Alastair Sawday's 
Earthscan's 
Lonely Planet's 
Travel to Antarctica
Nearly 30,000 tourists are expected to visit the last great wilderness on the planet this year - more than triple the number that went a decade ago - despite increasing concerns over the impact of tourism on Antarctica's fragile environment and wildlife. Should this vast pristine land be left alone?
Jarrod Kyte of Peregrine Adventures (peregrineadventures.co.uk) runs four trips a year to Antarctica. He says his small cruise boat trips, which carry about 100 people and adhere to strict guidelines for sustainable tourism, are a powerful way of educating about the region's environmental issues: "Once people have been to Antarctica they come back as vocal advocates for the place, for the albatross and for measures to combat global warming."
However, Dr John Shears, an environmental expert at the British Antarctic Survey, says such arguments cannot be applied to the large cruise ships. This year, the Golden Princess is due to sail into Antarctica's waters with 2,800 passengers on board.
"On the smaller boats, where there are lectures on geology and science, passengers feel a sense of ownership of what is going on in Antarctica," says Dr Shears. "That is less likely to happen when you're on board a huge cruise ship."
He recommends travellers book with a member of the International Association for Antarctic Operators (iaato.org), which sets guidelines that ensure environmentally sound travel.
As well as Peregrine Adventures, other UK-based IAATO members include Journey Latin America (journeylatinamerica.co.uk) and Wildwings (wildwings.co.uk).
This article, by Richard Hammond, was first published in the Guardian.
Smaller is better
I spent a couple of winters in the mid-90's as a scientist at Faraday (then a British research station). Faraday's location (about a third of the way down the Antarctic Peninsula) made it a popular furthest south for cruise ships and yachts. Every season BAS allowed four ship visits to Faraday and we probably saw about a dozen yachts. I would estimate that about half the yachts carried fare-paying passengers.
I agree with your point about small cruise ships often being the best option, but I would emphasize that it is your responsibility to check that your cruise is being run sensitively and I would encourage you to ask probing questions before you book and during the cruise.
I think with a small ship it's much easier to know what's going on and less easy for the crew to hide things from you. The crews of most of the yachts I came across were very responsible, but this may be due to a self-selecting aspect.
James