Safari to South Shetland

a major airstrip with connections to South America

Set just 120 km (75 miles) northwest of the Antarctic Peninsula, South Shetland is a group of islands that serve as an important staging post for the southern continent.

The islands, which are a British Overseas Territory, lie at similar latitudes to their northern cousins, which are located at a similar latitude in the northern hemisphere, above the United Kingdom. However, these southern islands are much colder.

Although it is possible that Dutch or Spanish sailors sighted these islands around 1600, the first reliable report was logged by British mariner William Smith in 1819. This is generally recognised to be the first sighting of Antarctica.

The islands were briefly inhabited by hundreds of seal hunters 1819-1825, during which time they totally decimated the entire population.

There are eleven main islands in the group, which runs to 3678 sq km (1424 sq mi), with a highest point at 2300 metres (7500’). Around 85% of the land is under permanent ice.

The best time to visit is the Dec-Mar summer season, with the waters around the islands typically being closed with ice from early April to early December. Please refer to the Antarctic Peninsula page for detailed information on seasonality for this region.

The islands are home to many research stations, with the runway on King George Island being used as the point of arrival for air-cruises out of southern Chile.