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Emperor penguins tobogganing on the sea ice at Snow Hill Island, with icebergs and ice cliffs behind

Snow Hill Island

Visiting Snow Hill Island in the Weddell Sea: the northernmost emperor penguin colony, how many birds it holds, how helicopter visits work, the odds of getting in, Nordenskjöld's hut and the 2026-27 voyages.

Denis Luyten, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Can you see emperor penguins at Snow Hill Island?

Yes, but only on a few early-season voyages with helicopters, and only when the sea ice allows. Snow Hill Island, in the northwestern Weddell Sea, has the northernmost known emperor penguin colony, counted at no fewer than 2,700 breeding pairs in 2018. Oceanwide puts the chance of a clear route at under 50%, and IAATO logged just 18 colony visits in 2025-26.

Facts checked October 15, 2026 against 20 sources.

Snow Hill Island at a glance

Map showing Snow Hill IslandSnow Hill Island, 64°28′S, 57°12′WSnow Hill IslandWeddell Sea, 71°00′S, 45°00′WWeddell Sea
  1. July: no trips
  2. August: no trips
  3. September: no trips
  4. October: no trips
  5. November: best
  6. December: in season
  7. January: no trips
  8. February: no trips
  9. March: no trips
  10. April: no trips
  11. May: no trips
  12. June: no trips

Best Season

Type
Landing site
Location
64°28′S, 57°12′W
Part of
Weddell Sea
Season
Emperor trips run from early November to late December, while chicks are still at the colony; by late December the colony starts to break up as chicks moult and fledge.
Best months
November
Getting there
By ice-strengthened ship into the northwestern Weddell Sea, then by helicopter to the sea ice and on foot to the colony; the island lies southeast of James Ross Island across Admiralty Sound.
Wildlife
Emperor penguins on the fast ice off the southeast coast, at least 2,700 breeding pairs in 2018; a few Adélie penguins, giant petrels and kelp gulls nearby; kelp gulls and Antarctic terns nest near Nordenskjöld's hut.
Landings
Helicopters land at least 0.75 nautical mile (about 1 km) from the colony; at most 100 visitors at the colony, one guide per 15; stop 80 to 100 ft (25 to 30 m) out and never closer than 16 ft (5 m); no drones. Nordenskjöld's hut: ships of 200 passengers or fewer, five people inside at a time.

Snow Hill Island is an almost completely snow-capped island about 20 miles (32 km) long and 6 miles (10 km) wide in the northwestern Weddell Sea, southeast of James Ross Island across Admiralty Sound.12 Almost everyone who searches for it wants one thing: the emperor penguin colony on the sea ice off its southeastern coast, the northernmost known.3 The island also holds the hut where Otto Nordenskjöld's Swedish expedition lived in 1902 and 1903.4

How many emperor penguins are at Snow Hill Island?

Somewhere between about 1,200 and 4,200 breeding pairs, depending on the year. The colony was found from the air on July 20, 1997, and every count since has used a different method:3

YearEstimateHow it was counted
1997About 1,200 pairsAerial photographs
November 20044,000 to 4,200 pairs (3,885 chicks)First visit on foot
October 20092,164 pairsSatellite images
August 2013About 4,000 pairs (7,952 adults)Photographs from a flight
December 29, 2018At least 2,700 pairs (2,679 chicks)Photographed from a ship 2,000 to 2,600 ft (600 to 800 m) away

The 2018 team found the birds spread in 29 groups along about 2 miles (3 km) of fast-ice edge, a few hundred yards wide.3 Operators quote their own figures: about 2,000 penguins (Oceanwide, 2022), 8,000 (Quark) and 4,000 breeding pairs or around 10,000 birds (Scenic).5678

In mid-October 2010 an unusually early downpour killed several hundred otherwise healthy chicks at the colony, according to a 2025 study of emperor declines.9 The IUCN moved the emperor penguin from Near Threatened to Endangered in April 2026, citing climate-driven changes in sea ice.10

How do you get to the Snow Hill emperor colony?

By helicopter from an ice-strengthened ship, then on foot over the sea ice. Pack ice usually stops ships well short, and Oceanwide calls the island almost always ice-locked.5 In November and December 2023, Quark's Ultramarine got within 20 nautical miles (37 km), and every guest walked several kilometers from the helicopter staging site.11 Oceanwide says its landing site is roughly a 45-minute walk from the rookery; Scenic quotes a 1-mile (1.5 km) walk.127

IAATO's procedures for emperor colonies set the pace once you are there:13

  • Helicopters land at least 0.75 nautical mile (about 1 km) from the colony, never fly over it, and no drones are allowed.
  • No more than 100 visitors at the colony at once, with at least one guide per 15 visitors, and two for any group under 20.
  • The group stops 80 to 100 ft (25 to 30 m) from a colony with chicks and waits at least five minutes; if the chicks stay calm, it moves 33 to 50 ft (10 to 15 m) closer, then reassesses. Nobody gets closer than 16 ft (5 m), and nobody circles the colony.
  • Keep 50 ft (15 m) from the "penguin highways" the birds use to reach the water, and stop if a commuting penguin comes within that distance.
  • Take no food, and go back to the ship to use a toilet. Emergency camping gear must be ashore in case the weather turns.

In 2022, Oceanwide's passengers each spent about an hour and a half near the rookery.5

What are the chances of reaching Snow Hill Island?

Less than even. Oceanwide gives a "less than 50 %" probability that the route is free of multi-year pack ice, and says its helicopter visits succeeded in 2013, 2017 to 2019 and 2022 to 2024, but not every year between 2012 and 2019.12 Its November 2022 landing was its first in three years.5 The first expedition ship to reach the colony was the icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov in November 2004, and in 2018 Hapag-Lloyd's Bremen became, as far as the scientists aboard knew, the first non-icebreaker to sail right around the island.3

IAATO's records show how rare visits are. Its operators logged 8, 11, 3 and 18 visits to the colony in the four seasons from 2022-23 to 2025-26, counting landings and visits without a landing.14

When is the best time to visit Snow Hill Island?

November and early December. Chicks gather in crèches from November, and the colony is especially sensitive while they moult and fledge, from late November to late December.13 By December 29, 2018 the colony was already breaking up and most chicks were moulting.3 Scenic says the emperors are there only at the start of the season, and the 2026-27 Weddell Sea emperor departures from Quark, Oceanwide and Scenic all leave between November 3 and December 22.71516 Oceanwide's February 2027 Remote Weddell Sea Explorer mentions Snow Hill only as a place it may reach if lucky with the ice, so do not count on emperors on that trip.17

Can you visit Nordenskjöld's hut on Snow Hill Island?

Yes, though few ships do: IAATO counted 7, 19, 8, 0 and 2 landings there in the five seasons to 2025-26.14 The wooden hut on the island's north coast, facing Admiralty Sound, was built in February 1902 by the main party of the Swedish South Polar Expedition and occupied until November 11, 1903; the expedition also proved that Snow Hill is an island, on March 10, 1902.42 It is Historic Site and Monument No. 38, a museum of original objects run by Argentina and Sweden.4

The rules are strict. Only ships with 200 or fewer passengers may land, one at a time, after emailing Argentina's environmental contacts; up to 100 people may be ashore, 10 on the hut's terrace and 5 inside at once.4 Visitors follow a set path from the beach facing the hut. The steep slopes behind it, rich in marine fossils and cut by basalt dikes, are closed, as is a small mound holding the remains of a magnetic observatory; collecting fossils is forbidden.4

The name is older. A British expedition under Ross mapped the coast on January 6, 1843 and called it Snow Hill because its snow cover hid all rock and contrasted with bare Seymour Island nearby.21

Which voyages go to Snow Hill Island in 2026-27?

Three operators sell emperor attempts with helicopters:

VoyageDeparturesLowest fare we foundHow guests reach the colony
Oceanwide, Weddell Sea: In Search of the Emperor Penguin, on Ortelius, 11 days from UshuaiaNov 15, Nov 25, Dec 5$12,100 per person, one berth in a shared four-berth porthole cabin, Nov 25 or Dec 5 (was $13,450); helicopter transfers included, with no flight time guaranteed; airfare not included; read Oct 15, 20261612Helicopter, then about a 45-minute walk12
Quark, Emperor Penguin Quest, on Ultramarine, 14 days from Buenos AiresNov 3, Nov 15$26,090 brochure fare per person in an Explorer Triple (sold by phone when read); includes a Buenos Aires hotel night and group flights to Ushuaia and back; read Oct 14, 202615Helicopter landing and walk, with five days near the island6
Scenic, Antarctica and the Weddell Sea, on Scenic Eclipse or Scenic Eclipse II, 16 days from Buenos AiresDec 3 (Eclipse), Dec 22 (Eclipse II)$24,434 per person, two sharing, in a Grand Deluxe Verandah Suite on Dec 3, a Select Fare valid until Nov 3, 2026 (Full Fare $28,265); the itinerary includes a Buenos Aires hotel night and the flight to Ushuaia and back; read Oct 15, 2026718Optional helicopter flight at extra cost (US$1,500 in 2023), then a 1-mile (1.5 km) walk197

Scenic also offers the helicopter trip on its Antarctica, South Georgia and Falkland Islands voyages and its Ultimate Chilean Fjords, Glaciers and Antarctic Wildlife Explorer.820 Only the November 2026 departures of those fit the emperor season; the South Georgia trips that leave on January 8 and 27, 2027 reach Antarctica well after the colony starts to break up.83 Quark says that if ice or weather rules out the colony, it explores other Weddell Sea sites instead, such as Seymour Island with its fossil beds.6 For fly-in trips that camp near other emperor colonies, at much higher prices, see our emperor penguin guide.

Voyages that visit Snow Hill Island

Landings depend on weather and ice, so no operator can promise a specific site.

  • Weddell Sea: In Search of the Emperor Penguin, incl. helicopters (Ortelius)

    Oceanwide Expeditions · Ortelius · 11 days · from Ushuaia, Argentina · Sail both ways · November to December

    Fare details

    Lowest published fare, one berth in a shared quadruple porthole cabin on Ortelius, Nov 25 or Dec 5, 2026, shown discounted from $13,450 (the Nov 15 departure was $13,450, down to its last berths); helicopter transfers included, with no flight time guaranteed; flights to Ushuaia not included; read Oct 14, 2026

    from $12,100about $1,100 a day

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  • Remote Weddell Sea Explorer, incl. helicopters (Ortelius)

    Oceanwide Expeditions · Ortelius · 28 days · from Ushuaia, Argentina · Sail both ways · February

    Fare details

    Lowest published fare, one berth in a shared quadruple porthole cabin on Ortelius, Feb 7, 2027, shown discounted from $27,700 with no end date (two female and one male berths showing when read); a twin porthole is $27,550 per person (was $34,450); helicopter tours listed as free; visits South Georgia, the South Sandwich Islands, the deep Weddell Sea and Elephant Island; flights to Ushuaia not included; read Oct 15, 2026

    from $22,150about $791 a day

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  • Antarctica and the Weddell Sea

    Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours · Scenic Eclipse · 16 days · Buenos Aires, Argentina (hotel night and flight to Ushuaia included) to Buenos Aires, Argentina (flight from Ushuaia included) · Sail both ways · December

    Fare details

    Select Fare in a Grand Deluxe Verandah Suite DD (Deck 5) on Scenic Eclipse's Dec 3, 2026 departure, per person with two sharing, read Oct 15, 2026. The Select Fare takes 15% off the cruise-fare part of the $28,265 Full Fare (port charges are not discounted) and ends Nov 3, 2026; the Verandah and Deluxe Verandah Suites (from $23,645 Full Fare) were not available. Ten days in Antarctica, including the Weddell Sea, with an optional helicopter trip to the Snow Hill Island emperor colony at extra cost. Includes the Buenos Aires hotel night, flights between Buenos Aires and Ushuaia, drinks, tips and Wi-Fi; helicopter flights and submersible dives cost extra. Scenic Eclipse II sails the same itinerary on Dec 22, 2026 from $26,770.

    from $24,434about $1,527 a day

    View

  • Emperor Penguin Quest: Expedition to Snow Hill

    Quark Expeditions · Ultramarine · 14 days · Buenos Aires, Argentina (charter flight to Ushuaia) to Buenos Aires, Argentina · Sail both ways · November

    Fare details

    Lowest published brochure fare, Explorer Triple on Ultramarine, Nov 3 and Nov 15, 2026; includes Buenos Aires hotel night and charter flights to and from Ushuaia; ship limited to 150 guests

    from $26,090about $1,864 a day

    View

  • Antarctica and the Weddell Sea

    Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours · Scenic Eclipse II · 16 days · Buenos Aires, Argentina (hotel night and flight to Ushuaia included) to Buenos Aires, Argentina (flight from Ushuaia included) · Sail both ways · December

    Fare details

    Select Fare in a Deluxe Verandah Suite DA (Deck 5) on Scenic Eclipse II's Dec 22, 2026 departure, per person with two sharing, read Oct 15, 2026. The Select Fare takes 5% off the cruise-fare part of the $28,035 Full Fare (port charges are not discounted) and ends Nov 22, 2026; the Verandah Suites ($24,745 Full Fare) were not available. Ten days in Antarctica including the Weddell Sea, returning Jan 6, 2027. The itinerary offers a helicopter trip to Snow Hill Island at extra cost but says the emperor penguins are only there at the start of the season. Includes the Buenos Aires hotel night, flights between Buenos Aires and Ushuaia, drinks, tips and Wi-Fi; helicopter flights and submersible dives cost extra.

    from $26,770about $1,673 a day

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  • Antarctica, South Georgia & Falkland Islands

    Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours · Scenic Eclipse · 20 days · Buenos Aires, Argentina (hotel night and flight to Ushuaia included) to Buenos Aires, Argentina (flight from Ushuaia included) · Sail both ways · November, January

    Fare details

    Select Fare in a Verandah Suite A (Deck 8) on Scenic Eclipse's Nov 15, 2026 departure, per person with two sharing, read Oct 15, 2026. The Select Fare takes 5% off the cruise-fare part of the $33,595 Full Fare (port charges are not discounted) and ends Oct 16, 2026; the Verandah Suites C and D ($29,995 Full Fare) were not available. The Jan 8, 2027 departure was waitlisted at $33,495, as was Scenic Eclipse II's Jan 27 sailing of the same itinerary. Two days in the Falklands, three at South Georgia and five in Antarctica. Includes the Buenos Aires hotel night, flights between Buenos Aires and Ushuaia, drinks, tips and Wi-Fi; helicopter flights and submersible dives cost extra. The page offers a helicopter trip to the Snow Hill Island emperor colony at extra cost and notes that Scenic's helicopters do not operate in South Georgia.

    from $32,064about $1,603 a day

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  • Antarctica, South Georgia & Falkland Islands

    Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours · Scenic Eclipse II · 22 days · Buenos Aires, Argentina (boards the ship in port) to Ushuaia, Argentina (flight to Buenos Aires included) · Sail both ways · November

    Fare details

    Full Fare in a Deluxe Verandah Suite BA (Deck 7) on Scenic Eclipse II's Nov 10, 2026 departure, per person with two sharing, read Oct 15, 2026; no discounted fare was shown, and the Verandah Suites (from $34,545) and Deluxe Verandah Suites CA, DA and DB ($39,270) were not available. The ship sails from Buenos Aires to two days in the Falklands, four at South Georgia and five in Antarctica, with an optional helicopter trip to the Snow Hill Island emperor colony at extra cost; Scenic does not fly its helicopters in South Georgia. Ends in Ushuaia with an included flight to Buenos Aires. Includes drinks, tips and Wi-Fi.

    from $40,530about $1,842 a day

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  • Ultimate Chilean Fjords, Glaciers & Antarctic Wildlife Explorer

    Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours · Scenic Eclipse · 31 days · Valparaíso, Chile (listed as Santiago on Scenic's calendar) to Buenos Aires, Argentina (flight from Ushuaia included) · Sail both ways · November

    Fare details

    Full Fare in a Deluxe Verandah Suite BA (Deck 7) on Scenic Eclipse's Nov 4, 2026 departure, per person with two sharing, read Oct 15, 2026; no discounted fare was shown, and the Verandah and cheaper Deluxe Verandah Suites (from $45,425 Full Fare) were not available. Sails the Chilean fjords, Punta Arenas and Cape Horn to Ushuaia, then two days in the Falklands, three at South Georgia and five in Antarctica, with an optional helicopter trip to the Snow Hill Island emperor colony at extra cost. Includes drinks, tips, Wi-Fi and the flight from Ushuaia to Buenos Aires at the end.

    from $54,275about $1,751 a day

    View

Lowest published price per person in the operator's currency, checked October 15, 2026. Taxes, flights and single supplements vary.

Plan the trip

Small vs large expedition ship: which is best for Antarctica?

How passenger numbers change your time ashore in Antarctica: IAATO's size groups, the landing sites closed to bigger ships, fares by ship size, and all 35 ships we cover by guests, age and ice class.

Which cruise line is best for Antarctica?

All 19 Antarctic expedition lines on this site compared by traveler type, with 2026-27 fares per day, guests per ship, landing turns, fly-cruises and what each fare includes.

Sources

  1. 1.Snow Hill Island (United States Gazetteer, ID 131837), US Board on Geographic Names, via the SCAR Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica (Australian Antarctic Data Centre). Accessed October 15, 2026.
  2. 2.Snow Hill Island (Gazetteer of the British Antarctic Territory, ID 111248), UK Antarctic Place-names Committee, via the SCAR Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica (Australian Antarctic Data Centre). Accessed October 15, 2026.
  3. 3.Population size and condition of the Emperor Penguin colony of Snow Hill Island, Weddell Sea, Antarctica: observations from 29 December 2018 (Schiel, Güpner and Spitzenberger, Marine Ornithology 47: 189 to 192, 2019), Marine Ornithology. Accessed October 15, 2026.
  4. 4.Site Guidelines for Visitors: Snow Hill Hut, Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty. Accessed October 15, 2026.
  5. 5.Fourth consecutive Snow Hill landing, Oceanwide Expeditions. Accessed October 14, 2026.
  6. 6.Emperor Penguin Quest: Expedition to Snow Hill, Quark Expeditions. Accessed October 14, 2026.
  7. 7.Antarctica and the Weddell Sea 2026 (tour 501S), Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours. Accessed October 15, 2026.
  8. 8.Antarctica, South Georgia & Falkland Islands 2026/2027 (tour 201S), Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours. Accessed October 15, 2026.
  9. 9.Regional emperor penguin population declines exceed modelled projections (Fretwell et al., Communications Earth & Environment 6, 436, 2025), Communications Earth & Environment (Nature Portfolio); authors at British Antarctic Survey. Accessed October 14, 2026.
  10. 10.Emperor penguin and Antarctic fur seal now Endangered due to climate change: IUCN Red List (press release, 9 April 2026), IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). Accessed October 14, 2026.
  11. 11.Snow Hill Success: Quark Expeditions Goes Beyond in Antarctica, Quark Expeditions. Accessed October 14, 2026.
  12. 12.Weddell Sea: In search of the Emperor Penguin, incl. helicopters, m/v Ortelius, 15 to 25 November 2026 (OTL22-26), Oceanwide Expeditions. Accessed October 14, 2026.
  13. 13.IAATO Operational Procedures for Visiting Emperor Penguin Colonies (IAATO Field Operations Manual, attachment to ATCM 45), International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO), via the Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty. Accessed October 15, 2026.
  14. 14.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.
  15. 15.Dates and Rates, Quark Expeditions. Accessed October 14, 2026.
  16. 16.Dates & Rates: Antarctica & Arctic Cruises (m/v Ortelius and m/v Plancius tables, 2026-27 to 2027-28), Oceanwide Expeditions. Accessed October 15, 2026.
  17. 17.Remote Weddell Sea Explorer, incl. helicopters, m/v Ortelius, 7 February to 6 March 2027 (OTL28-27), Oceanwide Expeditions. Accessed October 14, 2026.
  18. 18.Discovery Yacht Fares (luxury ocean cruise offers), Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours. Accessed October 15, 2026.
  19. 19.Scenic Eclipse Uses Helicopters to View Emperor Penguins, Cruise Industry News. Accessed October 15, 2026.
  20. 20.Ultimate Chilean Fjords, Glaciers & Antarctic Wildlife Explorer 2026 (tour 202S), Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours. Accessed October 15, 2026.