ANTARCTICA
Antarctica General
Fly to Buenos Aires in Argentina or Santiago in Chile and then take an internal flight to the port of Ushuaia at the southern tip of Argentina. Board your ship to crossing the Drake Passage which takes around 2 days. Flying to Antarctica out of Punta Arenas in Chile is also an option, landing at King George Island on the Peninsula.
Antarctica is a a vast wilderness with breathtaking waterways, icebergs and coastline. There is a huge diversity of birdlife including Gentoo, Chinstrap and Adelie Penguins, Storm Petrels, Skuas and Terns. You are also likely to see bigger mammals like Weddell, Crabeater, Leopard Seals, Elephants Seals and Orcas as well as Humpbacks and Minke Whales.
Exploring the coastline of Antarctica by Zodiac, Kayak or on foot is the best way to get up close to nature and wildlife and have an incredible experience. Camping on the ice is another activity offered by many cruising companies however it is always weather dependant. The ‘coolest’ thing to do in Antarctica is taking the ‘Polar Plunge’ and jumping into the freezing ocean. If you’re lucky however, you might be close enough to some hot springs to jump in afterwards to thaw out.
Visiting a a science research station is can be a memorable experience as you learn about what life is like in Antarctica and what work can be conducted there.
For the more adventurous explorers, Scuba diving, running a marathon or even climbing the tallest mountain in Antarctica ‘ Mount Vinson’ is one to tick off the bucket list.