Neko Harbour
Landing at Neko Harbour, the Antarctic Peninsula's most visited site: the visitor rules, the calving-wave and crevasse warnings, the gentoo colony, the whaling history and which ships stop.
What is Neko Harbour, and what is a landing there like?
Neko Harbour is a small bay in Andvord Bay on the Antarctic Peninsula where expedition ships land passengers on the continent itself, beside a gentoo penguin colony and calving glaciers. It was the Peninsula's most visited landing site in 2025-26, with 210 landings. Up to 100 people may be ashore at once, and everyone must head uphill on landing in case of calving waves.
Facts checked October 15, 2026 against 20 sources.
Neko Harbour at a glance
- July: no trips
- August: no trips
- September: no trips
- October: no trips
- November: in season
- December: in season
- January: best
- February: best
- March: in season
- April: no trips
- May: no trips
- June: no trips
Best Season
- Type
- Landing site
- Location
- 64°50′S, 62°33′W
- Part of
- Antarctic Peninsula
- Season
- Ships land through the cruise season, which ran from October 19, 2025 to April 1, 2026; gentoo nests here are counted from mid-November to January and chicks from mid-January to late February.
- Best months
- January to February
- Getting there
- By expedition ship and Zodiac into Andvord Bay on the Danco Coast; ships may carry up to 500 passengers, and the landing is on a cobble or sandy beach.
- Wildlife
- Gentoo penguins (1,485 nests counted on January 1, 2026), breeding kelp gulls and skuas, Weddell seals hauled out, and whales in Andvord Bay; moss swards and snow algae on the rocks.
- Landings
- Up to 100 visitors ashore at once, one guide per 20; nobody ashore 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. except organized overnight stays; move uphill after landing because of calving waves; walks to the lookout must be guided or marked.
Neko Harbour is a small bay on the northeast side of Andvord Bay, on the Danco Coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, and one of the few regular stops where you step onto the Antarctic mainland rather than an island.12 The Antarctic Treaty's guidelines list its draws as glacial scenery, gentoo penguins and that continental landing.3 Together they have made it the busiest landing site on the Peninsula: 210 landings by ships and yachts in 2025-26, ahead of Whalers Bay on Deception Island with 191.4
How busy is Neko Harbour?
It has topped IAATO's list of landed sites for three seasons running, and landings have more than doubled since 2021-22:4
| Season | Landings at Neko Harbour | Rank on the Peninsula |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | 94 | 2nd, behind Cuverville Island |
| 2022-23 | 179 | 3rd |
| 2023-24 | 193 | 1st |
| 2024-25 | 220 | 1st |
| 2025-26 | 210 | 1st |
The top five sites in 2025-26, Neko Harbour, Whalers Bay, Portal Point, Cuverville Island and Damoy Point, took about 26.5% of all landed visits on the Peninsula.5
What are the rules for landing at Neko Harbour?
At most 100 people on land at once, from ships carrying up to 500, with a guide for each 20 and nobody ashore from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. unless on an organized overnight stay. There is no cap on how many ships may call in a day, which leaves room for the traffic in the table above.3 The rest of the guidelines, revised in 2025, are about where to step ashore and where to walk, starting with two landing beaches:3
- The cobble beach on the southwest side of the large boulder, by a small reef. Boats avoid the inner beach toward the glacier, because of calving waves, and the sandy beach just west of the colony, a main penguin route to the sea.
- The south end of the sandy beach, used once gentoo nests spread over the sandy beach in mid-season and block the way from the cobble beach, or when ice from calving glaciers or broken icebergs crowds the cobbles. Early in the season, when snow is deep, staff may land on a boulder and dig snow steps.
Once ashore you may roam under supervision. After the colony settles, the old loop walk closes, because its northern half is a penguin highway and nesting area; it becomes two out-and-back walks, one to a view of the lower colony and one to the upper. Skuas may nest by the rocks at the lookout.3
Is Neko Harbour dangerous?
It has two hazards that the rules are built around. The first is water: the glaciers ringing Andvord Bay calve regularly and can send dangerous waves up the beach, so the guidelines tell visitors to move to higher ground right after stepping out of the boat and be ready to evacuate uphill.3 The second is the hill. The walk up the permanent snowbank to the rocky outcrop above the glacier passes heavily crevassed, "extremely dangerous" ground; only trained mountain guides with proper equipment should assess the route, and any new crevasses go to IAATO.3 Quark describes the climb as a steep slope with views over the glacier-rimmed harbor.6
What wildlife will you see at Neko Harbour?
Gentoo penguins are the main residents. Kelp gulls and skuas also breed here, Weddell seals haul out, and swards of moss, the green alga Prasiola crispa and snow algae color the rocks.3 Quark notes that gentoos sometimes shelter from the wind behind old whale vertebrae.6
How many you see depends on the year and the week. Ground counts logged in the MAPPPD penguin database since 1999 run from 442 nests (December 2, 2010) to 1,660 (December 14, 2014); a selection:7
| Date | Count | Method |
|---|---|---|
| December 16, 1999 | 864 nests | Ground |
| January 5, 2015 | 1,595 nests | Ground |
| January 6, 2019 | 953 nests | Ground |
| January 4, 2024 | 830 nests (1,162 by drone) | Ground and drone |
| January 1, 2026 | 1,485 nests | Ground |
| January 16, 2026 | 1,708 chicks | Ground |
For whales, Quark lists Andvord Bay among the whale hot spots on its marine mammal voyage, with past sightings of minke, humpback, fin and killer whales and Arnoux's beaked whale.8 More on the species is on our gentoo penguin and whales of Antarctica pages.
How did Neko Harbour get its name?
From a whaling ship. The harbor was roughly charted by the Belgian Antarctic Expedition on February 12, 1898, then used as an anchorage by Chr. Salvesen's factory ship Neko, of Leith in Scotland, in most seasons from 1911-12 to 1923-24; the ship was lost in July 1924.1 Argentina built a refuge hut, Capitán Fliess, on the harbor's southeast point in 1949.1 After weather damage in 2010 the hut was removed and the site cleared, and its foundations are still visible.3
Which cruises stop at Neko Harbour?
Any Peninsula voyage might, and none can promise it; HX, for one, says all planned activities depend on weather and ice.2 The voyages we track name Neko in three different ways, and the difference tells you how much weight to put on it:
- In that voyage's own plan. Oceanwide Expeditions describes Neko among the sites for its Basecamp and Discovery and Learning voyages on Hondius, the March Polar Circle trip on Ortelius, and the whale-watching trips on Hondius, Ortelius and Plancius.111213141516 Quark Expeditions lists it among the possible excursions on two fly-cruises from Punta Arenas to King George Island: Antarctic Express: Fly the Drake on World Voyager and Crossing the Circle on Ocean Explorer.206
- In a standard list. HX Expeditions prints the same block of possible landing sites on each Antarctic voyage page we track, from the 12-day Highlights of Antarctica to the 23-day In-depth Antarctica, Falklands and South Georgia, on Fridtjof Nansen and Roald Amundsen. It describes Neko as one of the rare places in the area to land on the mainland.29
- As a past landing or an example. Silver Endeavour landed guests here on its inaugural cruise in November 2022, and Seabourn offers Neko Harbour as an example of a hard-to-reach destination, though IAATO's figures make it the Peninsula's busiest landing.18194
For a couple who want a cabin to themselves, the lowest fare we found on these voyages is HX's Highlights of Antarctica on October 30, 2026: from $8,830 per person with two sharing (was $10,589), including a night in a Buenos Aires hotel and economy flights to and from Ushuaia, read October 14, 2026; part of the discount applies only to bookings made by November 9, 2026.210 Oceanwide's March whale-watching trips cost less per person in shared four-berth cabins, from $7,050 on Plancius, but the only berths left at those prices were for women, and airfare is extra.17
Nearby Cuverville Island and the Lemaire Channel often appear on the same itineraries.
Voyages that visit Neko Harbour
Landings depend on weather and ice, so no operator can promise a specific site.
Antarctica: Whale Watching (Plancius)
Oceanwide Expeditions · Plancius · 10 days · from Ushuaia, Argentina · Sail both ways · March
Fare details
Lowest published fare, one berth in a shared quadruple porthole cabin on Plancius, Mar 26, 2027 (two female berths showing when read); a twin porthole is $8,700 per person (one male berth showing); can be combined with the Atlantic Odyssey at 10% off; flights to Ushuaia not included; read Oct 15, 2026
from $7,050about $705 a day
ViewAntarctica: Whale Watching Discovery and Learning Voyage (Ortelius)
Oceanwide Expeditions · Ortelius · 11 days · from Ushuaia, Argentina · Sail both ways · March
Fare details
Lowest published fare, one berth in a shared quadruple porthole cabin on Ortelius, Mar 18, 2027 (one female berth showing when read); a twin porthole is $9,650 per person; flights to Ushuaia not included; read Oct 15, 2026
from $7,800about $709 a day
ViewAntarctica: Whale Watching Discovery and Learning Voyage (Hondius)
Oceanwide Expeditions · Hondius · 11 days · from Ushuaia, Argentina · Sail both ways · March
Fare details
Lowest published fare, one berth in a shared quadruple porthole cabin, Mar 17, 2027 (one female berth showing when read; the Mar 7 departure starts at $9,200); flights to Ushuaia not included; read Oct 14, 2026
from $7,800about $709 a day
ViewHighlights of Antarctica
HX Expeditions · Fridtjof Nansen · 12 days · Buenos Aires, Argentina (flight to Ushuaia included) to Buenos Aires, Argentina (flight from Ushuaia included) · Sail both ways · October to March
Fare details
Lowest published fare, per person with two sharing, on Fridtjof Nansen, Oct 30, 2026, after HX 130th anniversary discounts (was $10,589; the extra anniversary discount applies only to bookings made by Nov 9, 2026); includes a Buenos Aires hotel night with breakfast, economy flights between Buenos Aires and Ushuaia, drinks and gratuities. Four January and February departures sail on Roald Amundsen instead.
from $8,830about $736 a day
ViewAntarctica: Discovery and Learning Voyage (Hondius)
Oceanwide Expeditions · Hondius · 11 days · from Ushuaia, Argentina · Sail both ways · December to January
Fare details
Lowest published fare, one berth in a shared quadruple porthole cabin, Dec 27, 2026 (three female berths showing when read) and Jan 6, 2027 (waitlisted); a twin porthole is $11,900 per person but was waitlisted on Dec 27 and on request on Jan 6; flights to Ushuaia not included; read Oct 14, 2026
from $9,650about $877 a day
ViewHighlights of Antarctica (Roald Amundsen)
HX Expeditions · Roald Amundsen · 12 days · Buenos Aires, Argentina (flight to Ushuaia included) to Buenos Aires, Argentina (flight from Ushuaia included) · Sail both ways · January to February
Fare details
Lowest published fare on Roald Amundsen, per person with two sharing, Jan 9, 2027, after HX 130th anniversary discounts (was $11,773; the extra anniversary discount applies only to bookings made by Nov 9, 2026); Jan 19 and Feb 8 start at $10,141 and Jan 29 at $12,066; read Oct 15, 2026. Includes a Buenos Aires hotel night with breakfast, economy flights between Buenos Aires and Ushuaia, drinks and gratuities; five days in Antarctica.
from $9,736about $811 a day
ViewAntarctica: Basecamp, with free camping, kayaking, snowshoeing and mountaineering (Hondius)
Oceanwide Expeditions · Hondius · 13 days · from Ushuaia, Argentina · Sail both ways · November
Fare details
Lowest published fare, one berth in a shared quadruple porthole cabin, Nov 23, 2026 (one female berth showing when read); all Basecamp activities included; flights to Ushuaia not included; read Oct 14, 2026
from $10,150about $781 a day
ViewAntarctica & Falklands Expedition, Buenos Aires to Montevideo
HX Expeditions · Fridtjof Nansen · 19 days · Buenos Aires, Argentina (flight to Ushuaia included) to Montevideo, Uruguay · Sail both ways · March
Fare details
Lowest published fare, per person with two sharing, on Fridtjof Nansen, Mar 19, 2027, after HX 130th anniversary discounts (was $14,398; the extra anniversary discount applies only to bookings made by Nov 9, 2026); includes a Buenos Aires hotel night and a one-way flight to Ushuaia; the ship crosses the Drake both ways, then calls in the Falklands and at Puerto Madryn.
from $10,485about $552 a day
ViewIconic Antarctica: The Explorer's Route
HX Expeditions · Roald Amundsen · 16 days · Buenos Aires, Argentina (flight to Ushuaia included) to Buenos Aires, Argentina (flight from Ushuaia included) · Sail both ways · October to December, March
Fare details
Lowest published fare, per person with two sharing, on Roald Amundsen, Mar 4, 2027, after HX 130th anniversary discounts (was $13,861; the extra anniversary discount applies only to bookings made by Nov 9, 2026); includes a Buenos Aires hotel night and economy flights between Buenos Aires and Ushuaia. All 2026-27 departures are on Roald Amundsen.
from $10,863about $679 a day
ViewAntarctica: Polar Circle, Deep South Discovery Voyage (Ortelius)
Oceanwide Expeditions · Ortelius · 13 days · from Ushuaia, Argentina · Sail both ways · March
Fare details
Lowest published fare, one berth in a shared quadruple porthole cabin on Ortelius, Mar 6, 2027 (only male berths offered when read); a twin porthole is $13,550 per person; flights to Ushuaia not included; read Oct 14, 2026
from $11,000about $846 a day
ViewAntarctic Circle Expedition
HX Expeditions · Roald Amundsen · 16 days · Buenos Aires, Argentina (flight to Ushuaia included) to Buenos Aires, Argentina (flight from Ushuaia included) · Sail both ways · December, February
Fare details
Lowest published fare, per person with two sharing, on Roald Amundsen, Dec 26, 2026, after HX 130th anniversary discounts (was $16,469; the extra anniversary discount applies only to bookings made by Nov 9, 2026); the Feb 18, 2027 departure starts at $18,476; includes a Buenos Aires hotel night and economy flights between Buenos Aires and Ushuaia.
from $13,578about $849 a day
ViewIn-depth Antarctica, Falklands & South Georgia Expedition
HX Expeditions · 23 days · Santiago de Chile (flights to and from Punta Arenas included) to Santiago de Chile · Sail both ways · November to February
Fare details
Lowest published fare, per person with two sharing, on Fram, Nov 6, 2026, after HX 130th anniversary discounts (was $22,934; the extra anniversary discount applies only to bookings made by Nov 9, 2026); Dec 18 and Jan 8 departures started at $38,075; includes a Santiago hotel night, flights between Santiago and Punta Arenas and the South Georgia permit. Sails out via the Falklands and South Georgia and returns north across the Drake.
from $17,774about $773 a day
ViewAntarctic Express: Fly the Drake (World Voyager)
Quark Expeditions · World Voyager · 8 days · Punta Arenas, Chile (charter flight to King George Island) to Punta Arenas, Chile · Fly both ways · December, February
Fare details
Lowest published 2026-27 brochure fare: Infinity Suite on World Voyager, Dec 1 and Dec 6, 2026, $19,695 per person (Dec 1 had 2 cabins left; Dec 6 was marked Please Call); promo codes of 10% to 15% not applied; includes charter flights between Punta Arenas and King George Island, a briefing dinner and Punta Arenas hotel nights before and after; spirits not included; read Oct 14, 2026
from $19,695about $2,462 a day
ViewAntarctic Express: Crossing the Circle (Ocean Explorer)
Quark Expeditions · Ocean Explorer · 11 days · Punta Arenas, Chile (charter flight to King George Island) to Punta Arenas, Chile · Fly both ways · January
Fare details
Lowest published brochure fare, Triple Suite on Ocean Explorer, Jan 22, 2027 (marked Please Call when read; the lowest cabin bookable online was a Veranda Suite at $36,195); includes flights to and from King George Island and a Punta Arenas hotel night before and after; read Oct 15, 2026
from $29,095about $2,645 a day
View
Lowest published price per person in the operator's currency, checked October 15, 2026. Taxes, flights and single supplements vary.
Wildlife at Neko Harbour
Plan the trip
Sources
- 1.Neko Harbour (Gazetteer of the British Antarctic Territory, ID 110314), UK Antarctic Place-names Committee, via the SCAR Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica (Australian Antarctic Data Centre). Accessed October 15, 2026.
- 2.Highlights of Antarctica Expedition Cruise (12 days, round-trip flights from Buenos Aires), HX Expeditions (Hurtigruten Expeditions). Accessed October 14, 2026.
- 3.Site Guidelines for Visitors: Neko Harbour, Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty. Accessed October 14, 2026.
- 4.IAATO Operator Use of Antarctic Peninsula Landing Sites, 2025-26 Season Report and Five-Year Overview, with appendix tables (ATCM 48 IP 199), International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO). Accessed October 15, 2026.
- 5.IAATO Operator Use of Antarctic Peninsula Landing Sites, including the 2025-26 season (ATCM 48 IP 199), International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO). Accessed October 14, 2026.
- 6.Antarctic Express: Crossing the Circle, possible excursions and photo captions, Quark Expeditions. Accessed October 15, 2026.
- 7.MAPPPD penguin census data for Cuverville Island, Half Moon Island, Jougla Point, Port Lockroy, Neko Harbor and Snow Hill Island (CSV export), Mapping Application for Penguin Populations and Projected Dynamics (MAPPPD), Lynch Lab, Stony Brook University and Oceanites. Accessed October 15, 2026.
- 8.Antarctic Marine Mammals: The World of Whales and Seals, Quark Expeditions. Accessed October 15, 2026.
- 9.In-depth Antarctica, Falklands & South Georgia Expedition (23 days, round-trip flights from Santiago de Chile), HX Expeditions (Hurtigruten Expeditions). Accessed October 14, 2026.
- 10.HX Expeditions unveils new fleet enhancements for 2026 and beyond (press release, 1 September 2026), HX Expeditions (Mynewsdesk newsroom). Accessed October 14, 2026.
- 11.Antarctica: Basecamp, m/v Hondius, 23 November to 5 December 2026 (HDS22-26), Oceanwide Expeditions. Accessed October 14, 2026.
- 12.Antarctica - Discovery and learning voyage | HDS25-27, Oceanwide Expeditions. Accessed October 14, 2026.
- 13.Antarctica: Polar Circle, Deep South Discovery voyage, m/v Ortelius, 6 to 18 March 2027 (OTL29-27), Oceanwide Expeditions. Accessed October 14, 2026.
- 14.Antarctica: Whale watching discovery and learning voyage, m/v Hondius, 17 to 27 March 2027 (HDS31-27), Oceanwide Expeditions. Accessed October 14, 2026.
- 15.Antarctica: Whale watching discovery and learning voyage, m/v Ortelius, 18 to 28 March 2027 (OTL30-27), Oceanwide Expeditions. Accessed October 15, 2026.
- 16.Antarctica - Whale watching | PLA32-27, Oceanwide Expeditions. Accessed October 14, 2026.
- 17.Dates & Rates: Antarctica & Arctic Cruises (Hondius Antarctica 2026-27 rows, PLA32-27, general notes), Oceanwide Expeditions. Accessed October 14, 2026.
- 18.Silver Endeavour shows off its stuff, Seatrade Cruise News (Anne Kalosh), Nov 29, 2022. Accessed October 15, 2026.
- 19.Antarctica Expeditions | Seabourn, Seabourn. Accessed October 14, 2026.
- 20.Antarctic Express: Fly the Drake, possible excursions, Quark Expeditions. Accessed October 15, 2026.