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Antarctica is majestic in scale with massive peaks towering out of the water,cloud formations reflecting in water as still as a mirror,snowy glaciers with bright blue veins of ancient ice,and icebergs the size of castles in varying shades of grey,blue,white ,and even black . Many people think that it’s a barren landscape (it is a desert, after all) with little to see, but they couldn’t be further from the truth. Our first two days at sea were spent crossing the infamous Drake Passage, the notoriously rough stretch of water between the southern tip of South America and Antarctica’s South Sheltand Islands. Luckily for us, the Drake was very calm on our way down. On the two days spent traveling back, we clipped the edge of a storm and experienced 30-foot seas. But to be honest, I loved it all! The rougher seas made me feel even more like a real explorer.The first piece of ice we saw after crossing the Drake Passage was over a mile wide. The caves inside were enormous and filled with sea birds flying in and out of them. When i first saw Antarctica , I was awestruck , no words could describe the emotions spiraling through my mind . The days that followed were incredible. We explored the mainland and surrounding islands and took in amazing sights such as penguins, seals, whales, birds and sunken whaling ships. The landscape alone was so breathtaking that I couldn’t even imagine a place like that existed on earth. When we hiked up the side of Nekko Harbor, home to over a thousand penguins, you could literally hear the glacial ice pack cracking and breathing. Everything was so pristine and fresh. On some days we did dry landings where we would board the Zodiac boats and go to either an island or mainland Antarctica. From there we would follow the expedition staff for a walk around the area. Each landing lasted for about two hours, which was perfect—any longer and the cold would have started to break through my rubber boots and three pairs of thermal socks.As we raced towards the shore, it came alive with frantic fur seals that lurched in the shallows, splashed in the surf and wriggled up the beach behind. We were heading for a fur seal holiday camp and, with zoom lenses already extended, there was a flurry of camera clicks from the boat.We would see icebergs five times the size of our ship, pocked with sun spots and fractured with wound-like crevices that glowed sapphire-blue inside. Weddell seals with frosted lashes, contorted coastlines encased in ice sculptures, research stations with no running water, and washed-up whale bones the size of fallen trees … all this, and more, awaited us in Antarctica.But the Falkland Islands had been much more than a filler. We'd seen giant albatrosses feed chicks the size of terriers, watched spouting whales, and walked barefoot across white sand beaches. As we entered the shallows, the engines of the boat were cut and the air filled with the purrs and grrrrs, snivels and sneezes of seal pups – a constant murmur beneath the barks and snorts of their parents, who lolloped along the water's edge.Swinging our wellie-booted feet on to the beach, we heaved the Zodiacs ashore as a squad of seals shuffled over on their fore flippers and cautioned us with low growls and sharp yellow canines.As I waggled a trekking pole in defense, a party of well-dressed penguins paraded through a swarm of seal pups and waddled down the beach to welcome us. One particularly smart adult stepped forward and casually waved a wing at the scene behind him. As I followed his gesture, my jaw began to drop – and kept dropping.King penguins adorned the dunes in their thousands, packed out the plain beyond, and sprawled up the hillside until their silvery silhouettes merged into the horizon.Needless to say, my tour to Antarctica was one of the most unbelievably exciting experience I’ve ever had. I’m confident that, for me, nothing will ever top visiting the continent and I hope I can inspire more people to go—there is no other place like it on Earth.