Located on the Sanavirón peninsula in Puerto Paraíso Bay, the Brown Antarctic Base, a research station belonging to Argentina, has become a place of interest for visitors to the sixth continent.
Every summer, tourist cruise ships visit the site, which has been operational since 1951.
The Argentine scientific station in Antarctica, dedicated to biodiversity research, arouses the interest of tourists.
Summer after summer, dozens of people arrive at the site on cruise ships that offer trips to Antarctica as an instance of “discovery and learning”.
The base is on the Sanavirón peninsula of Puerto Paraíso Bay, next to a land elevation called Punta Proa.
Its location is strategic, according to Télam, because it is protected from the tides and strong winds by the surrounding islands and snow-capped hills respectively.
The scientific station was founded in 1951 by the Argentine Navy and is currently administered by the National Antarctic Directorate, an agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship.
It takes its name from Admiral Guillermo Brown, the Argentine naval forces commander during the Argentine War of Independence (1810-1825).
The station researches oceanography, geology, and ichthyology, among other fields.
In addition, penguins from two nearby penguin rookeries are monitored.
Brown Station staff occasionally give talks to tourists but do not arrange formal visits.
Tourists are welcomed as long as the research and logistical tasks the base staff has scheduled for the day have been completed.
The head of the station, Astrid Záfiro, who has a degree in Tourism, told the Argentine media that the Brown base is one of the ten points of the Antarctic Peninsula most visited by tourists.
However, Argentina seeks to regulate the activity within the framework of the Antarctic Treaty; an international agreement initially signed in 1959 by 12 countries, including Argentina and Chile, which prioritizes scientific activity on the white continent.
“No passengers can disembark aboard ships carrying more than 500 people,” explained Záfiro, who added that only one ship at a time could visit Brown and never more than three vessels a day.
The schedule is also restricted since visitors can only disembark between 7:00 am and 7:00 pm.
According to Záfiro, receiving “small ships that offer high category services” of 120 and 240 passengers is the most common.
The Argentine highlighted the natural beauty of Brown.
“We are in what is called ‘Paradise Bay’ precisely because of its natural beauty, which is surrounded by glaciers and also has the attraction of the possibility of witnessing a landslide.”
For Záfiro, Brown “is a desired landing point for tourists because it is on the Antarctic continent and not on an island, so you step on the continent.”
“It also has a great panoramic point at the top of the hill that all tour operators highly appreciate.”
At the same time, he pointed out that the area “is very favorable for tour operators who can offer different activities such as trekking, navigation in boats or kayaks, or climbing the hill next to the base.”
With information from Sputnik