MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Trips to see penguins selling like hot cakes

Between ''An Inconvenient Truth,'' the Al Gore movie highlighting the plight of polar bears, and Luc Jacquet's documentary ''March of the Penguins,'' polar expeditions have never been so hot.

Anyone hoping to see the emperor penguins in their natural habitat, Antarctica, should book now for next November -- that's 2007. Quark Expedition's three Emperor Penguin Safaris already are sold out for this year, and only limited spaces are available for next year's two expeditions, departing November 6 and 18.

''Everyone wants to see the penguins because of the movie,'' says Prisca Campbell, the marketing manager for Quark. ''We can barely keep up with the demand.''

To that end, Quark has added a third trip to its 2007 schedule -- a 38-day expedition to four emperor penguin rookeries, from the Falkland Islands to Australia. Prices start at 38,400 US dollars; for details, check www.quarkexpeditions.com.

A British company, Discovery Initiatives, is offering 12 25-day trips through the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and Antarctica in 2007 (this year's expeditions already are sold out). Passengers will learn about the history of the region, as well as the wildlife -- elephant seals and albatrosses, great whales and, of course, penguins, thousands of them. Prices start at 12,225 US dollars; for details, check www.discoveryinitiatives.co.uk