Antarctica is a paradise for photo enthusiasts and Instagrammers, boasting some of the world's most awe-inspiring landscapes.
Although 99% of the continent is ice, the landscapes are amazingly diverse. From the rough waterways of the Drake Passage to the Vinson Massif, Antarctica's highest peak, and the 360-degree views of untouched snow, your photos of Antarctica are guaranteed to flood your Instagram with likes.
Here are the most Instagrammable places in Antarctica.
1. Port Lockroy
Sitting on Gouldier Island in the Palmer Archipelago, Port Lockroy is one of the most visited sites in the Antarctic. It's a popular stopping-off point for tourist vessels cruising Antarctica and an ideal place for Instagrammers who want to capture the quirky penguins with the incredible snowy peaks on the backdrop.
Aside from photographing wildlife and some of Antarctica's most epic landscapes, visiting Port Lockroy also offers the opportunity to visit the continent's only post office and museum. The small post office now serves as a museum dedicated to all things about the region. Here, you'll find souvenirs, books, and postcards featuring Antarctica. Considered the world's southernmost post office, it sends over 70,000 pieces of mail each season, costing one US dollar per piece, regardless of the destination.
Port Lockroy has a history dating back to the early 1900s when it was a whaling station and British WWII base. Around 1911, Port Lockroy was converted into a commercial whaling station, thanks to its glacial run-off and natural harbour. Nowadays, you can still find white whale bones and rusted old chains, a testament to the port's history as a whaling station.
2. Drakes Passage
If you want to feature gigantic ocean waves on your Instagram feed, consider joining luxury tours and cruises in Antarctica that pass along the Drake Passage. Crossing the notorious Drake Passage is on the bucket list of every intrepid traveller, an experience guaranteed to provide a true sense of adventure.
The Drake Passage is where the Pacific and Atlantic oceans meet. Due to the convergence of waves, currents, and winds, you can expect giant waves along the broad area of about 620 miles. Every adventurous voyager to Antarctica should experience passing along the Drake Passage, especially those who want to capture incredible sights for Instagram.
Aside from its rough and unpredictable conditions, the Drake Passage is also a deep body of water. It has an average depth of 11,150 feet, with the ocean floor estimated at 15,700 feet deep.
Although the Drake Passage is in one of the world's remotest areas, it's one of the primary ways to get to Antarctica. The journey takes about 36 hours from Ushuaia in Argentina. Thousands of people journey to Antarctica via the Drake Passage, as it's one of the most exciting ways to discover the remote continent.
3. The South Pole
The South Pole is a must-visit if you want to feature something unique on your Instagram feed. It is in a frozen white expanse in Antarctica, home to an Antarctic outpost, the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. Here, scientists conduct research ranging from glaciology to astrophysics, although the main research focus is astronomy. The station is also home to the South Pole Telescope.
A short stroll from the South Pole is the ceremonial South Pole, which consists of an actual pole featuring red and white stripes. It's a popular spot for photo ops, which they move regularly, so it remains within walking distance of the South Pole.
There's another South Pole in Antarctica, the pole of inaccessibility, the farthest place from any shore. It's hard to pinpoint due to the ice sheets constantly forming and breaking off from the continent. During the 1958 Soviet expedition, they established a Pole of Inaccessibility Station featuring the statue of Lenin.
4. The Falkland Islands
Antarctica is no longer that challenging to visit and is now easy to reach for many adventurous travellers. You can book many amazing tours around Antarctica that will take you to the continent's most Instagrammable spots, including the Falkland Islands. A land of extremes, a stark beauty and fascinating wildlife encounters await those who visit the Falkland Islands on their Antarctic journey.
Many of Antarctic voyages make a stop at the Falkland Islands. The archipelago lies in the South Atlantic Ocean, north of Antarctica, and is renowned for its rare wildlife. Avian species are abundant on these sprawling isles, allowing you to photograph some of the world's rarest birds.
Those who want to feature quirky penguins on their Instagram will find plenty to photograph here. The archipelago is a habitat for four penguin species - the Magellanic, gentoo, king, and rockhopper. You will find them congregating in large colonies around the Falkland Islands.
As a self-sufficient archipelago, the Falkland Islands have settlements of people who work in its lucrative fishing and farming industries. It's also a popular stop for tourists exploring Antarctica since there is plenty of unspoiled nature to discover in this fascinating archipelago.
5. Mount Vinson
Considered Antarctica's highest peak, Mount Vinson is part of the Ellsworth Mountains, about 700 nautical miles from the South Pole. Adventurous travellers keen on climbing mountains in the Antarctic region should consider an expedition here, as it's where you can capture some of the continent's most awe-inspiring landscape sceneries.
The best way to visit Mount Vinson is to join a guided climbing expedition starting in Punta Arenas, at Chile's southern point. You will board an aircraft to fly to a blue-ice runway and spend the night in a tent at the Union Glacier. When weather permits, you will head to the Base Camp of Mount Vinson, where you will start your ascent, taking over five or six days.
Due to the extreme nature of the weather in Antarctica, climbing Mount Vinson requires the assistance of experts with well-established ascent techniques. While climbing the mountain is not technically challenging, the area's remote location and extreme conditions make the experience even more fascinating. Climbers must have good physical abilities and be willing to share the load of carrying the equipment and supplies.
Photo source: depositphotos.com
