Plancius

The Melchior Islands are a group of many low, ice-covered islands lying near the centre of Dallmann Bay in the Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica. They were first seen but left unnamed by a German expedition under Eduard Dallmann, 1873–74. The islands were sighted and again roughly charted by the Third French Antarctic Expedition under Jean-Baptiste Charcot, 1903–05. Charcot named what he believed to be the large easternmost island in the group "Île Melchior" after Vice Admiral Jules Melchior of the French Navy, but later surveys proved Charcot's Île Melchior to be two islands, now called Eta Island and Omega Island. The name Melchior Islands has since become established for the whole island group, of which Eta Island and Omega Island form the eastern part, while the Sigma Islands mark the northern limit of the islands. It is possible to take a zodiac cruise among the icebergs, which is particularly beautiful at dusk and you may glimpse leopard seals playing on the beach.

One of the more popular islands to visit and named after a French Admiral, Cuverville Island's northern shore hosts large colonies of gentoo penguins. The eastern coast hosts breeding kelp gulls and Antarctic shags. Look out for mosses and lichens growing in the cliffs and from a Zodiac you may well see leopard or crabeater seals in the water or on the icebergs. Look out also for Skua and Antarctic tern.

Danco Island is in the middle of the beautiful Errara Channel and is home to a large number of Gentoo penguins. It is one of the best sheltered spots in Antarctica. Some of Antarctic’s best Zodiac cruising is right around the island, and if you get the timing right and the snow and penguins make it easy for you, climbing to the top of the island for the views can be one of the best things you will do here. More than 2,000 pairs of breeding Gentoo penguins occupy the slopes behind the northern coast of Danco Island. Weddell seals are almost always present on the offshore rocks and beaches, and the Errera Channel is a favourite haunt of Humpback and Minke whales towards the end of the summer. Danco Island or Isla was charted by the Belgian Antarctic Expedition under Adrien de Gerlache, 1897–1899. It was surveyed by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey from Norsel in 1955, and named by the UK Antarctic Place-names Committee for Emile Danco (1869–1898), a Belgian geophysicist and member of the Belgian Antarctic Expedition, who died on board Belgica in the Antarctic.

Along the eastern side of Andvord Bay, the sheer ice cliffs lining the coast are interrupted by a tiny rocky point called Neko Harbour. This is an excellent place for ice-cliff viewing. Ground space is hard to find here but it does not stop a small colony of Gentoo penguins nesting a good distance up the cliff. If you follow them please don’t step in their short legged “websteps” as this will make their icy climb more difficult. Perhaps a last stop on mainland Antarctica but beware straying too far. Extreme care should be taken due not only to hidden glacier crevasses but also huge waves created by falling ice. Other wildlife includes Snowy sheathbill, Skuas and Kelp gull.

This harbour lives up to its name and even looks fantastic on a cloudy day! Named by 20th century whalers it is still the place to spot Minke, Humpback and Killer whales. The scenery is spectacular and most boats stop here if they are passing. Zodiac cruises through the recently calved iceberg bits are also popular. A beautiful and memorable place.

Lemaire Channel, illogically named after an African Belgian Explorer, is a dramatic deep fjord guarded by looming volcanic cliffs. Sufficiently narrow to be blocked by icebergs, take every advantage you can to enjoy the magnificent scenery. Leopard and crabeater seals enjoy chilling out on the ice floes. See if you can spot Gentoo penguins and Antarctic shags, humpback and Minke whales.

Petermann Island is the southernmost visitor site on the Antarctic Peninsula.

It was named after a German cartographer and discovered by the German Antarctic Expedition led by Eduard Dallmann (1873-4), which sailed on the first steam ship, Cape Gronland, to reach Antarctica.

In 1909 French explorer Jean-Baptiste Charcot and his men sheltered here in Circumcision Bay (so named as 01 January celebrates the feast of Christ's circumcision).

Wildlife includes Gentoo and Adelie penguin colonies, Snowy sheathbill, Skua, Kelp gull, Wilson's storm petrel, Antarctic shag, red and green snow algae.

There is a memorial cross to 3 members of British Antarctic Survey who died on the sea ice nearby in 1982.

Pleneau Island is situated at the southern end of the Lemaire Channel off the Atlantic Peninsula. The island’s cobbled beach (1.2km long) blends into smooth rock terraces inclining gently towards an ice cap that dominates the western part of the island. Tense moments for the crew… Large icebergs are blown here by the winds and become trapped so manoeuvering between them is quite a skill. You can take a zodiac cruise and hopefully see humpback whales cruising around doing shallow dives. Wildlife here includes Gentoo penguin, kelp gulls, south polar skua, Blue-eyed shag and Antarctic tern. Southern elephant seals visit plus the occasional grounded iceberg!

Wilhelmina Bay, discovered and named after the Queen of the Netherlands by Adrien de Gerlache’s Belgian Antarctic Expedition 1897 -99, when the latter made a valuable contribution to understanding the geography of the northwest coast of Graham Land. De Gerlache named the whole area Palmer Archipelago after the pioneering sealer and he himself was honoured with Gerlache Strait at the request of other expedition members. After sighting Alexander Island in February 1898 their ship became stuck in ice and they were forced to overwinter with great difficulty in the Bellingshausen Sea – the first men to do so in Antarctica. They eventually returned to Chile.

The Melchior Islands are a group of many low, ice-covered islands lying near the centre of Dallmann Bay in the Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica. They were first seen but left unnamed by a German expedition under Eduard Dallmann, 1873–74. The islands were sighted and again roughly charted by the Third French Antarctic Expedition under Jean-Baptiste Charcot, 1903–05. Charcot named what he believed to be the large easternmost island in the group "Île Melchior" after Vice Admiral Jules Melchior of the French Navy, but later surveys proved Charcot's Île Melchior to be two islands, now called Eta Island and Omega Island. The name Melchior Islands has since become established for the whole island group, of which Eta Island and Omega Island form the eastern part, while the Sigma Islands mark the northern limit of the islands. It is possible to take a zodiac cruise among the icebergs, which is particularly beautiful at dusk and you may glimpse leopard seals playing on the beach.