Photo of the Week: An Icy Gentoo Penguin, Antarctica

A visit to Antarctica is a bit of a lottery. The Drake Passage may shout it’s presence to you or it may arrive with a whisper. You may end up visiting everything on your original itinerary but more likely, the unpredictable conditions will remove some destinations and add others. It’s possible to see more leopard seals you thought possible but never lay eyes on a crab-eater. There are no guarantees and that’s what makes it an expedition!

The exception? Penguins! They are scattered throughout the peninsula like freckles on pale skin – swimming alongside the ship, engaging in school-yard antics on land within their colonies, diving for fish in the sea near your zodiac or resting on an iceberg.

This gentoo penguin was getting up close and personal with the icy conditions at Neko Harbour.

Kellie-Netherwood-1

Visit my Antarctica Feature page for answers to FAQs, travel advice, stories and photography.

(I travelled through the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and Antarctica for three weeks in Dec 2012 – Jan 2013 with Quark Expeditions. Subscribe for email updates if you are interested in reading new travel and photography posts as they are published)

Kellie Netherwood

Through the intersection of her travel, writing and photography passions, Kellie shares her experiences to inspire others to create their own. Motivated by a determination to "live" life instead of simply "existing", Kellie is energised by exploring the world we live in and inspired by those paving their own paths in life. She has travelled to more than 50 countries and all 7 continents...and is not done yet! Kellie shares more of her travel photography at http://www.kellienetherwoodphotography