Port Lockroy cruise port guide

Arrival & Getting Ashore

Getting to the centre: Port Lockroy is a heritage site, not a settlement; the shore destination is Base A (Bransfield House) on Goudier Island, with Jougla Point as a separate landing.

• Walk: on Goudier Island, two maintained paths lead to and from the base; the ground can be muddy and slippery.

Sources: ATCM Site Guidelines: Goudier Island, ATCM Site Guidelines: Jougla Point.

You go ashore by Zodiac, and the rocky landing on Goudier Island takes a little agility. Base visits need the Base Leader's prior agreement, and the UK allows them only from government vessels and IAATO member ships. Ships with more than 500 passengers can't land, and the island takes no more than three ships and 350 visitors a day. A member of the Port Lockroy team may come aboard to brief you.

Landing at Goudier Island: the preferred landing is on the west side, beside the old whalers' mooring chains; otherwise boats use the north side opposite the boat shed. Nobody lands between 18:00 and 07:00 local time unless the Base Leader agrees, and there's one guide per 20 visitors.

Landing at Jougla Point: boats land on the boulders and rocks at the northeastern end, with beaches on the west side or in Alice Creek as alternatives. Up to 100 visitors can be ashore, from one ship at a time, and nobody is ashore from 22:00 to 04:00 except on overnight stays.

About this port

Port Lockroy is a sheltered harbour off Wiencke Island, and its main visitor site is Base A on Goudier Island: Britain's first permanent Antarctic base, set up in February 1944 during the wartime Operation Tabarin. It's now Historic Site and Monument No. 61, where the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust runs a museum, shop and the Penguin Post Office. Jougla Point, across the harbour, is a second landing.

The catch is space. Only 60 visitors can be on Goudier Island at once and 35 inside the base, and of the 22,743 people who came to Port Lockroy in 2025-26, the Trust counted 11,450 landing on the island. Expect to share your time with Jougla Point or a Zodiac cruise, and maybe to queue for the museum.

Getting Around

On Goudier Island, keep to the two paths. With the Base Leader's permission you can roam under close supervision, but the eastern side is roped off.

At Jougla Point you roam under supervision, keeping out of the gentoo and shag nests on and behind the concrete blocks at the northwestern tip (early in the season the blocks may not be visible) and the kelp gull slope south of Alice Creek. The crevassed snowfields around the harbour are for trained guides only.

Things to Do

The Base A museum: Bransfield House is kept in its 1950s condition; scientists here made the first measurements of the ionosphere from Antarctica. The ionospheric room is closed this season for structural work, but the rest of the museum stays open (Trust update, 28 September 2026).

The Penguin Post Office and shop: the Trust's 2026-27 team will run both (announced 13 October 2026). Mail is hand-cancelled, picked up by a visiting expedition ship, taken to Stanley in the Falklands and flown to the UK.

Penguins and whale bones: the Trust describes a colony of more than 1,000 gentoo penguins. At Jougla Point, look for blue-eyed shags and whale bones.

Getting back to your ship

The expedition team decides when the landing ends; follow their call straight away. As you come back aboard, use the boot-wash station at the gangway and let the disinfectant dry before the next landing.

Practical Information

• Season: the Trust's team of eight is at Base A for up to five months, November to March.
• Building work: up to six new roof beams and about 30 floor props are going into Bransfield House this season.
• Inside the base: clean your boots and brush off snow first, and don't touch artefacts, the whaling relics outside or the staff's belongings. No smoking.
• Wildlife: stay at least 5 m away and give animals right of way. Under IAATO's 2026-27 rules, don't sit or lie down in wildlife areas or put kit on the ground there.
• Getting here: most Peninsula voyages sail from Ushuaia, including Oceanwide's 2026-27 trips that list Port Lockroy.

Frequently asked

Is Port Lockroy open to visitors in 2026-27? Yes. The Trust's 2026-27 team will welcome visitors to the museum and shop and run the Penguin Post Office. The ionospheric room is closed this season, but the rest of the museum stays open.

Can you send a postcard from Port Lockroy? Yes. The Penguin Post Office hand-cancels mail, which a visiting expedition ship takes to Stanley before it's flown to the UK.

How many people can visit Port Lockroy at once? Up to 60 on Goudier Island, 35 inside the base and 350 a day; Jougla Point takes 100.