Chinstrap penguins on towering iceberg

Antarctica - the last true wilderness on Earth conjures up images of bleak snowscapes, fierce blizzards and great hardship. Previously the sole domain of legendary explorers like Shackleton and Wild, the Great White Continent has become accessible to more than these select few with the advent of modern ice-strengthened ships. Although the interior of the world's coldest, driest and highest continent is largely lifeless, its shores teem with wildlife in the summer months; and the nearby Sub-Antarctic Islands too play host to a thriving assemblage of photographic subjects. Regal albatrosses, rookeries of hundreds of thousands of penguins, lounging seals, fluking whales, pristine sea ice and monumental icebergs await you on this once in a lifetime photographic expedition.

Oryx expedition leader and co-founder Marius Coetzee captured this fantastic image, showing a huddle of Chinstrap Penguins, during an Oryx Antarctica expedition. Massive icebergs were encountered while cruising the open sea between the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula. While waiting patiently for the ship to pass an iceberg before clicking his shutter, Marius captured this endearing image.

Camera: Canon EOS 7D - Aperture: f/11 - Shutter Speed: 1/2500 sec - ISO: 400 - Lens: Canon 300 f2.8 IS USM.

Read more about Oryx Photographic Expeditions to the Antarctic 

See more World wildlife photos