Port Lockroy

Understand

History

The bay was discovered during 1904 and named after Edouard Lockroy, a French politician and Vice President of the Chamber of Deputies, who assisted Jean-Baptiste Charcot in obtaining government funding for his French Antarctic Expedition. The harbour was used for whaling between 1911 and 1931.

Receiving about 10,000 visitors a year, it is one of the most visited sites on the continent. Visitors can tour the museum, buy souvenirs, post mail, and view the large gentoo penguin colony.

Get in

By boat

Some of the cruises that visit Antarctica visit the Port Lockroy region. If you take a cruise, the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust — which runs Port Lockroy — will not need to educate you about Antarctic Treaty rules and what you should do and not do when you are on the island. In other words, if you come to the island by yourself, you should read the guidelines about what to do and not do on the island, since there will be no cruise ship's organization to tell you this information.

The other option is to go by the Trust's tour system, and that way you will not need to worry about planning for your trip to Port Lockroy. You will need to get in touch with them before going to the island.

Get around

By foot

Port Lockroy is only a few buildings, so getting around on foot should not pose a challenge. The Trust also provides a floor plan of the place.

See and do
  • Gentoo penguin colony. There's a lot of penguins in the area, but according to the Trust's website, you should not go to the part of the island where the penguins live. (updated Jun 2018)
  • 🌍 Port Lockroy Museum. Since 1996 the historic base at Port Lockroy on Goudier Island has been staffed by the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust during the Antarctic summer as a museum and post office. (updated Jun 2018)

Buy, eat, and drink

There is a gift shop on-site. However, you should bring your own food and drink.

Sleep

If you come on a cruise or other boat, you can sleep on the boat. The UK Antarctic Heritage Trust makes clear on its website that the on-site accommodation for those who work at the base is not to visited by tourists and that you shouldn't sleep on Goudier Island itself.

Generally, visits to the base itself are seen as a day-trip activity, but of course visiting Port Lockroy is more than a day-trip when you include the boat journey to the port and back.

Connect

There is a post office at the port.

Go next

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