Puerto Williams is a small Chilean city on Navarino Island, south of the Beagle Channel, and it calls itself the world's southernmost city, though nearby Ushuaia also claims that title. Surrounded by dramatic, snow-dusted mountains and the Dientes de Navarino, it was originally home to the Yaghan people. Founded as a naval base in 1953, it now serves Antarctic travel and offers a quiet, village-like alternative to bustling Ushuaia.

The South Shetland Islands lie off the Antarctic Peninsula, separated by the Bransfield Strait and governed by the Antarctic Treaty. They host many research bases, along with elephant seals and large penguin colonies. King George Island has most stations. Highlights include Mount Foster, Deception Island's caldera and warm Pendulum Cove, and Elephant Island, famed for Shackleton's 1916 survival.

King George Island, the largest South Shetland Island, is the gateway to Antarctica, 120 km from the Antarctic Peninsula. It has the South Shetlands' only airport, over 10 nations' research stations, and a Russian Orthodox church. Wildlife includes penguins, seals, skuas, and giant petrels. Named in 1819 for King George III, it was later claimed by Chile and Argentina, but remains part of the British Antarctic Territory.