Perched on the ragged southern edge of Argentina, where the snow-capped Andes fall away into the churning sea, Ushuaia has a frontier town feel to it, and serves as the base for expeditions into the icy waters of Antarctica.

Antarctica is the world’s last great wilderness, an alien landscape of snow-covered mountains, jagged icebergs and extraordinary wildlife. March is too late to see penguin chicks, and temperatures are getting colder, but it’s a great time to spot whales, with species including humpback, sperm and orca. Expedition trips will spend time exploring the Antarctic Peninsula, making several landings at various sites and cruising through scenic channels.

The Weddell Sea is part of the Southern Ocean, and it was here that Ernest Shackleton’s ship the Endurance was trapped and crushed by pack ice in 1915. Huge tabular icebergs drift across the water, a breathtaking sight, and the region is rich in wildlife, including Weddell seals, leopard seals, killer whales and Adélie penguins.

Remote and virtually uninhabited, the island of South Georgia is a beautiful and fascinating place. The landscape of jagged, snowy peaks and dramatic fjords is home to an abundance of penguins and seals, as well as ghostly abandoned whaling stations and the grave of Sir Ernest Shackleton.

Founded by Welsh settlers in 1886, bustling Puerto Madryn owes its popularity as a tourist destination to the incredible wildlife of the Península Valdés. From June to December the bay is filled with migrating right whales, and at the beginning of the season the whales come so close to the shore that you can view them from the pier.

The streets of Buenos Aires are redolent of a grand old European capital, lined with elegant architecture that wouldn’t look out of place in Madrid or Paris. There is also plenty of Latin passion on display: Argentina is the home of tango, that most electrifying of dances, and has played host to countless revolutions over the years.