Best time to visit Macquarie Island

Macquarie is one of six Antipodean Subantarctic Islands – some of the world’s most remote and tiny specks of land, about 1,300km north of Antarctica. Unsurprisingly, the expedition season is short: early Dec-March is not only the best time to visit Macquarie Island, it is the only time to visit; outside of these months it’s bitingly cold and the area inaccessible. In Dec-Jan, you’re looking at a relatively balmy 2-7^oC, perfect conditions for seal pups and penguin chicks, while Feb-March see clifftops come alive with activity as chicks take flight for the first time.

Cassia Jackson, from our partner, Heritage Expeditions, shares some interesting Macquarie Island wildlife facts:

“Royal penguins breed only on Macquarie Island and, like other penguins, spend much of their time at sea. The breeding season begins in September with laying starting in October. It builds its nest by making a shallow hole in the sand or in a weeded area and putting plants and stones inside the nest. Two eggs are most often laid, however only one survives. The egg is kept warm by both parents for 35 days, which is done by rotating 12 day shifts. After hatching, the male watches out for the chick for 10 to 20 days and the female brings food for both of them. At around 20 days, the chick will form a home for warmth and safety and the parents continue to feed it two to three times a day, but when the chick is about 65 days old it will have its adult feathers and goes off on its own.”