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King George Island, the largest of the South Shetlands and the first stop in the Antarctic for many tourists, is loaded with stations. Less than 10% of the island’s 1295 sq km is ice free, yet it supports year-round bases maintained by Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Poland, Russia, South Korea and Uruguay, all connected by more than 20km of roads and tracks. There are summer-only Dutch, Ecuadorian, German, Peruvian and US bases. The stations, some within walking distance of one another, are here because King George Island is so accessible from South America. Thus it’s a smart spot for countries to build stations and perform scientific research, thereby earning the status of consultative party to, or full member of, the Antarctic Treaty.
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout King George Island.
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Chile constructed this station, known as Frei station, in 1969 on the nearly ice-free Fildes Peninsula at the island’s southwestern tip, and 10 years later it added Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Martin station less than 1km across the peninsula. Frei has since incorporated Marsh, and thus the station’s name appears as either Frei or Marsh on charts. Together with the Escudero base, Frei/Marsh is one of the Peninsula region’s largest and most complex stations.
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Russia set up Bellingshausen station in 1968 and it is now separated from Frei base by a small stream. After a fuel-tank farm was established, Bellingshausen became a major fuel depot for the Soviet Antarctic fishing fleet. The station underwent a remarkable cleanup in 2002, with more than 1350 tonnes of scrap metal and other waste cleared from the beach in front of the station and removed to Uruguay and the UK. Every season since then, small additional amounts of waste have been removed.
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Poland’s Arctowski station, opened in 1977, was named for a geologist on Adrien de Gerlache’s Belgica expedition and houses 40 people. Female visitors were once presented with small bouquets of flowers grown in the station greenhouse, but this has been discontinued because growing nonfood plants now requires special permission under the Antarctic Treaty. Station members still grow vegetables using Antarctic soil, with penguin guano fertilizer.
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Brazil’s Commandante Ferraz Station on Admiralty Bay, opened in 1983–84, is located between an old whaling station and the site of the abandoned British Base G (removed in 1996). Ferraz’s distinctive orange-roofed, pine-green buildings accommodated 66 people, but a fire started by an overflowing fuel tank in 2012 killed two people and gutted the station. In 2017 the Brazilian government began building a new US$100-million base, with a projected completion date of 2018.
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Argentina built Carlini station at Potter Cove in 1953. It was formerly named Jubany but was renamed in 2012 after biologist Alejandro Carlini. Backed by Three Brothers Hill (210m), it has been a year-round facility since 1984 and accommodates up to 100 people (20 in winter). The summer-only Dallman Laboratory, the first multinational research facility in Antarctica, was opened in 1994 by Argentina, the Netherlands and Germany.
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China’s Great Wall station was established in 1985 and accommodates up to 80 people; recent winter crews have numbered about 12. During the 1987–88 season hundreds of domestic pigeons were freed in a ‘Dove of Peace’ ritual. Nearly all froze to death the same day. Researchers study everything from meteorology to seismology.
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Uruguay’s Artigas Station, established in 1984, accommodates 14 in winter and 70 in summer. Named for Uruguay’s national hero, José Gervasio Artigas, an early leader who redistributed land and abolished slavery, the station sits about 200m north of the wreck of a wooden sailing ship.
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South Korea named its King Sejong station, at Marian Cove close to Maxwell Bay, after a 15th-century Korean king who was also a scientist and inventor. Built in 1987–88, the collection of orange buildings accommodates 68 people in summer, 17 in winter.
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The US has operated this small summer-only station, near Arctowski station, since 1985. It’s also called ‘Copacabana.’