Antarctica: The White Continent

The capital and largest city in Argentina has been an autonomous district since 1880. Buenos Aires is a top tourist destination, known for its European-style architecture and rich cultural life. The city currently has the highest concentration of theaters in the world. Buenos Aires is a cosmopolitan center of the nation and offers a large cultural diversity due to the waves of immigration during the years. It is known as the land of the portenos (people of the port) — which is what the people from Buenos Aires are referred to as — and traditions, but the land is also large in industrial and commercial activities. Although Buenos Aires is a large cosmopolitan area, it also offers a very historical background, reflected in the French and Italian architecture, and numerous museums and cultural centers.

Located at the tip of Argentina and in the area of Patagonia is Ushuaia. This "Bay overlooking the West" is regarded as the southernmost city in the world and is part of the the Tierra del Fuego region. Bordered by sweeping mountains and the Beagle Channel, this former prison colony is a popular destination for people traveling to Antarctica and provides insight to the different people that settled here including the Yamana Indians and British missionaries.

Translated as the “Land of Fire,” Tierra del Fuego is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, separated from it by the Magellan Strait. First explored by Ferdinand Magellan in 1520, today’s adventurer can get around by kayaking through the Beagle Channel, taking a cruise or a catamaran trip to see the mountains and wildlife.

Named after the British explorer, Sir Francis Drake, the Drake Passage is the shortest route between South America and Antarctica. Stretching over 500 miles, this passage is a connection point between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Known for it's sometimes tumultuous crossings, the Drake Passage is also known for it's abundance of marine wildlife such as whales.

See wildlife like never before with excursions that will take you to penguin colonies for up-close encounters with these charming birds.