Portal Point lies at the entrance to Charlotte Bay on the Reclus Peninsula, on the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. Charlotte Bay is a large inlet, extending approximately 12 nautical miles into the Antarctic Peninsula between the Reclus Peninsula and Cape Murray. It is fringed by spectacular peaks and glaciers. It was named by Adrien de Gerlache, leader of the Belgica Expedition (1897–99), after the fiancée of George Lecointe, the ship’s captain and second-in-command. In late summer, the bay often harbors large swarms of krill and, consequently, attracts numerous feeding Humpback Whales.

Portal Point was named by the British after they built a hut at this site in 1956, enabling them to use a nearby snow slope as a gateway up onto the polar plateau. The hut was occupied between 1956 and 1958. Research conducted from this field hut focused on geology and surveying the region. The building was dismantled in 1997 and taken to the Falkland Islands where it is now an exhibit in the museum at Stanley. Portal Point is also very scenic due to the surrounding mountains, crevassed glaciers and glacial tongues that extend down to sea level.

Wilhelmina Bay is a large bay (15nm across) between Cape Anna and the Reclus Peninsula. It was first seen by Adrien de Gerlache’s Belgica Expedition on 29th January 1898 and charted by them the following month. It was named by him after Wilhelmina, Queen of the Netherlands, in recognition of the help given by her government to the expedition. It is most regularly cruised by ship or zodiac and in mid to late summer is a hotspot for Humpback Whales.