Puerto Williams to Puerto Williams

Puerto Williams has the feel of a true frontier town, situated on windswept Navarino Island facing out across the Beagle Channel. It's home to a fishing port and an important Chilean naval base, and is often described as 'the world's southernmost city', although it's debatable whether it's really a city. The surrounding mountains offer a spectacular backdrop for hiking and kayaking, while to the south lies the infamous Drake Passage and, beyond that, the frozen continent of Antarctica.

Arriving on New Island's sandy beach, you'd be forgiven for thinking you were off the coast of Scotland. Yet a short walk over the crest of a hill reveals a colony of rockhopper penguins and black-browed albatross perched on a cliff. A small hut, originally built by stranded sailors, is now a museum dedicated to the history of the island.

West Point Island is located in the northwest of the Falklands archipelago, and is also known as Albatross Island thanks to the many black-browed albatross that nest on the spectacular cliffs. The island is also a working sheep farm, and is home to a large colony of rockhopper penguins.

The rugged and windswept Falkland Islands make for a fascinating stop on the way to or from Antarctica. Over 80% of the population lives in the capital, Stanley, though humans are far outnumbered by other creatures, including penguins, sea lions and albatrosses.

Named after the elephant seals that live along the coast, Elephant Island is synonymous with the early days of Antarctic exploration. It was here that Ernest Shackleton and his men were stranded for four months, and a monument to their bravery now stands on the island, often surrounded by Gentoo penguins.

Antarctica is the world’s last great wilderness, an alien landscape of snow-covered mountains, jagged icebergs and extraordinary wildlife. January is a great time to visit, with temperatures at their warmest (by Antarctic standards), long hours of daylight (great for photographers), and the chance to see penguin chicks and seal pups.

Icy and remote, the South Shetland Islands are situated about 100 miles north of the Antarctic peninsula. The archipelago is home to a scattering of research stations, along with thousands of penguins, seals and sea lions, and you can still see the remains of Ernest Shackleton’s ship the ‘Endurance’ on the south west shore of Elephant Island.

Puerto Williams has the feel of a true frontier town, situated on windswept Navarino Island facing out across the Beagle Channel. The surrounding mountains offer a spectacular backdrop for hiking and kayaking, while to the south lies the infamous Drake Passage and, beyond that, the frozen continent of Antarctica.