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Literature Guides & Maps Films & TV Podcasts

Literature

There are many inspirational books about Antarctica to choose from. Here are a few of our favourites:

  • South by Ernest Shackleton
  • The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry-Garrard
  • Terra Incognita by Sara Wheeler
  • Scott & Amundsen by Roland Huntford
  • No Horizon Is So Far - Two Women and Their Extraordinary Journey Across Antarctica by Liv Arnesen and Ann Bancroft
  • End of the Earth by Peter Matthiessen
  • Scott of the Antarctic - The Definitive Biography by David Crane
Antarctic film & literature

Guides & Maps

There will be wildlife guides and maps in most onboard libraries, but you may like to have your own to take with you. Here are a few recommendations:

  • Antarctic Wildlife: A Folding Pocket Guide to Familiar Species of the Antarctic and Subantarctic Environments (Wildlife and Nature Identification) by James Kavanagh
  • Antarctic Marine Wildlife: Antarctic Peninsula, Weddell Sea & Scotia Sea Kindle Edition by Jamie Watts
  • Antarctic Wildlife: A Visitor's Guide by James Lowen
  • Antarctica Cruising Guide: Fourth edition: Includes Antarctic Peninsula, Falkland Islands, South Georgia and Ross Sea by Peter Carey
Penguins at sunset on the Yalour Islands, Antarctica

Penguins at sunset on the Yalour Islands, Antarctica

Customer review background image

What our customers think of Antarctic film & literature

10/10 - Outstanding adventure, Antarctica is so wonderful and South Georgia was something else. We saw a lot of it in documentaries, but seeing it in real life was like standing amidst a National Geographic documentary. Read the full review

Travelled: March 2024

Prasanth Sakhamuri - UK

Antarctica is a place I had seen in pictures, documentaries and movies, and even after taking pictures of my own, I see now that digital images can't describe what I saw and how it made me feel! Read the full review

Travelled: December 2023

Sandra Zobel de Ayala - Philippines

You have to go to Antarctica; while I have enjoyed documentaries and films about the southern continent, only by going to Antarctica can you see what it is all about. My only disappointment was having to depart the ship all too soon. Read the full review

Travelled: December 2023

Stephen Rathbun - USA

The awesome beauty of Antarctica is difficult, if not impossible, to put into words. My wife, Laura, and I read several books prior to the expedition, but nothing matched the experience. The most memorable moment was probably standing on the land for the first time. Everything there seemed larger than at home . . . and a great deal colder! A thought that struck me several times was that the Earth was its own and not necessarily meant for man. I was strictly a visitor to this creation. Read the full review

Travelled: January 2023

Thomas Goodman - USA

The scale of Antarctica is far more than any photo or documentary can show. Read the full review

Travelled: December 2022

Adam Patton - UK

Review:

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Films & TV

  • Shackleton starring Kenneth Branagh
  • The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Expedition directed by George Butler and narrated by family members of the crew (with original footage)
  • BBC Frozen Planet Series narrated by Sir David Attenborough
  • Encounters at the End of the World directed by Werner Herzog
SCENERY ICE, ANtarctica

Antarctica landscapes and ice

Podcasts

Discover the best podcasts to introduce you to Antarctic history, science and adventure with our top picks. 

Whether you're looking to listen before you travel, or during your voyage, plug in your headphones and point your browsers to our article on the best podcasts about Antarctica.

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