichte der Shackleton-Expedition und lese daher alles, was mir dazu in die Finger kommt. Shackleton ist in meinen Augen der heldenhafteste aller Polarforscher. Keiner seiner Mannschaft ist bei der Expedition ums Leben gekommen. Sein Kampf um das Überleben aller, seine klugen Entscheidungen und Gespür für Dynamiken im Team beeindrucken mich immer wieder. Und immer, wenn ich vor einer schweren Herausforderung stehe, denke ich an Shackleton und seine Mannschaft – das macht mir Mut und meine eigene kleine Herausforderung fällt mir dann plötzlich viel leichter.

Gestrandet in der weißen Hölle von Heide Wilts

Ein Klassiker der Segelliteratur. Es ist schon einige Jahre her, dennoch ist die Strandung von Heide und Erich Wilts mit ihrer 15-m-Yacht FREYDIS in der Antarktis immer noch tief im kollektiven Seglergedächtnis verankert. Jetzt, wo die FREYDIS dem Tsunami vor Fukushima endgültig zum Opfer gefallen ist, erinnert man sich wieder: Wie die FREYDIS in der Antarktis scheiterte und damit für Heide Wilts und ihren Mann Erich der Kampf ums Überleben begann. Ein Kampf, der sechs Monate dauern sollte und in diesem Buch ungeheuer packend geschildert wird. Ein Klassiker der Segelliteratur, spannend von der ersten bis zur letzten Seite, ein Bericht über große physische und psychische Kraft, ein authentisches Abenteuer.

Wollt ihr sehen, wie es auf Deception Island aussieht? Dann schaut euch meinen Artikel an.

Die S.E.A.-Expedition – Eine antarktische Reise auf Shackletons Spuren von Tina Uebel und Nikolaus Hansen

Im Bann eines der größten Polarforscher aller Zeiten: Ein Jahrhundert nach Ernest Shackleton folgt die Expedition »S.E.A. – Sir Ernest’s Anniversary« seinem Weg nach dem Untergang der Endurance im Weddellmeer. Dafür brechen zehn Männer und zwei Frauen Ende 2015 zu einem Segeltörn über den wildesten Ozean der Welt auf. Unter schwierigsten Bedingungen gelangen sie von den Falklandinseln über Elephant Island bis nach Südgeorgien, wo ein Teil des Teams auf Skiern die dramatische Gletscherlandschaft überquert. Die Crewmitglieder Nikolaus Hansen und Tina Uebel halten das gewagte Unterfangen in einem mitreißenden Bericht fest, ergänzt durch einzigartige Aufnahmen unberührter Eislandschaften. Dabei zeichnen sie den Verlauf von Shackletons Rettungsaktion nach und zeigen, weshalb sie die Menschen bis heute fasziniert.

Antarktis (Reisehandbuch) von Christian Walther

Dieses ReiseHandbuch wendet sich an alle, die mehr über den Kontinent am Südpol erfahren möchten, darunter auch die, die konkret eine Reise in die Antarktis planen. Der erste Buchteil enthält umfassende landeskundliche Informationen zur Antarktis: Entdeckungsgeschichte, Geowissenschaften, Klima, Ozonproblematik, Eis, Forschung, Tourismus, Flora, Fauna u.v.a. werden mit Bildern, Tabellen und Zeichnungen veranschaulicht. Eine realistische Möglichkeit, den entlegenen und extremen Kontinent zu bereisen, stellen organisierte Kreuzfahrten dar. Im zweiten Teil des Buches beschreibt der Autor über 60 Orte in der Antarktis, auf den Südshetland-, Südorkney- und Falklandinseln, in Südgeorgien und Südamerika, die wegen ihrer landschaftlichen Einmaligkeit von den Kreuzfahrtschiffen bevorzugt angelaufen werden oder auf der Anfahrtsroute liegen. Der dritte Teil informiert den Leser in den Reise-Infos von A bis Z über alle praktischen Fragen zur Vorbereitung und Durchführung einer Antarktisreise und beendet mit kommentierten Literaturempfehlungen, den gehaltvollen, mit einer Vielzahl von farbigen Abbildungen, hervorragenden Karten und anschaulichen Skizzen ausgestatteten Band.

Welches sind eure Lieblingsbücher über die Arktis oder Antarktis? Habt ihr noch ein paar Ergänzungen für meine Liste? Wenn ja, dann schreibt mir doch einen Kommentar!

Der Beitrag Polarliteratur – Buchttipps zur Arktis und Antarktis erschien zuerst auf Fernweh-Motive.

Table of Contents and Quick Navigation

Overview of my Antarctic Articles
Prologue - picture book Antarctica Antarctica
When does a journey begin?
What do you want in Antarctica?
A cruise? - Never!
And what does it all cost?
When is the right time?
Our Itinerary - Penguin Colonies, Views and Insights
Tips for shore excursions in Antarctica
Packing list for the Antarctic trip
Tips for photographers
Travel literature

Advertising, unsolicited. The article contains affiliate links*.

Overview of my Antarctic Articles

Port Lockroy - the southernmost Museum and Postal Station in the World
Neumayerkanal - A dream comes true
Brown Bluff - Penguins at the Table Volcano
Deception Island - Lost Place in Antarctica
Penguins - Tips for great penguin photos
Polar Literature - Favourite Books of the Arctic and Antarctic

Prologue - picture book Antarctica

When I saw the ice landscapes of Antarctica, I thought I was in the middle of one of these impressive nature documentaries. It was one of those documentaries that fascinated me again and again and made my desire to travel to Antarctica more and more urgent. At that moment I stared at the ice with tears of joy in my eyes. What did I feel at that moment? Difficult to put into words, but I would describe it as a mixture of awe and wishless happiness in the here and now.

Many thanks to the team of G-Expeditions and to all fellow travellers who made the trip so unique and unforgettable.

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When does a journey begin?

For years I have dreamed of a trip to Antarctica and I knew that sooner or later I would go to Antarctica. Exactly. Sooner or later. This trip had become a dream and made me comfortable in the far distance. And with every year that passed, my dream moved one more year into the future. But I should know better: That you can't put off dreams that are important to you.

Frank Wild is the name of Shakleton's closest confidant during the Endurance Expedition. "Wild" is the title of Reinhold Messner's lecture to which friends took me. I enjoyed the story of the Shakleton expedition, which I love so much, the pictures of the Antarctic, the leafing through the travel brochures and the whole atmosphere of the event. Three days later I had booked the last place on the converted Swedish ferry MS-Expedition. Along the Antarctic peninsula the journey should go up to the southern polar circle depending upon ice conditions. Three weeks after my booking the planned departure of the expedition to the Antarctic Circle was G-Expedition. And for the whole three weeks I had a tingling sensation in my stomach, as if I was freshly in love.

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What do you want in Antarctica?

Many of my friends and colleagues asked me why I travel to Antarctica. It would be cold there and there would only be ice and snow. "That's exactly why" I replied and finally started to describe Antarctica and to rave about ice, snow and everything else there is.

The vastness and the emptiness of the landscape are one thing. Uncompromising, wild and inaccessible. Only a few visible traces of man can be found. The variety of forms of the landscape and the in some places overbrooding animal life are the other. And then, of course, there is the spirit of adventure. Awakened and fanned up by all the reports about the expeditions of Amundsens, Scott and Shakleton.

After the trip I showed my colleagues my photos from Antarctica. Now nobody asked why I went to Antarctica anymore. As a passionate photographer, I was naturally absorbed in observing and photographing nature. Icebergs, penguins, whales, light and shadow held me captive at the moment. Photography and mindfulness combined and made me feel the uniqueness of Antarctica even deeper.

But what else is there? Does the Antarctic leave traces in us? What's behind the advertising slogan that repeatedly attracted my attention in the lounge of the MS Expedition?

“Life changing Journeys.”

from the lounge of the MS Expedition

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A cruise? - Never!

Most Antarctic travellers will explore Antarctica by ship. But is a cruise the right thing for me? As a seasoned individual traveller, I had a hard time at the beginning with the idea of boarding a cruise ship. If you feel similar, I can reassure you. The ships and tours to Antarctica are something completely different than an Aida cruise in the Mediterranean. After all, they also call themselves expedition cruises. A small but fine difference in the name and a big difference for the traveller.

The most important of my travel tips for Antarctica first: First choose a suitable ship size. There are different categories here:

• Sailboats with about 8-12 passengers. For this you should bring good sailing experience and be washed with all waters. Everybody will be involved and will also be assigned for night watches. The costs are not necessarily more expensive than on the big ships.
• Approx. 50 passengers - a nice size, familiar but relatively expensive
• About 130 passengers - from my point of view a good size. Small enough so that all passengers can go to shore leave and Zodiac trips at the same time. Big enough to have some rest and time alone. The MS Expedition holds 134 passengers.
• Approx. 300 passengers - there are waiting times. Shore excursions are usually limited to 100 people at a time. When the last group has arrived, the weather can already have changed.
• Approx. 1000 passengers - They often do not offer any landings at all. Antarctica becomes a mere backdrop for the traveller. Moreover, ships are no longer so manoeuvrable and cannot sail everywhere.

Schedules at least one buffer day before the trip. In case of flight delays you are on the safe side. Ushuaia has a lot to offer. Tips for a stopover in Ushuaia can be found here.

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And what does it all cost?

A price comparison is worth it. Early bookers and last minute travellers can save money. But you will also often find several agencies that offer the same trip at the same time, but have different prices. Depending on the type of trip, duration and cabin category, the prices for the cruise range from around 5,000 euros to 25,000 euros. In addition then still the costs come for the flight, for additional days before or after the journey as well as for alcoholic beverages on board and tips.

For last-minute travellers there are various travel agencies in Ushuaia that offer remaining seats. You will find many suppliers in the main shopping street Av. San Martín. To what extent these are really cheaper I have not checked.

You don't have to buy all the equipment or have it with you (if you are travelling longer in South America and Antarctica is only one stage on a longer journey). You can rent missing equipment in Ushuaia.

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When is the right time?

Travelling to Antarctica is offered during the Antarctic summer, i.e. from November to February. When is the right time for a trip to Antarctica, however, depends on which nature experience is most important to you: Do you want to see penguin chicks? Or would you rather see young seals? Would you rather have lots of ice? Or rather many whales? The choice of the right travel period can be decisive for the fulfilment of your desired nature experience.

November: a trip in early summer is impressive. The sea is still covered with ice and the coasts are snow-covered. The feeling of being in Antarctica is strongest in early summer. However, due to the ice, not all planned landings may be possible and the itinerary is strongly dependent on ice and weather. The penguins come to their colonies and start building nests. The seals have already given birth to their young in Antarctic spring: the Weddel and Krabbenffresser seals are born on the ice in September/October. Between September and January, the only young of the leopard seals is born on the pack ice. The young elephant seals are born in August/September.

December to January: midsummer is the most pleasant time to travel, as it is relatively warm for Antarctica and the weather is more stable. The sun shines almost around the clock. The first penguin chicks hatch at the end of December.

February to March: late summer is the best time for whale watching. The ice has largely retreated and Zodiac landings are now possible further south. The penguin colonies empty slowly, because the penguin chicks become fledged. They are easy prey and attract predators (orcas). Also many fur seals appear now also at the Antarctic peninsula. The Antarctic season is already over in mid-March and the Antarctic winter begins.

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Expedition to the Antarctic Circle - our itinerary

"We've got a young elephant seal changing coat at the landing site. He has made himself comfortable on our emergency equipment." Our guide prepared us for our first shore leave. It was Christmas, the 24.12.2018. I felt like in a dream and was on my way to believe in Santa Claus again. Already during the trip with the Zodiac we were accompanied by penguins, which swam elegantly like mini dolphins beside our boat. Their plumage was covered with a film of water and shone in the sun. At the landing we were greeted by curious donkey penguins. A short briefing by our guides followed, the Do's and Dont's were repeated again and then I made my first steps on Antarctic soil. I will never forget this moment.

All Zodiac trips during the Antarctic Tour are weather dependent. In the travel description it was even explicitly mentioned and only "possible" landing places were described. In abbreviated form this means "journey with expedition character". We were very lucky with the weather and were able to make a total of 14 landings on seven days. On the way to the Antarctic Circle we visited bays, penguin colonies, viewpoints and research stations. In addition, Zodiac excursions between the icebergs were offered.

Our landing sites were:

1. Cuverville Island in the Errera Channel: large colony of gentoo penguins with about 5,000 breeding pairs, viewpoint
2. Base Brown in Paradise Harbour: Argentinean research station, viewpoint, gentoo penguins, blue-eyed scabbards
3. Antarctic Circle: Sparkling wine at the southern polar circle at 66°33'44'' south latitude.
4. Damoy Point, Wiencke Island: Gentoo penguins - the first chicks
5. Goudier Island (Port Lockroy Base A), Jougla Point: Gentoo penguins with chicks, research station, museum and post office. Click here to read the article.
6. Damoy Point: Gentoo penguins with chicks
7. Gerlache Strait and Neumayer Canal: lots of ice, whales, breathtaking scenery. Click here to read the article.
8. Neko Harbour, Anovord Bay: approx. 500 breeding pairs of gentoo penguins with chicks, remains of an Argentine shelter, Weddel seals.
9. Curtis Bay: icebergs, glaciers
10. Mikkelsen Harbour, Trinity Island: Gentoo penguins with chicks
11. Kinnes Cove, Joinville Island: Zodiac Cruise without Landing, Adelie Penguins
12. Brown Bluff: Adelie penguins with chicks, gentoo penguins with chicks, volcanic landscape. Click here to read the article.
13. Half Moon Island, South Shetlands: Chinstrap Penguins with Chicks
14. Whalers Bay, Deception Island: Viewpoint "The Nipple", Lost Place Whaling Station, Volcanic Landscape. Click here to read the article..
15. Drake Passage + Beagle Channel: Bird- and Whalewatching

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Best tips for shore excursions in Antarctica

Every shore leave in Antarctica is unique and exciting. So that you can enjoy each and every one of them, I have compiled my best tips for your shore excursions in Antarctica:

What do I wear?

• Better to dress too warm than too cold (onion skin principle). The weather in Antarctica can change at any time.
• At many landing sites you can climb up to viewpoints - it quickly gets too warm. Take off your clothes before you sweat.
• Be prepared to stand for long periods of time as you watch the penguins - warm socks in the rubber boots are a must.
• Pull the Rain pants over the rubber boots, so no water can run into the boots.
• Don't forget your gloves

What am I taking?

• Take sunglasses with you and apply sunscreen beforehand.
• Don't forget the camera. Is the battery charged? If necessary, take a spare battery with you. Is there enough space on the memory card?
• A bottle of drinking water is allowed. Biscuits, chocolate bars or other food must not be taken along.

How do I behave?

• Don't forget to check out and check in on board.
• Run in the footsteps of the others and do not leave deep kicks that can become traps for the penguins. If you have sunk deeper, pour in the footprints or kick the edges lower.
• There are a number of rules for encountering penguins. You can read them here .
• Wherever you run, keep in mind that you will need to clean and disinfect your shoes and clothes when you return aboard. This is necessary to minimize the exchange of pathogens between colonies.
• One last tip: Don't drink too much beforehand. The only way to make shore leave easier is to return to the ship's toilet . We offered a shuttle, but it's a shame about the lost time on land.

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Packing list for the Antarctic trip

I pack my suitcase and take with me....

I have not written down a complete packing list here. Instead, I limit myself to a few essential things that are either absolutely essential or are often forgotten.

• Take clothes for all four seasons with you and dress according to the proven onion layer principle. In case of need you can buy missing equipment in the mostly available shop on board. However, these are usually very expensive. In the sun it can get very warm in wind-protected areas.
• Glacier goggles with side wind protection
• Sun cream and lip protection
• Two pairs of gloves, so one can always dry
• Extra thick socks for the rubber boots
• Swimsuits for jumping into ice water
• Be prepared for the Drake Passage to become uncomfortable. Tablets or plasters against seasickness, which must be taken in good time before, have proved their worth. The Kaudragees are in my opinion too weakly dosed. The ship's doctor will help out if necessary.
• There is no dress code on the expedition cruises. You also don't have to dress up for Christmas and New Year's Eve. But you can. I was very happy about a pair of tights, a black skirt with a black T-shirt and light sneakers, because there was a lot of dancing.
• Many ships have a sports room, so pack sports things . The trips are mostly very motionless and full of food, so a small workout is really good.

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Tips for photographers

In the following I have compiled my best tips for photographing in Antarctica. On the one hand they are important additions for your packing list, on the other hand some helpful tips for travelling. But the most important thing first: Even if it's hard, let the camera be a camera and just enjoy what nature has to offer.

General information:

• If you have, take a spare camera with you. It would be too bad if the camera fails here and you can't take any more pictures.
• Another advantage of two cameras is that you can mount a lens with a different focal length on each camera. Especially in wet weather it is hardly possible to change the lenses.
• At the customs declaration at the entry to Argentina and Chile states that one camera and one device for video recording is allowed per person. I had more: a SLR, a compact camera and a GoPro. My camera backpack was X-rayed several times, but I didn't get any problems. I think there is more search for fruit and other food at the border.
• Clean camera and lenses carefully after use so that no salt water leaves traces.
• Watch for condensation when you come back from the cold to the warm.
• Keep your camera handy even on the Zodiac. Whales can suddenly appear next to the boat.
• Shoot in RAW or RAW+JPEG format. This way you can correct the exposure or white balance later if necessary.

Accessories:

• The most important thing is the rain cover for the camera. Especially against splashing water and entering waves during the Zodiac rides.
• Replacement batteries, because the batteries don't last that long in the cold.
• About twice as many memory cards as originally planned. Possibly an external hard disk to back up. There are often computers on board that you can use.
• The best thing, of course, is to bring your own laptop with the appropriate image editing software.
• Cleaning cloths
• tripod
• binoculars
• Possibly a UV filter to protect the objective lens.
• Polarization filterto reduce water reflections. So you can take some pictures of the icebergs in the water.

Have a look at my tips for great penguin photos.

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Travel literature

For the long flight as well as for free times on the ship there is of course hardly anything more beautiful, than the suitable book to the journey. Be it a thrilling report about the expeditions of Amundsen, Scott or Shakleton or a book about the adventures of courageous sailors who want to spend the winter on their sailing boat in Antarctica and everything comes differently than planned. For those interested in nature there are informative travel guides and the hobby ornithologist can prepare for the encounters with various seabirds with the help of identification books.

Here you can find my favourite books of polar literature - Arctic and Antarctica.

Book Recommendations for Antarctica

Do you want to know where the journey is going? Then I can recommend this travel books* to you.

You can order the travel guides on Amazon by clicking on the pictures. If you buy a product via an affiliate link, I get a small commission and you help me to keep filling Fernweh-Motive with interesting articles. This does not make the product more expensive for you.

Have you ever been to Antarctica in a ship yourself? How did you like it and what were your highlights? Do you have any questions about my article or any other tips for a trip to Antarctica? If so, please write me a comment!

Do you want to know when there are new articles on my blog? Then follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram. I would also be very happy if you share my article with your friends.

Recommendations for further Reading

The King Penguins of Tierra del Fuego

Tips and Highlights in Ushuaia and Surroundings

Der Beitrag Antarktis – die besten Tipps für die Reise erschien zuerst auf Fernweh-Motive.

Table of Contents and Quick Navigation

Abenteuerliche Expedition – das Ehepaar Wilts mit der “Freydis”
Deception Island
Origin of the island
Landing in Whaler's Bay
Viewpoint "The Nipple"
The abandoned whaling station in Whaler's Bay
The world's most southerly trank cookery
Excursus: Whaling in the Southern Ocean
Research stations
Goodbye, Antarctica

Here you can find an overview of all reports from my Antarctic trip.

Unassigned, unpaid advertising. The article contains affiliate links.

Abenteuerliche Expedition – das Ehepaar Wilts mit der “Freydis”

My curiosity was fuelled by the reading of a captivating adventure by the extreme sailor couple Wilts. With their 15-m steel yacht "Freydis" they planned to spend the polar winter in the crater lake of Deception Island. But as is so often the case in the polar regions, things are different than planned. The couple is surprised by the violence of a polar storm, the boat is stranded and leaks. After a desperate fight against the waves and the penetrating water, the Wilts rescued themselves on the beach. They found shelter in the Argentinean research station, which was empty in winter. After some sleepless nights the first shock was over and the Wilts started to rescue everything important from the ship. Meanwhile this lay frozen on the beach, covered with a thick layer of ice. The couple got support from the surrounding research stations and were finally able to bring the Freydis back to life.

Book recommendation: Gestrandet in der weißen Hölle von Heide Wilts
A classic of sailing literature. Available at Amazon*

Fancy more polar literature? Then have a look here.

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Deception Island

Deception Island belongs to the Southern Shetland Island and is located in Bransfield Street. The island measures about 13 by 14 kilometres and is about 98.5 square kilometres in size. Thus it is about as big as the island Sylt. Its highest elevation, Mount Pond, is 539 meters high.

The island has a lot to offer. And not only landscape, but also an eventful history. Therefore, it is today the most visited island in the Antarctic. Many cruise ships land here. Often even a bath in the warm springs is possible - so don't forget your swimsuit!

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Origin of the island

The horseshoe-shaped island was created about 750,000 years ago. It is the edge of a caldera flooded by the sea, thus the summit area of an active volcano. It rises about 1.500 meters from the sea bottom and is currently in a resting phase. Due to the horseshoe shape, the island with its crater lake open to the sea forms a natural harbour, the Port Foster. This can only be passed through a strait about 400 metres wide, the so-called Neptune's bellows. At the edge of the crater there are hot springs, fumaroles and hot water lagoons.

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Landing in Whaler's Bay

We're in luck. There is hardly any wind and the MS Expedition pushes its way through the narrow Neptune bellows without any difficulties. The strait widens and we reach our anchorage in Whaler's Bay. In front of us the bay spreads out with a somewhat morbid Lost Place panorama. As we approach, we see individual buildings on the beach, including an aircraft hangar of the British research station and the facilities of an abandoned Norwegian whale factory: several huge rusty pots for cooking and storing whale oil.

Our Zodiac lands on the sandy beach and we are greeted by a few bridled penguins, a Weddel seal and a sea elephant. Old wooden boats lie on the beach, half buried in the sand. Steam rises from the water and gives everything a surreal atmosphere. The steam comes from warm springs. Due to the volcanic activity, the water temperature is said to be around 10 °C in some places.

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Viewpoint "The Nipple"

But before I go to the Lost Places it goes up to the crater rim. Our destination is the viewpoint "The Nipple". After two rather motionless weeks I am happy about this little hike. Unfortunately we never arrive at the viewpoint, because when we are almost at the top fog comes up. It is so dense that we have to turn back and march back on the same way. But on the way I make a very special discovery: lichens and mosses grow on the stony ground - the first plants I see in Antarctica. Only afterwards do I learn that even parts of the island are closed to visitors in order to investigate the reintroduction of plants on the volcanic ash.

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The abandoned whaling station in Whaler's Bay

The rusty tran cauldrons get bigger the closer I get. No whale fat has been cooked or stored here for a long time. After the processing of the whales took place directly on factory ships intended for it, the whale processing station "Hektor" in the Whaler's Bay was closed. Instead, skuas have now built their nests here. On the ground in front of the first boiler two chicks run around searching.

Whales were processed in Whaler's Bay for almost twenty years. The first factory ship came in the winter of 1906/07 and processed the hunted animals. So many animals were hunted that only the valuable blubber, i.e. the fat-rich skin layer, was processed. Everything else went overboard and accumulated in the crater lake. Thousands of walkadavers rotted here. In order to prevent this, the construction of the Trankocherei was started in 1912. The most southern trancooking plant in the world

The world's most southerly trank cookery

From 1912 to 1931, the Norwegian Hvalfangerselskabet Hektor A/S ran the southernmost trancooking plant in the world here, the remains of which we can now see. Overturned, rusty tanks dominate the beach. They served as intermediate storage for the whale oil and as storage for fuel. Shortly afterwards, ten rusty steam cookers are lined up. These were equipped with whale meat and whale bones. The hot steam then dissolved the fat from the meat and bones. The oil was then separated from the water.

Behind the buildings and remains of the factory there is a cemetery whose 35 graves date back to the time of the whaling station. During the volcanic eruptions in the 1960s, however, the cemetery was largely buried. Also most of the bones of the Walkadaver were covered with ash. At the beach of Whaler's Bay there are only a few whale bones left.

The remains of the whale processing station were placed under protection as "Historic Site and Monument No. 71" in 1995 and supplemented by the remains of the British research station in 2003. The basis for this is the Antarctic Treaty.

The remains of the old whale factory and the British research station on Deception Island are impressive monuments - a real lost place in Antarctica. I very much welcome the fact that they are protected as historic sites. And - as monuments should do - they made me think and I wanted to know more about whaling in the Southern Ocean.

Excursus: Whaling in the Southern Ocean

Since 1904, about 1.5 million whales have been caught in the Southern Ocean. According to IWC estimates, the whale population has fallen to one tenth today. And what about whaling in the Southern Ocean today? Japan was the last nation to engage in whaling in the Southern Ocean. However, under the guise of science, because commercial whaling has been banned since 1986. In addition, the Southern Ocean was declared a whale sanctuary in 1994. In 2014, the International Court of Justice ruled that Japanese whaling was not scientific and therefore illegal. Under increasing pressure from marine conservation organizations, including Sea Shepherd, Japan announced in 2018 that it would stop whaling in the Southern Ocean. Hopefully, Antarctica will become a whale-free zone by the 2019/20 season. A success for whale conservation! However, in July 2019 Japan will leave the IWC and resume commercial whaling in its own waters.

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Research stations

The first research station on Deception Island was built in 1944 by the British in Whaler's Bay. During the volcanic eruption in 1967, the British Antarctic Survey station and the Chilean research stations at Pendulum Cove were severely damaged. The British tried to rebuild their station. After another eruption the station was finally abandoned in 1969. Both times the researchers were evacuated by the Chilean ship Pilato Pardo. The last volcanic eruption so far took place in 1970.

Today, remains of the buildings still stand in the bay and protrude from the ash layers of the last volcanic eruptions. All buildings are now in danger of collapsing and must therefore not be entered.

Argentina (since 1948) and Spain (since1989/90) also operate research stations on Deception Island. However, these are only occupied in summer.

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Goodbye, Antarctica

I could have walked between the old buildings forever. But everything has come to an end and I return to the ship with the last Zodiac. So we say "Goodbye, Antarctica" and many of us mean this literally. It was December 31st. The celebrations on New Year's Eve and Prosecco make it easier for us to say goodbye to Antarctica. And we celebrated and danced into the new year. "Dance the Drake!" And on the way back over the Drake Passage nobody got seasick this time.

Book Recommendations for Antarctica

Do you want to know where the journey is going? Then I can recommend this travel books* to you.

You can order the travel guides on Amazon by clicking on the pictures. If you buy a product via an affiliate link, I get a small commission and you help me to keep filling Fernweh-Motive with interesting articles. This does not make the product more expensive for you.

Have you ever been to Antarctica in a ship yourself? How did you like it and what were your highlights? Do you have any questions about my article or any other tips for a trip to Antarctica? If so, please write me a comment!

Do you want to know when there are new articles on my blog? Then follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram. I would also be very happy if you share my article with your friends.

Der Beitrag Deception Island – Lost Place in der Antarktis erschien zuerst auf Fernweh-Motive.

Unassigned, unpaid advertising. The article contains affiliate links.

Table of Contents and Quick Navigation

Penguins - Love at first Sight
Tips for Penguin Photos
Rules for Penguin Encounters
The Penguin Calendar: When do you see what?
Gallery Penguins - Tips for great Penguin Photos

Here you can find an overview of all reports from my Antarctic trip.

Penguins - Love at first Sight

Penguins make you happy. I already suspected it before my trip to Antarctica and Patagonia. But I had no idea how much the cute animals fascinate me. My first penguins were the King Penguins of Tierra del Fuego in Parque Pingüino Rey website. Majestically they stood around in small groups and balanced their eggs between their feet and stomach fold. But then I came much closer to the Magellan and gentoo penguins of Isla Martillo near Ushuaia. Because there we were led on marked paths through the breeding colonies. Here you can learn more about my walk with the penguins of Isla Martillo in the Beagle Channel.

Already these first encounters with penguins have enchanted me. While observing and photographing I started to forget the time. But what is it that makes penguins so fascinating? And what exactly did I try to capture with my over 3,000 penguin photos?

First of all they look cute with their roundish shapes. Secondly, they look worthy of protection. Because as soon as they run ashore with their small wings and short legs, they are clumsy. Thirdly, I thought I saw human behaviour in the penguins. Because obviously they were holding coffee klatsch, they argued or were tender with each other. They also eyed their chicks with critical parental eyes. They showed different facial expressions that gave them a personality. So even after a long time it never got boring to watch them. Again and again I was able to capture their uniqueness visually. In short: I was looking forward to each individual.

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Tips for great Penguin Photos

So that you have great souvenir photos after your trip to the penguins, I'll now tell you my best tips for penguin photos.

Tip 1: Exposure Compensation

Photographing in ice and snow is always a challenge for setting the exposure. As soon as the penguin is surrounded by snow and ice, up to 90% of the light is reflected. And this much higher reflection has to be compensated. Otherwise, underexposed images are produced. Or more precisely: the aperture setting must be corrected. Experiment with your aperture and make different settings for the same subject. Many cameras also offer so-called "bracketings". With these you can take previously set exposure series.

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Tip 2: Be Patient

Sit down for a while, be patient and let the animals come towards you. Penguins are usually very curious. Passing animals also stop in front of you and look at you. But you shouldn't stay in the way but release it with enough distance for the penguin.

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Tip 3: Take a close Look

There is always something new to discover in a penguin colony. Take a close look and you will discover different penguin behaviors depending on the season. And in the best case you can capture it with your camera: Breeding animals, chicks, feedings, nest building, defence of the nest and the building material (stones), plumage care, socialising, heat regulation, mating. In the case of larger breeding colonies, first get an overview of the events and possible motives. That's better than taking wild pictures. Often it also helps if you stay in contact with the guides and let them tell you special features about the colony.

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Tip 4: Perspective

Get at eye level with the penguins. So off into the snow, kneel down or lay on your stomach. But be careful not to lie down in penguin dirt lengthwise. You'll have to remove it carefully before you board.

A single penguin in the white expanse of the ice fields is also a great motif.

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Tip 5: Use the natural Light

The penguin colonies and routes to them are in most cases determined by the guides. Therefore you are somewhat restricted in your choice of photo position. Look from which direction the light comes. If possible, choose a colony for your penguin photos that is shined by the sun.

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Tip 6: Search for Details

This is one of my favourite tips for great penguin photos. Because sometimes the opportunity arises for great portraits of penguins. Try to take detailed pictures. For example of the eyes or the beak with its small "teeth" on the tongue and on the upper jaw.

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Tip 7: Photos of the ship / boat

It is not easy to photograph the penguins from the ship. But there are great new perspectives. With a little luck, you can catch a penguin in "swimming flight". A steady hand, a good image stabilizer and a short shutter speed help. Make sure you always have a waterproof bag or other protection with you in the Zodiac. Because a Zodiac ride can get pretty wet even in sunshine.

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Tip 8: Telephoto Lens with/without Tripod

With a telephoto lens, you can get "close" to the animals even at a sufficient distance. You can also achieve a nice background blur. But first think about whether you really need a tripod for each shore leave. Often it is also a hindrance. Many cameras and lenses already have a very good image stabilizer, so you can often do without a tripod.

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Tip 9: Follow examples

Most ships that sail to Antarctica are equipped with a comprehensive ship library. Take a look at the illustrated books there. I'm sure you'll be able to put one or two of these suggestions into practice when you next go ashore.

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Rules for Penguin Encounters

But despite all the enthusiasm, I would like to point out a few rules of conduct here. These are even more important than all my tips for penguin photos. Surely you will get these rules explained so similarly by your guides:

• Always pay attention not to bring the animals by your approach to a change of their natural behavior.
• Never run, scream, touch or feed them.
• Always keep to the given distances, usually 5 meters. Do not surround the animals and never block the escape route towards the water. Penguins always have "right of way". Also stay behind any barriers that may have been set up or on paths.
• A sufficient distance also serves your own safety. An injury by a penguin beak can sometimes lead to serious infections.
• Do not take feathers, eggshells or stones with you. The penguins need the small stones to build their nests.
• Footprints can become a deadly trap for penguins. So try not to leave any. If you have deep footprints, you can simply fill them with snow or widen them so that the penguins can climb out again.

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The Penguin Calendar: When do you see what?

Depending on when you travel to Antarctica, you can see penguins behaving in different ways: mating, nesting, breeding or raising chicks. The breeding cycle of three frequently seen penguin species usually follows the scheme below. However, deviations may occur due to weather conditions. If the breeding rocks are covered with snow for too long, the nests cannot be built. Thereby, the incubation then shifts somewhat to the rear. On our journey we saw the first chicks of the gentoo penguins on 29 December.

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Gallery Penguins - Tips for great penguin photos

In my Gallery I have more penguin photos for you. The pictures were taken during my trip to the Antarctic Peninsula in winter 2018/2019. All photos were taken with the Canon 5d Mark III, most of them with the Telezoom EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM without tripod. You can read more about my photo equipment here .

Book Recommendations for Antarctica

Do you want to know where the journey is going? Then I can recommend this travel books* to you.

You can order the travel guides on Amazon by clicking on the pictures. If you buy a product via an affiliate link, I get a small commission and you help me to keep filling Fernweh-Motive with interesting articles. This does not make the product more expensive for you.

Have you ever seen penguins in the wild? Where was it and which are your favourites? Do you have any questions about my article or any other tips for great penguin photos? If so, please write me a comment!

Do you want to know when there are new articles on my blog? Then follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram. I would also be very happy if you share my article with your friends.

Recommendations for further Reading

The King Penguins of Tierra del Fuego

Tips and Highlights in Ushuaia and Surroundings

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Here you can find an overview of all reports from my Antarctic trip.

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Here you can read more about my Antarctic trip.

Wet Landing with the Zodiac

The night before was windy and big waves built up. The MS-Expedition is struggling to find a suitable anchorage. The entry into the Zodiac is difficult due to the waves. The gangway is flooded again and again, sometimes the stairs have six steps, sometimes only two. The jump into the Zodiac must therefore be precisely timed. As soon as there are ten passengers on board, we head towards Brown Bluff. Also here the waves are big and break at the pebble beach where we want to land. Our skipper observes the rhythm of the waves and adjusts a more calm phase exactly. Now he turns the Zodiac, folds up the outboard engine and drifts backwards to the beach. Here we are received by eight helping hands and reach the shore a little wet and shaken. The group of Adelie penguins watched us curiously and seemed to enjoy our landing.

The Table Volcano Brown Bluff

Brown Bluff - translated brown cliff - is a table volcano about one million years old and 745 meters high. Brown Bluff has its name because of its brown slopes, which are mostly ice-free and reddish brown in colour on the north flank towards the sea. It lies at the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula on the east coast of the Tabarin Peninsula on the Antarctic Sound.

The cliff of Brown Bluff consists of tuff rock, i.e. solidified volcanic ash. Horizontal bands show several different eruptions. The relatively soft tuff was later covered with lava and thus protected from erosion. If you take a closer look at the boulders on the beach, you can discover interesting structures in the tuff.

The volcanic eruptions and the lava flow once took place under the glacier. Therefore the table volcano has its typical shape: The plateau and the steep flanks. At the north flank of the lake, a scree slope stretches up from the beach and ends in the vertically towering steep cliff at a height of approximately 500 metres. The cliff keeps the glacier away from the beach and the north-facing slopes are snow-free early in the year. An ideal breeding place for thousands of birds and penguins and the reason for the rich fauna of Brown Bluff. The beach and the snow-free part of the cliff are therefore designated Important Bird Area by BirdLife International.

On Brown Bluff there is a colony of Adelie penguins with about 20,000 breeding pairs and a colony of gentoo penguins with about 550 breeding pairs. Dominican Gulls, Cape Petrels, Snow Petrels and Gulls of Prey also breed here. Weddell seals are regularly observed on the beach and sea leopards hunt in the waters off the coast. One of our Zodiac groups even observed a sea leopard catching a penguin from the surface of the water while driving in front of Brown Bluff.

Penguin Party at Brown Bluff

Why do I love Brown Bluff so much? Clearly because of the countless penguins. They are everywhere. Penguins as far as the eye can see. The colony of penguins stretches along the whole visible shore of Brown Bluff. In addition, the Adelie penguins are particularly active and curious. It is a real pleasure to observe the animals walking up and down in groups along the waterline. They are looking for a good place to get into the water between ice and waves. A brave person then dares to go ahead and the group follows. When they come out of the water again, the penguins are sometimes thrown onto the beach by the waves. Then the plumage is put in order before it goes back to the nest, where the partner waits with the offspring.

Most Adelie penguins have two chicks. With their fluffy brown plumage they seem somehow too big. Her body has a funny pear shape, which makes her look extremely clumsy. Even the donkey penguins, which breed somewhat apart from the Adelie penguins, usually have two chicks. One even had triplets and had to stuff three hungry mouths.

These encounters with the penguins make my heart jump with joy. I tried to capture the uniqueness of the penguins in my pictures. But no matter how hard I try. Something magical remained in these animal encounters, which I simply could not depict.

In order not to disturb the penguins, a minimum distance of five meters must always be kept. On the pebbly beach, the route marked out with flags by the guides is also to be used. But if you sit on the beach at Brown Bluff, some penguins will get very close to you. The perfect moment for close-ups of the penguins.

You want more penguins? Then you're probably interested in my article about the Penguins of Tierra del Fuego and my Tips for great Penguin Photos.

Book Recommendations for Antarctica

Do you want to know where the journey is going? Then I can recommend this travel books* to you.

You can order the travel guides on Amazon by clicking on the pictures. If you buy a product via an affiliate link, I get a small commission and you help me to keep filling Fernweh-Motive with interesting articles. This does not make the product more expensive for you.

Have you ever been to Antarctica in a ship yourself? How did you like it and what were your highlights? Do you have any questions about my article or any other tips for a trip to Antarctica? If so, please write me a comment!

Do you want to know when there are new articles on my blog? Then follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram. I would also be very happy if you share my article with your friends.

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Table of Contents and Quick Navigation

Port Lockroy - Antarctic natural Harbour
The Bransfield House
Excursus: Historical Sites of Antarctica
Most southern Museum in the World
Most southern Post Office in the World
The most beautiful Souvenir from Antarctica
The Penguins of Port Lockroy

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Here you can find an overview of all reports from my Antarctic trip.

Port Lockroy - Antarctic natural Harbour

The Port Lockroy natural harbour is a bay on the west side of Wiencke Island and thus part of the Palmer Archipelago. The bay opens towards the west to the Neumayer Canal. In the other directions the bay is protected by glacier fields and a rocky headland. The water at Port Lockroy is deep enough for smaller cruise ships to enter and anchor.  

The bay was discovered in 1904 during the fourth French Antarctic expedition (1903-1905) led by Jean-Baptiste Charcot. The natural harbour is named after the French naval minister Édouard Lockroy (1840-1913), because Lockroy supported the expedition financially. Initially, the port was used for whaling and seal fishing, even factory ships moored here. During the Second World War, Port Lockroy was a British military base and the base of Operation Tabarin.

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The Bransfield House

In 1944, the British built their first permanent research station "Base A", also called Bransfield House, on the neighbouring Goudier Island. In the following years, botanical investigations, weather observations, geological and topographic mapping as well as atmospheric research were carried out here. Until 1958 Base A was extended by extensions and an additional generator shed. In 1962, however, the station was abandoned again.

The remains of Base A were declared a Historical Site 'HSM-61' under the Antarctic Treaty in 1995. The reason for its historical importance is its use as a base for Operation Tabarin in 1944 and its scientific research. For example, the first measurements of the ionosphere were carried out here and the first image of an atmospheric whistle was taken. Port Lockroy was also an important station of the International Geophysical Year 1957/1958.

In 1996, the former Base A was renovated and restored to its original condition in 1962. Since then, the Bransfield House has been used as a museum, post office and souvenir shop.

Port Lockroy has become one of the most popular attractions and one of the most visited places in Antarctica. To protect the site and the penguins that live there, tourism in Port Lockroy is limited: A maximum of three cruise ships with a maximum of 500 passengers each are allowed to anchor here every day. In addition, only 60 people are allowed to be on shore at any one time.

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Excursus: Historical Sites in the Antarctic Treaty

A historical site or monument is a protected place of historical interest in the Antarctic. These include for example huts, stone hills, memorial plaques or graves. The list of historical sites was first drawn up in 1972 and has since been expanded to 85. Objects must meet one or more of the following criteria in order to be included in the list:

• A special historical event has taken place at this site.
• The site is associated with an important personality in Antarctic history.
• The site is linked to an important masterpiece of "perseverance or success".
• It represents a larger activity "important for the development and knowledge of Antarctica".
• The building itself is of technical, historical, cultural or architectural importance.
• The site has educational potential about "significant human activities" in Antarctica.
• It has symbolic value for the people of many nations.

Other historical sites under the Antarctic Treaty are the ruins of the former whale processing station and the remains of the British research station at Whaler's Bay on Deception Island. Learn more about this place in my article Deception Island - Lost Place in Antarctica.

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Most southern Museum in the World

The former British research station in Port Lockroy has housed the southernmost museum in the world since 1996. The Bransfield House, the main base building built in 1944, was lovingly restored for this purpose. The refurbished rooms include the workshop, kitchen, bedroom, lounge, radio room, laboratory and hallway. With numerous exhibits and display boards, the museum shows life in the scientific base in the 1960s. It becomes particularly interesting in the kitchen, where an open recipe book reveals what was sometimes served: omelette from the seal's brain.

Next to the museum rooms there is a small souvenir shop with a surprisingly wide selection for the size of the shop. The income from the shop finances the preservation of the museum and other historical sites in Antarctica.

By the way: If you want to buy a souvenir of Port Lockroy afterwards, then have a look at the Shop of the United Kingdom Antarctic Heritage Trust.

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Most southern Post Office in the World

The southernmost post office in the world is attached to the museum and is operated by the United Kingdom Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT) . Here you can have your postcards stamped with the special Port Lockroy postmarks and drop them directly into the red mailbox at Bransfield House. The postcards will be transported by the next ship to the Falkland Islands. From there the flight continues to London. The postcards are then transported from London to their destination.

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The most beautiful Souvenir from Antarctica

Who ever got a postcard from Antarctica?
Have you ever written a postcard to yourself?

No? Then put it on the pen! Because it's a great pleasure when a postcard with the special Port Lockroy postmark arrives at home about two months after your Antarctic trip. The postcard is my most beautiful souvenir from Antarctica. And a great addition to the fridge magnet and the T-shirt, which I also bought in the shop.

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The Penguins of Port Lockroy

A colony of gentoo penguins has lived on Goudier Island since about 1985. The colony is the focus of a research project that has been monitoring the breeding habits of the population and the effects of tourism since 1996. The colony was divided into two areas: One with and one without visitors.

It turned out that the breeding success is about the same in both colonies. The penguins are probably getting used to humans. In addition, visitors also expel predatory skuas who are targeting the chicks and eggs of the penguins. It is also assumed that snow conditions and food availability are the most important factors for breeding success.

Book Recommendations for Antarctica

Do you want to know where the journey is going? Then I can recommend this travel books* to you.

You can order the travel guides on Amazon by clicking on the pictures. If you buy a product via an affiliate link, I get a small commission and you help me to keep filling Fernweh-Motive with interesting articles. This does not make the product more expensive for you.

Have you ever been to Antarctica in a ship yourself? How did you like it and what were your highlights? Do you have any questions about my article or any other tips for a trip to Antarctica? If so, please write me a comment!

Do you want to know when there are new articles on my blog? Then follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram. I would also be very happy if you share my article with your friends.

Der Beitrag Port Lockroy – südlichstes Museum und Poststation der Welt erschien zuerst auf Fernweh-Motive.

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Here you can find an overview of all reports from my Antarctic trip.

Whales and icebergs in the Neumayer Channel

With all these whales, I can't remember where to look first. There are seven whales at the same time. Three diagonally in front of us, two on our right and two further away. As I watch the whales, we drive past beautiful, dazzling icebergs. In different sizes and shapes they float in the water. Where the icebergs dip into the water, they are bright blue. Sometimes a seal rests on an ice floe or penguins prepare to jump into the cold water. It is lunchtime. I manage to tear myself away from the wonder world and get some leftovers from the buffet for a quick lunch. Then I go outside again, to the whales and icebergs in the dream landscape of the Neumayer Channel.

Excursus: The colours of the icebergs
Iceberg are mostly white. Sometimes they are bright blue. The white colour results from the scattering of the light at the air bubbles trapped in the ice. If fewer air bubbles are trapped, the ice appears clearer. As a rule, older ice or ice under high pressure has fewer air bubbles. The clear ice then acts like a colour filter - similar to water itself. This is called selective absorption. This means that first red, then orange, then yellow and then green light are absorbed by the ice one after the other. Blue light is absorbed last, so the ice shimmers blue.

The Neumayer Channel and Gerlachestraße

The Neumayer Channel is a narrow sea road in the Palmer Archipelago and separates the Anvers Island from the Wiencke Island. It is about 30 kilometres long and between two and four kilometres wide.

The Neumayer Canal was first sighted by the German captain Dallmann during the hunting season of 1873/74, when he searched for new sealing grounds. With his agile steamboat he could also penetrate into the narrow canal. The Belgian polar explorer Adrien de Gerlache de Gomery later named the channel after the German geophysicist Georg von Neumayer (1826-1909). Neumayer dedicated his life to polar research. In recognition of his commitment to Antarctic research, the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) later decided to name the German research station in the Antarctic after him. Find out more about the Neumayer III Research Station here.

To the north, the Neumayer Canal opens into the wider Gerlachestraße, which separates the Palmer Archipelago from the Danco coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. This waterway is named after the Belgian polar explorer Adrien de Gerlache de Gomery (1866-1934). Gerlache explored this area during the Belgica expedition (1897-1899). Among others, the Norwegian Roald Amundsen and the American Frederick Cook were present at that time. Both were still unknown at that time, but later they were to have a decisive influence on polar research. The ship, the "Belgica", was later taken over by Sir Ernest Shakleton and renamed "Endurence". Sir Ernest Shakleton and his crew wrote the most fascinating polar adventure of all time with the expedition of the "Endurence", its downfall and the subsequent rescue operation.

It's an exciting feeling to drive where the polar explorers filled the white areas of the maps with life. The circumstances under which these expeditions took place are hardly imaginable today. And that makes them even more fascinating. Do you want to know more about polar research at that time? Then here's to my favourite books of polar literature.

Book Recommendations for Antarctica

Do you want to know where the journey is going? Then I can recommend this travel books* to you.

You can order the travel guides on Amazon by clicking on the pictures. If you buy a product via an affiliate link, I get a small commission and you help me to keep filling Fernweh-Motive with interesting articles. This does not make the product more expensive for you.

Have you ever been to Antarctica in a ship yourself? How did you like it and what were your highlights? Do you have any questions about my article or any other tips for a trip to Antarctica? If so, please write me a comment!

Do you want to know when there are new articles on my blog? Then follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram. I would also be very happy if you share my article with your friends.

Der Beitrag Neumayerkanal – Ein Traum geht in Erfüllung erschien zuerst auf Fernweh-Motive.

Wherever the opportunity arises to visit a polar museum, I am there with enthusiasm. Every time I take enough time to look at all the exhibits. But in the Arctic and Antarctic Museum in St. Petersburg, this is already a challenge. You can easily spend half a day in the museum, so many exhibits are on display. The signs and texts are unfortunately all in Russian, but there is an audio guide in English.

Did the polar virus get you too? If you want to learn more about the polar regions, then take a look at my book tips .

The Founding of the Arctic and Antarctic Museum Saint Petersburg

The Church of St. Nicholas was built between 1820 and 1838 in neo-classical style and was used by the orthodox Old Believers. In 1931, however, the church was closed. Six years later, in January 1937, the Museum for the Arctic and Antarctic was opened in the church building. For this purpose the exhibits, which were scattered throughout Moscow, Arkhangelsk and Leningrad, were brought together. During the Second World War, the collection was brought to Krasnoyarsk in Siberia. It was not until 1950 that the exhibits returned to St. Nicholas' Church and have been on display there ever since.

Most of the churches in St. Petersburg, which were converted during the Soviet era, are now used as churches again. According to the law, St. Nicholas Church is also to be reinstated as a church. But neither the museum nor the church itself seems to want to implement this demand.

The Museum Collection

The collection of the Arctic and Antarctic Museum of Saint Petersburg consists of four sections:

• Arctic Geography and Nature
• Exploration of the North Pole
• Economy and culture of the peoples of the Arctic
• Antarctica

Arctic Geography and Nature

In the nave of the former church, the arctic geography and the flora and fauna living here is shown. In the middle of the main nave, a geographical model gives an overview of the northern polar regions. Dioramas of bird colonies, walrus families and stuffed animals of the Arctic are lined up on the walls. Above the entrance area hangs an airplane that was used during expeditions in the Arctic.

Exploration of the Arctic Ocean

In the left aisle you will learn about the exploration of the Arctic Ocean and the discovery of the North-East Passage. On display are pictures and models of Russian icebreakers, such as "Arctic" and "Lenin". You will also see other technical objects that were used in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean. Maps show the expedition routes of Russian ships and provide information about important captains and scientists. The life of a polar researcher is particularly vividly depicted with the fully equipped cabin of the Soviet research station "Severny Poljus-3".

Economy and culture of the peoples of the Arctic

In the right aisle the traditional culture of the peoples of the Arctic, such as the Yakuts Komi, Karelians or Nenets is shown.

Antarctica

While the first floor of the church exclusively covers the northern polar region, the second floor has been dedicated to Antarctica since 1958. In the middle of the exhibition room, directly under the dome, stuffed penguins are presented in a showcase. Here, in the light of the glass dome, it is also a little more international: above the penguins fly the flags of the twelve states that signed the Antarctic Treaty at the Antarctic Conference in 1959. In contrast to the ground floor, where Russian Arctic research is the main focus, this floor also deals with research into the Antarctic of other states. For example, you can also see diaries of the race to the South Pole between the British Robert Scott and the Norwegian Roald Amundsen or the sled of Robert Scott.

Also on display are the clothes of the explorers then and now, as well as items used on the expeditions of the time, including survival kits, sleds and tracked vehicles. Numerous maps, photos and paintings give an impression of the expeditions and the conditions under which they took place.

Excursus: Antarctic Treaty
The Antarctic Treaty was signed by 12 states in 1959 and came into force in 1961. The Antarctic Treaty is the first international agreement after the Second World War. In the middle of the Cold War, Western and Eastern powers agreed on the joint peaceful use of an uninhabited continent. The number of signatory states has now grown to 51. The Antarctic Treaty itself was concluded for an indefinite period. The objectives of the treaty are:
Peaceful use of Antarctica; international cooperation in research with unhindered exchange of information; individual countries defer their claims to territories; ban on military activities; disposal and import ban on radioactive waste.
You can read more about the Antarctic Treaty here .

Address and Opening Hours

(please check again before you go)

Address: Uliza Marata 24a
Open: Wed-Sat 10-18, Sun to 5 pm
Days off: Mon, Tue and last Thu of the month
Nearest Metro: Vladimirskaya or Mayakovskaya
Admission (in 2017): 100 rubles
Internet: https://www.polarmuseum.ru/

Have you ever been to Saint Petersburg and visited the Arctic and Antarctic Museum? How did you like it? Do you have any questions about my article or further suggestions? If so, please write me a comment!

Recommendations for further Reading

The Beluga Whales of the Solowezki Islands

Solowezki Islands - Highlights and Travel Tips

Der Beitrag Arktis und Antarktis Museum Sankt Petersburg erschien zuerst auf Fernweh-Motive.

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What you will find in this article

Winter Boat Trip on the Fjords
See Northern Lights
Reindeer Race through Tromsø's Pedestrian Zone
Reindeer Sledge Ride under the Northern Lights
The "Gateway to the Arctic" - Polar History at the Polar Museum in Tromsø

Winter Boat Trip on the Fjords

When I planned our trip to Tromsø in winter, the boat trips were the first priority. As in the winter time, it is possible to see orcas in the fjords around Tromsø. The whales follow the migrations of the herring shoals. Between November and January they are then in the fjords near Tromsø and can often be seen close to land. But a little luck is always part of it. This is unfortunately the case with animal observations. When we were in Tromsø at the beginning of February, the whales had unfortunately already moved on.

We made the trip by boat anyway and did not regret it at all. The landscape is breathtakingly beautiful and we saw many sea eagles. Our trip over the fjords started in Lauklines. Here we were still provided with a thermal suit and warm boots, because on the boat it became bitterly cold after a while. As it should be for the Arctic.

If you want to try to see the orcas yourself, it is best to ask the organizer of the boat tours which months he would recommend. The routes of the herrings change over the years and so do the routes of the orcas. Read more in my article At the Orcas' Lunch Table - Snorkeling with Orcas In Skiervøy, Norway.

You are interested in whale-watching in winter? Then my article about Lofoten and Vesterålen might be something for you.

See Northern Lights

If you think of the Arctic in winter, you usually think of white snowy landscapes and northern lights. In green bands they move slowly across the sky and always amaze me. The mystical light plays in the night sky are simply beautiful. Sometimes there are even purple stripes at the edges.

Excursus: The Colours of the Northern Lights
Aurora Borealis is created when electrons from the solar wind meet gas molecules in the Earth's atmosphere. The molecules are electrically charged and excited to glow. Red, green or blue light is produced. There are also mixed colours such as violet, white and yellow. The colour depends on the height at which the electrons hit the atmosphere. Because the atmosphere has a different gas composition depending on the altitude. At an altitude of 80 to 150 kilometres, the oxygen content is higher and green light is produced. In contrast, at an altitude of 150 to 600 kilometres there are more nitrogen atoms and red and blue light is produced.

If you want to observe northern lights it is best to drive a little out of the city. Because the further away you are from the city, the less light pollution there is and the more intense the northern lights are visible. If you don't have your own vehicle, you can also join an organized aurora borealis tour.

In any case I can recommend a Prediction App. It informs you how high the probability for aurora borealis is at your location. The app uses the so-called KP-Index for this purpose. Furthermore the app offers you a forecast for the coming hours and days.

To take pictures of the aurora, you need a tripod and a fast lens. You should set the iso-value of your camera with open aperture so that the image noise does not affect the image quality. This varies from camera to camera.

Reindeer Race through Tromsø's Pedestrian Zone

Every year on a Sunday in February the pedestrian zone in Tromsø is transformed into a race track. In the middle of the Storgata, snow is piled up, at the northern end start boxes are set up and at the southern end the finish line is marked out.

I had no idea before how fast reindeer can run. They live up to their name. After the start signal they jump out of their pits and it goes in wild speed along the Storgata. They are driven by a slim rider who is pulled behind them on skis. Every year the 12 fastest races from Norway and Finland are at the start.

The race is the absolute highlight of the Sami week, which you must not miss. But the other events of the festival are also worthwhile and give you an insight into Sami culture. Sami (outdated Lapp) is the name of the indigenous population of the Arctic area of Sápmi. In honour of their culture, the Sami Week is celebrated in Tromsø every year at the beginning of February.

Throughout the week there is a varied cultural programme, including exhibitions, language courses, concerts and the Norwegian championship in lasso throwing. The Arctic market at the northern end of the Storgata offers traditional handicrafts and Sami food in lavvu (Sami tent). Here you can try bidos (reindeer meat stew) and lefse (soft flatbread made from potatoes) or try the super warm Sami woollen gloves.

Reindeer Sledge Ride under the Northern Lights

Enthusiastic about the fast reindeer that were racing in the Storgata, I booked a reindeer sleigh ride. At the tourist information at the Roald Amundsen Square there are offers for trips during daylight or in the evening with the chance of seeing northern lights. We started the same evening and after about an hour of driving we reached Camp Tamok.

It was -20°C. We were a bit away from Tromsø but I felt as if I had just walked through the gate to the Arctic. It was already dark and the sky was starry. After we were equipped with warm thermo suits and boots, we started. First we had to catch two reindeer. I had quite a lot of respect for the protruding antlers and hoped the animal would know how big it is. Not that it would run around me. But I didn't have to worry, because the animal stopped well-behaved and I was able to attach the rope to the halter. Proudly I led the reindeer to the sleigh. Each animal should pull one of the wooden sledges.

The Reindeer Sledge

The reindeer sleigh is a traditional means of transport for the Sami people. It was important in connection with nomadic reindeer husbandry, where shepherds followed the reindeer on their migrations. While reindeer were once used as draught or pack animals, nowadays tamed reindeer are used in sports or tourism.

Progress has been slow. But it was just the right speed to enjoy everything. Because above us the northern lights were moving in the starry sky. To the left and right of us were small snow-covered trees. The stars reflected in their icy branches and made them sparkle like Christmas trees. And in front of us the reindeer puffed, its breath condensed in the cold, dry air. A kitschy and beautiful experience!

To warm up, we had coffee and stories about life as reindeer herders in the traditional lavvu.

Reindeer Breeding

The beginnings of reindeer husbandry date back to the 15th century. In the 17th century, it became the livelihood of the mountain herders. Today, only a few Sami are still breeding. For economic reasons, however, it was intensified and the herds grew larger and larger. More than 500,000 reindeer live in the whole of Sápmi. The number of animals is now so high that their main food, lichen, can hardly grow back.

Mining, wind farms and conflicts with forest owners affect the reindeer economy. Climate change is also affecting the herds, as the animals no longer get enough food. Even under metres of snow the animals can track down lichens and mosses and dig them out with their hooves. However, when the snow becomes warm, too wet and then freezes again, a layer of ice forms which the reindeer cannot break through.

The "Gateway to the Arctic" - Polar History at the Polar Museum

The Polar Museum was opened in 1978 and is dedicated to hunting, fishing and research in the Arctic. Among other things, it reports on Norwegian polar expeditions and the history of the discovery of the North Pole. The museum building is located in a former customs building from 1833, which was used by customs as a warehouse and administration building until 1970. It is one of a series of pier houses that have been listed as historical monuments since 2000.

The exhibitions cover the following topics:

• Hibernation and hunting in the Arctic
• Hunter Henry Rudi, who killed 713 polar bears
• “Der” erste weibliche Überwinterer – Wanny Woldstad
• Fridtjof Nansens and Roald Amundsen's life and expeditions
• Helmer Hansen and Hjalmar Johansen, who accompanied Amundsen to the South Pole
• The discovery of Spitsbergen by Willhelm Barentsz in the 16th century, whaling in the 17th and 18th centuries and the Russian way of winter hunting
• Changing exhibitions under the roof of the warehouse

Thanks to its proximity to the Arctic, Tromsø has become the starting point for many polar expeditions. At the end of the 19th century, at the time of the great polar expeditions, Tromsø developed into the "Gateway to the Arctic". The Fram Expedition (1893 - 1896) of Fridtjof Nansen as also the expeditions of Roald Amundsen with the ship Maud (1918 - 1921) and with the flying boat Latham 47 (1928) are specially exciting.

Fram expedition of Fridtjof Nansen (1893 - 1896)

The Fram Expedition (1893 - 1896) of Fridtjof Nansen made a stopover in Tromsø. Via Vardø the Fram sailed along the Siberian coast to the New Siberian Islands. The aim of the journey was to reach the geographical North Pole by means of natural ice drift. For this purpose, the ice-strengthened ship was frozen in pack ice and drifted for about three years to Spitsbergen. In August 1896, the Fram returned to Tromsø. The ship did not reach the geographic North Pole. But Nansen and Johansen started the attempt to reach the geographic North Pole on foot. But after a march of approximately four weeks, they decided to turn back. They did not reach the geographical North Pole, but they set the North Record of that time. After spending the winter in the Franz-Josef Archipelago, they reached the port of Vardø in August 1896 on Frederik Jackson's ship Winward.

Maud expedition of Roald Amundsen (1918 - 1921)

On 16 June 1918 the ship Maud left Roald Amundsen in Tromsø and sailed northeast. The plan was to penetrate the ice in the eastern Arctic and drift with the ice to the North Pole for four or five years. However, the expedition did not go according to plan. After three overwinters in the ice and crossing the Northeast Passage, the Maud reached Seattle in 1921.

Rescue Mission of Roald Amundsen with the flying Boat (1928)

On June 18, 1928, Roald Amundsen set off with the flying boat of type Latham 47 to rescue Umberto Nobile. His airship Italia had previously crashed on an ice floe. Amundsen did not return from his search for Nobile. His flying boat was lost near the Bear Islands, the wreckage has not yet been found.

Book recommendations for Norway

You want to know where the journey goes? Then I can recommend these books*.

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