Cruise Antarctica

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Antarctica is one of the coldest, windiest and perhaps opposite to most people’s intuition, driest places anywhere. At the same time, Antarctica harbors some of the most dramatic landscape and prolific wildlife found on Earth and is the land mass least touched by humans. For the majority, the only way to visit Antarctica is by cruise ship as there is no real infrastructure for tourism; no glitzy souvenir shops, amusement parks or other venues frequented by travelers. What Antarctica does offer, though, are giant icebergs, massive glaciers, craggy mountain peaks and the ability to observe a diverse collection of creatures in their natural habitat such as penguins, albatrosses, whales, seals and other interesting wildlife, all of whom depend on the ocean for their survival. Referred to by many as the “South Pole”, Antarctica, as a continent, is twice as large as Australia and possesses the overall highest elevation of any of the planet’s continents with more than half the land mass exceeding 1,980 metres in height. Most cruises to Antarctica embark at Ushuaia, Argentina and may include visits to the Falkland Islands, South Georgia or the Shetland Islands. Cruises designed to include the Ross Sea and the Eastern portion of Antarctica usually begin and end in New Zealand or Australia. Most of the ships are relatively small and a wide range of features offered by the cruise lines makes planning your trip to match your particular needs essential. Some of the options to consider are the level of luxury required (including ships that offer 5 star accommodations); the desire or lack thereof for land based adventures and kayaking excursions; the method of shuttling passengers from ship to shore (options range from Zodiac boats to helicopters). Many of the cruises include on-board naturalists and experts in wildlife, oceanography, geology, glaciology and the history of Antarctic exploration. Itineraries ranging from a week to over a month at sea are typical of the offerings of the cruise operators. The prime season runs from mid-December to late February with virtually no cruises scheduled between March and September as the weather may be quite severe during the Antarctic winter. Cruisers must be flexible at any time of the year due to the extreme conditions found in Antarctica that may necessitate changed itineraries on occasion. Options for adventure sails to Antarctica are also popular among yachtsmen and these three to six week offerings are referred to as “expedition style” trips where the cruisers quite often are asked to assist the crew. Your dream of cruising around one of the world’s least inhabited places and spending time in the glory of this dramatic landscape is as close as adding a Cruise to Antarctica to your list. It’s really the only way to see this unsettled and beautiful spot. Start planning the important details today.

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