Very popular for landings, penguins, scenery and whales.
Rating: * * * * *
Why Visit?
The Errera Channel is one of the most beautiful areas of the Antarctic Peninsula. It is longer and more complex than its more famous cousin, the Lemaire Channel, and houses more places to visit and a broader range of wildlife.
Where is it?
The Errera is east of Anvers Island, in the shelter of the eastern side of the Gerlache Strait. With the Arctowski Peninsula of the Danco Coast on one side, the Errera is nine km long, running south then turning west in a dogleg around Ronge Island.
Challenges?
With a constant current, the Errera can fill with small icebergs, or occasionally be blocked by a few very large bergs, but it is generally a reasonably tranquil area.
Wildlife
This area is prime Gentoo territory. There are several Gentoo penguin colonies in the channel, with the largest colony (close to 5,000 breeding pairs) in the region on Cuverville Island at the northern entrance to the channel and another big colony (around 1,700 pairs) at the dogleg on Danco Island, plus several other smaller colonies on the edges of Ronge Island and the Peninsula.
The more rare (for the area) Chinstrap penguin also calls the Errera home, with a few hundred pairs making small colonies in the northern entrance to the channel on and nearby Ronge Island.
Human activities
The Errera Channel was explored by Adrien de Gerlache, during the Belgian Antarctic Expedition of 1897-99, and named by him in honour of a member of the Belgica Commission. There was some whaling in the area, but the channel was not heavily utilised by whalers.
Photos, Voting and more coming soon!