November is considered late spring, early summer. It is also the breeding and courting season for many animal species. In this season sunrises and sunsets are spectacular. December and January represent the height of summer, the warmer months on the continent. During the summer, daylight is 24 hours a day.
New life begins to seek out the milder weather and whale sightings increase.
February, the end of summer, is considered by many seasoned Antarctic travelers to be the best whale-watching month. Enhancing the spirit of discovery, there are teams of on-board naturalists and lecturers that present interesting programs geared to the history and natural habitant of the location. A journey to the last continent might begin at Punta Arenas, Chile, overlooking the Straits of Magellan. Embark and sail among the islands of Tierra del Fuego and the Beagle Channel where, in 1920, Charles Darwin explored the region aboard the HMS Beagle. Huge condors can be observed against a backdrop of enormous glaciers.