Greenwich Island, between Robert and Livingston, hosts science stations. Nearby Aitcho Islands offer easy landings for tourists, showing basalt cliffs and abundant seals and penguins.
The island features a rugged landscape of peaks and glaciers. Its highest point is Momchil Peak at 625 meters (2051 ft). As all these islands area, it is an important location for scientific research. One of the oldest Chilean Antarctic stations (1947) Captain Arturo Prat is still in operation, and Pedro Vicente Maldonado scientific Station (from Ecuador) operates on the north coast, supporting international scientific research. The bay, Discovery Bay, a beautiful site for zodiac cruises, has been designated an Antarctic Specially Protected Area (ASPA 144) for protecting the bay's benthic communities (organisms living on the seafloor), known for their relatively high species diversity and biomass that have been subject to long-term research programs.
On the south-west side of Greenwich Island, inside a small glacial harbour, Yankee Harbour awaits. It has open walking areas with a view of the steep slopes that lead to a summit, and the inponent glacier. The foundation of a sealer's hut can be found on the inner shoreline, as well as whale bones left by the whalers who practiced outboard flensing in the early years of Antarctic whaling (1906-1925).
A big Gentoo penguin colony and Skua nests are found on this site.
These small, uninhabited group of islands within the South Shetland Islands, are situated on the west side of the northern entrance to the English Strait, the channel that separates Greenwich and Robert Islands. They are best known as a popular landing site for cruise ship tourists due to their accessible and abundant wildlife.
The name "Aitcho" is an abbreviation for "H.O.", standing for the Hydrographic Office of the UK Admiralty, which mapped the islands in 1935.
Columnar basalt outcrops are a notable feature of this island, as well as the steep cliffs. The site is dominated by a landscape of mosses and algae, inhabited by Chinstrap and Gentoo penguins, Kelp gull, Skuas and Southern giant petrels.
Antarctic fur seals, Southern elephant seals and Weddell seals can be hauled out, but the attractiveness of the island is its landscape.
About the Author
Luciana was born in Rosario (Argentina). She is a Biologist (PhD), environmental interpretar, diver and polar guide, interested in how human activities connect in natural ecosystems and its biodiversity. She has more than 15 years of experience in polar expedition cruising, and also worked for 3 years for the Program of Environmental Management and Tourism of the Argentinean Antarctic Direction, as a scientific assistant and environmental officer in antarctic scientific stations. Currently, her base is in Bariloche (Patagonia).
Luciana is our resident Biologist and Outreach Manager at The Polar Travel Company
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