Antarctica, the white continent at the bottom of the world, is a truly breathtaking place. The icebergs with their glowing colours and extraordinary sculpted shapes, the snow-covered mountains. All quite alien, and all quite amazingly beautiful.

Layers of thermal clothing are essential, with plenty of pairs of dry socks, gloves and mittens, as well as waterproofs and rubber boots (many ships supply these, and brightly coloured parkas - check in advance what will be supplied by the ship). Counter-intuitively, plenty of suncream is essential, and take all the camera equipment you could possibly need with you - remember, there is nowhere to buy anything locally!

Antarctica cruises leave from Ushuaia, at the southernmost tip of South America, but UK visitors should fly into Buenos Aires for at least one night. The shorter flight to Ushuaia lands in time for an afternoon embarkation, and the start of your voyage across the Drake Passage. This can be calm, but the likelihood is that you will experience rough weather in at least one direction. Poor sailors should simply take to their beds - the destination is worth it.

The season runs from November to March and what you'll see through this period varies. For stunning, pristine snowy and icy landscapes visit between November and mid-December, before the summer thaw has truly taken effect. On the longer itineraries in December to January, you will see penguin chicks and also seal pups in South Georgia and February and March are the best months to spot a wide variety of whales.