thepinkginpassportAntarctica. The world’s 7th continent, a land mass partially made up of sea ice at the Earth’s southern base is a dream destination for many travellers. While visiting Antarctica feels like a pipe dream to many this guide will help you plan a trip if you seriously want to go (as I seriously did).
How to get to Antarctica?
For tourist ships, most depart from Ushuaia at the tip of Argentina to get to the peninsula. If you want to go to the actual South Pole, there are flights from Cape Town but these tours start at around $100,000 USD. There are also cruises from Australia/New Zealand but these are again very expensive and take a lot of time. From Ushuaia I did a 10 day tour which is pretty standard and feasible for those taking time off from work to visit. I booked a return flight to Buenos Aires from London and then a return flight with Areolineas Argentinas (the national flag carrier) from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia. Just to note, Argentinian airlines are known to change flights fairly often in terms of times or even cancellations so I arrived in Ushuaia 2 days before my ship was due to depart as a just in case.
What ship should I book?
I booked with G Adventures on the G Expedition and couldn’t recommend enough. The crew included a range of experts from biologists to scientists and as weather allowed we had several landings a day when we got to the peninsula (around 8 landings over 4 days). With 130 something passengers it’s a smaller ship than others meaning you can all go on landings at the same time. On bigger cruise ships you either don’t set foot on land at all or have to wait for one group to return to the ship before the next can go as no more than 100-200 people can be on land at any one time due to strict rules to protect the continent
When should I book?
I’d researched how people rock up to Ushuaia and get a good deal on a fancy cruise ship for $5,000 (where many fancy cruises start at a minimum $25k) but after researching for over a year it looked like most deals now were 20% off and the good deals sell out months in advance. Therefore, I think it’s better to book when you’re ready at a price you’re happy to pay. Booking through G, means there are options for solo travellers to book a shared cabin at a cheaper price.
How much does it cost?
I would say a good deal is $8-10,000 USD for a shared cabin (double or triple). I booked 6 months earlier and then stopped looking to see if there were better deals. Having been on the trip I think it was worth it and would have been happier paying more. This isn’t a budget backpacking trip and took a year of saving as is the case with a lot of people on the trip so you’re surrounded by a group of like minded people who really want to make the most of the trip.
What will I see?
As well as icebergs, there’s potential to see Gentoo, Chinstrap and Adélie penguins (in the peninsula, Kings can be seen in South Georgia). We didn’t sea Elephant Seals but we did see Weddell, Crab Eater and Leopard Seals (the continent’s second biggest predator after Killer Whales). Speaking of, we saw Humpback and Killer Whales, the latter a whole pod came right up to the ship. On the Drake’s Passage (the two day journey to the peninsula) we saw lots of Petrels and Albatross and then further bird species once we arrived such as the Blue Eyed Shag.
Was it worth it?
This is a subjective question but my answer is whole heartedly less. If you can afford it, and you’re contemplating it, I think it’s worth every penny. I have never been on a cruise before, that’s not my kind of trip, but this truly felt so special and a trip of a lifetime (mainly because I don’t think I could afford to go again).
