Elephant Island with Point Wild and Cape Lookout, South Shetland

Exciting facts about flora and fauna, landing points and special features of the South Shetland Island Elephant Island:

elephant island

South Shetland Islands

Subantarctic Island

Elephant Island is a glaciated rocky island north of the Antarctic PeninsulaIt belongs to the South Shetland Islands and is therefore politically part of Antarctica. The island probably got its name from sailors who had spotted elephant seals there.

Steep cliffs and mighty tidewater glaciers provide a dramatic backdrop, penguins populate the coast and large icebergs often strand on rocky pinnacles off Elephant Island. The island also has historical significance in the history of Antarctic exploration, as it was a refuge for Ernest Shackleton's famous Endurance Expedition.

Impressive glacier of the South Shetland island of Elephant Island

During our Antarctica and South Georgia dream trip with the Expedition ship Sea Spirit we also visited Elephant Island. You can read our personal experiences in the travel report “The rugged beauty of the South Shetland Islands“Read.

To the Elephant Island travel report

Antarctic Travel Guide • Antarctic dream trip • South Shetland • Elephant Island Facts • Elephant Island travel report

Detailed information about Elephant Island

The Wildlife of Elephant Island

Elephant Island is a breeding ground for numerous bird species, including chinstrap penguins, gentoo penguins and macaroni penguins. Arctic fur seals are regular visitors, southern elephant seals molt seasonally and leopard seals are occasionally seen near the shore. A variety of seabirds are present offshore, including various species of petrel and albatross. Whales are also regularly seen offshore, including humpback and fin whales.

Point Wild

Located on the north coast of Elephant Island, the historic Point Wild is a narrow sand spit that rises to a small rocky outcrop. After months of fighting for survival, the shipwrecked crew of the Endurance Expedition camped there for another four months at Camp Wild. Today, Point Wild is home to a bust of Luis Prado, the Chilean captain who helped Ernest Shackleton finally rescue his men in August 1916. In addition to this fascinating history, Point Wild has a colony chinstrap penguins to offer and sometimes Antarctic fur seals can also be found.

Cape Lookout

If the weather conditions are very good, it is possible to go ashore on the west coast at Cape Lookout. Visitors can expect a rugged mountain and glacier landscape as well as a colony of gentoo penguins. Late in the season, elephant seals can also be seen shedding their skin at Cape Lookout. The name Cape Lookout was used by seal hunters of the past. 

southwest coast

On the southwest coast lies the wreck of a large wooden sailing boat. It is believed to be the Charles Shearer, a sailing ship from the USA that disappeared without a trace in South Shetland in 1877.

Facts Elephant Island

Name	Elephant Island
Size	558 km2 (47 kilometers long, 27 kilometers wide)
Height	highest peak: approx. 975 meters (Mount Pentragon)
Location	Subantarctic Island, South Shetland Islands, 59°54'S, 62°35'W
Politics	Claims: United Kingdom Territorial claims are suspended by the 1961 Antarctic Treaty
Flora	e.g. 7 liverwort species, 25 moss species, 48 ​​lichen species (very species-rich for the Antarctic)
Fauna	Mammals: Southern elephant seal, Antarctic fur seal, leopard seal; late in the season often whales off the coast Confirmed breeding birds: Chinstrap penguins, Gentoo penguins, Macaroni penguins, Cape petrels, Kelp gulls, Arctic terns
population	uninhabited
Protection status	Antarctic Treaty, IAATO Guidelines

Antarctic Travel Guide • Antarctic dream trip • South Shetland • Elephant Island Facts • Elephant Island travel report

Elephant Island on Antarctica cruise

Cruise ships can either Point Wild or Cape Lookout However, going ashore is difficult in both cases and is limited to very small groups, so a coastal trip by dinghy is usually undertaken instead.

Personal experience: After Halfmoon Island and the volcanic island Deception island Elephant Island was the third South Shetland Island on our Antarctic cruise. Follow us to the refuge of Shackleton's men and be there when we see fin whales.

• On an expedition ship like the Sea Spirit you too can discover Antarctica.
• Feel like an adventure? Our Antarctica travel report takes you into the lonely realm of the cold.
• Read our comprehensive Antarctic Travel Guideto learn more about this untouched wilderness.

Antarctic Travel Guide • Antarctic dream trip • South Shetland • Elephant Island Facts • Elephant Island travel report

Where is Elephant Island? South Shetland Map

What is the weather like on Elephant Island?

DWould you also like to travel to Antarctica?

Information and experiences for your Antarctica trip:

• Dream trip Antarctica and South Georgia: Here you will find everything you need to know about the lonely kingdom of cold and the animal paradise of South Georgia.
• To the End of the World and Beyond, Antarctica Travel Report: Browse our Antarctica travel report and be there from the beginning.
• On an Antarctic cruise with the expedition ship Sea Spirit: Find out about the expedition ship we travelled on.
• Animals of Antarctica: Learn about the impressive biodiversity and adaptation strategies of animals in Antarctica.

Information and experiences South Shetland Islands:

• Halfmoon Island wildlife watching, highlight of South Shetland
• Volcanic island Deception Island, stopover on an Antarctic cruise
• Elephant Island with Point Wild and Cape Lookout, South Shetland
• Antarctica trip: The rugged beauty of South Shetland, travel report

Antarctic Travel Guide • Antarctic dream trip • South Shetland • Elephant Island Facts • Elephant Island travel report

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