Book excerpt: Antarctica is Earth's most unusual and inspiring travel destination. Whether you've booked your ticket or are just dreaming of the ultimate journey, this beautiful field guide will lead you into a magic, untouched world. This is the only definitive field guide to Antarctica for visitors travelling by cruise ship or adventure boat. The authors are world-recognised experts in Antarctic travel, wildlife and conservation; the book is illustrated with their outstanding photographs. Antarctica is becoming a favourite travel destination for New Zealanders and Australians. Last year almost 46,000 tourists travelled to Antarctica by cruise ship - many came from this part of the world.