The air is suddenly cold. Your cruise ship is suddenly a little turbulent - sort of like the way you feel when the airplane you are travelling on hits some turbulence. You go to the ship’s deck and on the far horizon you can see a white expanse. It is as if the sea has come to an abrupt end and has merged with the clouds. On the loudspeaker, first office or captain...you can tell them apart... is announcing something on the speaker. Your tour guide is suddenly chatty. You slowly realize that you have just entered the southernmost continent on the globe. You are finally here, and the sight is not exactly what you expected. It is more beautiful. You realize that your mental picture of the place was conditioned by what you have seen on National Geographic documentaries and the movie 'Titanic'. Despite the cold, your mood changes from anxiousness to exuberance. You are now sure that you did not waste time and money on the cruise to Antarctica. You are sure that you are going to enjoy your trip here!

The Antarctic Peninsula is nothing like you have seen before. It is the northernmost part of Mainland Antarctica and a very popular destination for cruise ships. It extends 1300 km (808 mi) from Cape Adams (Weddell Sea) to the south of Eklund Islands.

Apart from the research stations owned by Argentina, Chile and the United Kingdom; the expanse is a sight to catch. The landscape has not been ruined by human activity. Once the ship docks, you can see all kind of animal species that are native to Antarctica including seabirds, seals and penguins. Specifically, you will see Leopard Seal, Weddell Seal, Southern Elephant Seal and Crabeater Seal. Seabirds such as Southern Fulmar, Cape Petrel, Imperial Shag, large South Polar Skua, Brown Skua etc. will be going about their business without much attention to the noisy tourists. They are not scared...nobody hunts them here.

If you are lucky you may see the blue whale swim up to the surface for a gulp of air. Apart from the wild life, you can engage in winter sports such as ice fishing, snow diving, and for the really brave people, snorkeling.

Your Antarctic Peninsula cruise will not be complete without taking pictures of the towering icebergs. Trust me; there are icebergs that are 4 times the size of the iceberg that sunk Titanic. They are majestic and beautiful. Make your trip count!