12 Photos of Elephant Island That Will Make You Want To Go To Antarctica

Elephant Island, a tiny speck of land on the Palmer Peninsula, holds a special place in the history of Antarctica exploration. This was the location where the men of the HMS Endurance, led by Sir Ernest Shackleton landed after more than a year stuck in the Antarctic pack ice. Shackleton set off from Elephant Island in a lifeboat to make the 800-mile journey to South Georgia Island to get help. He made it and managed to return to rescue the entire crew. A bust of Luis Pardo, captain of the Chilean vessel Yelcho, sits on Elephant Island today.

I visited Elephant Island as part of the Spirit of Shackleton voyage on the M/S Expedition with G Adventures.