Making the most of Pleneau Island
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
01
Arriving at the port
Cruise ships cannot dock here, so passengers are tendered by inflatable Zodiac boats.
02
Sightseeing
At the southern end of the Lemaire Channel, off the Antarctic Peninsula, lies Pleneau Island. Around 1.2km long, it has a cobbled beach on its eastern coast and smooth rock terraces rising gently towards a large, potentially crevassed ice-cap that covers the island’s western two-thirds. Gentoo penguin, kelp gulls, south polar skua, Blue-eyed shag and Antarctic terns breed here, and southern elephant seals may also be present. Grounded icebergs have been known to occupy the bay, which shares the island’s name.