Spectacular Antarctica.Credit: iStock
In this icy continent at the bottom of the globe life-defining experiences occur several times each day.
The lowdown
In a world littered with wonders Antarctica stands out for the sheer intensity of beautiful experiences completely removed from everyday life. It’s all ship- based but today’s traveller is a hot shower and evening cocktails away from the hardships of explorers such as Shackleton, Mawson, Scott and Amundsen. Exclusivity remains: fewer people have ever been to Antarctica than the number who will visit Zurich this year.
Every holiday should provide a memory that will last a lifetime. In Antarctica life-defining experiences occur several times each day. Whether it’s stepping ashore to be greeted by a chorus of chinstrap penguins going about their busy day or observing a giant iceberg float past your window, there are moments you can expect. However, you never know when a pod of orcas will swim past or your Zodiac will turn an icy corner to find a seal basking on a floe or a glacier will calve, dropping a wall of ice into the ocean.
Travel to Antarctica has reached the next stage of development. There are more visitors each year and the outside world is encroaching whether as bird flu or climate change. The best time to go is now.
What’s in
The small Russian research vessels and icebreakers that popularised Antarctic tourism 30 years ago have been replaced by larger, more luxurious ships and excursions to visit penguins now compete with spa treatments and gourmet dining bookings.
As before there are some large cruise ships that will visit Antarctica with no excursions off the ship.
Previous extracurricular activities such as kayaking and camping on the ice are joined by submarine excursions, helicopter sightseeing and high-speed special-operations boats. Citizen science allows guests to make genuine contributions to polar science.
There are more stepping off points: in addition to traditional departures from Ushuaia for the Peninsula and Tasmania or New Zealand for the Ross Sea, you can sail from Chile’s quaint Puerto Williams or fly from Chile’s Punta Arenas to King George Island. There are also flights out of South Africa for some exotic excursions.
What’s out
While always regulated, there are more restrictions on tourist behaviour today, including strict cleaning protocol to avoid spreading bird flu. Nor can you sit when ashore or even put your bag on the ground.
The communication blackout that began when the ship left the dock is over. Instead of the radio operator’s expensive satellite phone you can now WhatsApp photos home or check where your shipmates are.
The Drake Passage strikes fear into many hearts. A “Drake shake” can still be encountered, however improved weather monitoring avoids the worst and modern stabilisation ensures you may not even notice it. When you see ship staff packing stemmed wineglasses away, know that modern medication can calm the most sensitive stomach.
Five must-visit sights
Lemaire Channel
Lemaire Channel looks narrow but ships can traverse it.Credit: iStock
This iceberg-crowded narrow defile between Booth Island and the mainland is dramatic, with mountains and glaciers towering overhead and the southern exit looking impossibly narrow.
Deception Island
Sailing into the sunken caldera of an active volcano is always a thrill, and the desolate black sand of Whalers Bay is a stark contrast to the white purity of the rest of Antarctica.
Stanley
The picturesque capital of the Falkland Islands is replete with history but mostly it’s a quaint proudly British village with Land Rovers and Union Jacks everywhere.
Paradise Harbour
… or more specifically, Skontorp Cove at the back of the bay reveals a spectacular glacial tongue in many shades of blue and white that is constantly calving.
Gold Harbour
On South Georgia’s northern coast this is a beach teeming with wildlife: elephant seals jousting at one end then king penguins and fur seals in noisy profusion extending to a hanging glacier at the other.
Five must-do experiences
Visit a penguin colony
The essential Antarctic moment is observing the crowded yet simple life of a penguin colony, with parents sitting on nests, others returning from fishing and the endless theft of the pebbles that make up a neighbour’s nest.
Walk on the ice
Whether climbing up a glacier or venturing onto a field of sea ice it’s a tactile link to the main element of Antarctica.
Zodiac through icebergs
Like an everchanging sculpture garden, a cruise through every shade of blue on a Zodiac ride is Antarctica at its best.
Kayak
Kayaking through icy waters.Credit: iStock
Being at water level with floating ice, swimming penguins and visiting seals and whales provides a new perspective on the world.
Push boundaries
Whether it’s a sub-zero polar plunge, camping on the ice or simply staying up all night to appreciate the brief Antarctic night it will be an experience to remember.
Five must-do journeys
Antarctic Peninsula
Most Antarctic trips explore the western peninsula departing from South America for about 10 days. This is the most beautiful and accessible part of Antarctica where the ice clears in summer and wildlife takes residence. See auroraexpeditions.com.au; vikingcruises.com.au; silversea.com
South Georgia
Looking like a slice of the Swiss Alps dropped in the South Atlantic, South Georgia is a wildlife wonderland where the water teems with fur seals and the beaches are covered in tens of thousands of king penguins. Grytviken, the only settlement, is where Sir Ernest Shackleton is buried. See scenic.com.au, gadventures.com, travelhx.com
Antarctic Circle
Located at 66°33′50″ this is the line where the sun remains above the horizon for 24 continuous hours once a year. It’s a wilder, more remote part of the continent. See antarctica21.com; hl-cruises.com; intrepidtravel.com/au
East Antarctica
The Ross Sea below Australia is where many of the Heroic Age exploits and the race to the South Pole took place at the end of the 19th century and the early 20th century, leaving the explorers’ virtually untouched huts behind. It’s also where you’ll find the vast Ross Ice Shelf, the Dry Valleys and Mount Erebus and Mount Terror volcanoes. See heritage-expeditions.com; chimuadventures.com/en-au
Weddell Sea
The rarely-visited eastern side of the Peninsula is where it all went wrong for Shackleton and Endurance. It’s an iceberg factory and the home to a colony of emperor penguins at Snow Hill Island. See au.ponant.com; quarkexpeditions.com ; all Antarctic tour operators can be found at iaato.org
Five must-see wildlife
Whales
Most commonly seen around the Peninsula are humpbacks and less commonly minkes so it’s always very exciting when orcas turn up. On the way to and from Antarctic is the time to look for fin, sei and the largest creature that has ever lived, the blue whale.
Penguins
Penguins: collect them all. Credit: iStock
If you visit the Peninsula you may get the box-set of brush-tailed penguins: gentoo, chinstrap and adelie. South Georgia and the Falklands provide the crested rockhoppers and macaronis plus the majestic king penguins.
Albatross
Strangely absent from Antarctica, albatross will accompany you across the Drake Passage. Black-browed albatross are readily recognisable but keep an eye open for the largest flying bird: the wandering albatross.
White on white
There are two pure white birds in Antarctic. Snowy sheathbills look like rather ugly chickens eating the poo of penguin colonies while snow petrels that often turn up in bad weather are beautiful and once described as “the fairies of the south”.
Seals
There are five seals you may see in Antarctica. Crabeaters (they eat krill) and weddell seals are most easily seen. If you encounter four tonnes of male elephant seal you’ll certainly notice him. Fur seals are more commonly seen late in summer. The serpent-like three-metre form of a predatory leopard seal is a pure hunter.
David McGonigal has visited Antarctica more than 130 times.
Did you know?
- Antarctica has a blood-red waterfall flowing from Taylor Glacier, caused by iron oxide-rich saltwater from an ancient subglacial lake that’s lain trapped under the ice for millions of years.
- Antarctica can be the windiest place on earth, with some night-time cold winds pulled downhill by gravity known to have reached 320 km/h.
- Antarctica’s South Pole has only one sunrise (at the September equinox) and one sunset (at the March equinox) a year, so there are six months of daylight and six months of darkness.
- Antarctica is the only place on the globe without an official time zone because it has no permanent population and people working in its research stations use their own country’s time zone.
- Antarctica was once part of Gondwana – the great southern landmass that includes Australia and New Zealand – with forests, warm weather and dinosaurs.