Anyone ever traveled there? What is the best way to get there? I'm going to guess its a cruise from South America, but what are other options? What is the best port of departure for getting to Antarctica? Cost is a factor for me, is one method likely to be cheaper than another?
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Antarctica
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Last: 12 yr ago by defroach
If cost is a factor, then you'll likely not go. Best port is Tierra del Fuego in Argentina. You'll fly into BA and catch a flight from there.
The cruise is likely to take a week total, all inclusive. The more stops you make on Antarctica, the more pricey itll be. I believe the cheapest is still $4k+ just for the cruise.
The cruise is likely to take a week total, all inclusive. The more stops you make on Antarctica, the more pricey itll be. I believe the cheapest is still $4k+ just for the cruise.
I have only been to Antarctica on research ships but we have typically operated out of New Zealand and Tasmania. I believe there are cruises that depart from New Zealand. Definitely worth a little extra time and visit New Zealand, fantastic place, fantastic people.
Argentina is considerable closer...cheaper, and I consider it just, if not, more beautiful than NZ. I dont think they operate many tourist trips put of NZ either, but I could be wrong.
If I had the money and time I would leave fron NZ. 75% of the Antarctica trips leave from Ushuaia. Sometimes you are unable to get to your destination. Cape had a great trip and I am sure quite rough but you are going places tourist normally do not go and you are on the real mainland not the peninsula. Matrimony has limited my more exotic excursions.... damnit.
Best trip I have ever done (I've been to 73 countries). I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Here is part of a trip report I did after returning a couple years ago:
Antarctica is one of the most amazing places I have ever been, a true virgin paradise. No hotels. No permanent residents.
This trip is the best trip I have ever taken. I will go again. Like many others on the ship, we did not want to get off.
Some say it is a "Safari on Ice." But is much more than that. It is a true adventure in untamed, pristine land. Nothing but white, black, and gray. No vegetation. No pollution. Fresh air. People who had allergies saw them all go away, only to return when we hit land again at the end of trip.
Remember, Antarctica is at the bottom of the earth - a lot of people get the Arctic (above Alaska and Russia) and the Antarctic mixed up. Antarctica is the coldest, wildest, most untamed place on earth. It is still being discovered. During the winter, sea ice extends for hundreds of miles from the continent. So the only time to go is in summer (seasons are reversed in southern hemisphere), when the further out seas mostly melts. We mainly sailed around the peninsula, as the continent is the the size of the USA and Europe combined and would take months to go around.
To get to Antarctica, our group met in Buenos Aires, Argentina (a real cool-vibed European type city), toured around there for a couple days, then took a 3 1/2 hour additional flight to Ushuaia, the southernmost city on earth. From there it is a 2-day journey across the Drake Passage, the roughest seas in the world. The Drake is where the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans come together. The waters mix, creating unique weather conditions that vary wildly.
Despite prescription patches and every other form of motion sickness relief, I got sick on the way there. So did about 80% of the passengers. The passage was like being on a sesaw. My room on the ship was a good 40 feet above the water level, but I often was looking out my window straight down at the ocean one second, the sky the next, for 36 hours straight. Anything not bolted down slid across the room. You had to time it right to get out of bed. To walk down the hall meant bouncing from wall to wall. Barf bags were laid out all over the ship. Chairs were bolted down. Some of the older people got bumps and bruises from trying to walk to the dining hall. I even caught on video one lady flying out of her seat and rolling across the room during lunch when we hit a big wave. The return was a bit better, not as many people sick, including not me. But I think that was more attributable to us having our sea legs and knowing what to expect and how to deal with it.
This is not a cruise - it is an expedition. Our ship, the Minerva, is known as the best ship in Antarctica (there are 81 ships going there this year, 18 were in the area while we where there, but we only saw 1 of them during our trip). Very experienced naturalists, geologists, scientists, etc were on our ship. They drove the Zodiaks (small 10 person rubber inflatable boats) and gave interesting lectures. There are no casinos or other typical cruise crap on the ship. There were 196 passengers and 174 crew members, including a group of 20 Chinese who were supposed to be on the ship that got stuck the week before we went. The service was A+. Everything was included. No extras at all (except souvenirs or top shelf liquor). It was like being immersed in a National Geographic show for two weeks. Safety was of utmost concern.
We had to dodge icebergs and deal with severe weather (snow storms and winds). We were in Antarctica five full days, and each day you gear up twice to go out on the Zodiaks, sometimes to land on shore, other times to tour around for a couple hours in the boat. This is summer in the southern hemisphere. Temperatures ranged from -10 C to +2 C, but wind chill could drive it lower. It was cold. The water is barely above freezing. The weather can change in an instant. When we went out on the Zodiaks, we were divided into 2 groups (no more than 100 people on shore at once per international treaty). One group went first, and when they returned a few hours later, another group would go out. One day a fog suddenly rolled in, and the first group of Zodiaks got lost in the icebergs. The ship could not anchor, because the currents blow icebergs around, and it has to stay clear of them. So it drifts. They had to sound the fog horns on the ship several times for the Zodiaks to make their way back. Another day the weather was so bad we could not do any Zodiak trips. In all we did eight Zodiak trips.
Most of the people on the cruise are VERY experienced world travelers. Mostly Americans, Australians and Brits. The average age was 56. There were a lot of single travelers, and some of us grouped up naturally and hung out together on the ship.
There are five kinds of penguins in Antarctica, along with many kinds of seals, whales, and birds.
Here is part of a trip report I did after returning a couple years ago:
Antarctica is one of the most amazing places I have ever been, a true virgin paradise. No hotels. No permanent residents.
This trip is the best trip I have ever taken. I will go again. Like many others on the ship, we did not want to get off.
Some say it is a "Safari on Ice." But is much more than that. It is a true adventure in untamed, pristine land. Nothing but white, black, and gray. No vegetation. No pollution. Fresh air. People who had allergies saw them all go away, only to return when we hit land again at the end of trip.
Remember, Antarctica is at the bottom of the earth - a lot of people get the Arctic (above Alaska and Russia) and the Antarctic mixed up. Antarctica is the coldest, wildest, most untamed place on earth. It is still being discovered. During the winter, sea ice extends for hundreds of miles from the continent. So the only time to go is in summer (seasons are reversed in southern hemisphere), when the further out seas mostly melts. We mainly sailed around the peninsula, as the continent is the the size of the USA and Europe combined and would take months to go around.
To get to Antarctica, our group met in Buenos Aires, Argentina (a real cool-vibed European type city), toured around there for a couple days, then took a 3 1/2 hour additional flight to Ushuaia, the southernmost city on earth. From there it is a 2-day journey across the Drake Passage, the roughest seas in the world. The Drake is where the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans come together. The waters mix, creating unique weather conditions that vary wildly.
Despite prescription patches and every other form of motion sickness relief, I got sick on the way there. So did about 80% of the passengers. The passage was like being on a sesaw. My room on the ship was a good 40 feet above the water level, but I often was looking out my window straight down at the ocean one second, the sky the next, for 36 hours straight. Anything not bolted down slid across the room. You had to time it right to get out of bed. To walk down the hall meant bouncing from wall to wall. Barf bags were laid out all over the ship. Chairs were bolted down. Some of the older people got bumps and bruises from trying to walk to the dining hall. I even caught on video one lady flying out of her seat and rolling across the room during lunch when we hit a big wave. The return was a bit better, not as many people sick, including not me. But I think that was more attributable to us having our sea legs and knowing what to expect and how to deal with it.
This is not a cruise - it is an expedition. Our ship, the Minerva, is known as the best ship in Antarctica (there are 81 ships going there this year, 18 were in the area while we where there, but we only saw 1 of them during our trip). Very experienced naturalists, geologists, scientists, etc were on our ship. They drove the Zodiaks (small 10 person rubber inflatable boats) and gave interesting lectures. There are no casinos or other typical cruise crap on the ship. There were 196 passengers and 174 crew members, including a group of 20 Chinese who were supposed to be on the ship that got stuck the week before we went. The service was A+. Everything was included. No extras at all (except souvenirs or top shelf liquor). It was like being immersed in a National Geographic show for two weeks. Safety was of utmost concern.
We had to dodge icebergs and deal with severe weather (snow storms and winds). We were in Antarctica five full days, and each day you gear up twice to go out on the Zodiaks, sometimes to land on shore, other times to tour around for a couple hours in the boat. This is summer in the southern hemisphere. Temperatures ranged from -10 C to +2 C, but wind chill could drive it lower. It was cold. The water is barely above freezing. The weather can change in an instant. When we went out on the Zodiaks, we were divided into 2 groups (no more than 100 people on shore at once per international treaty). One group went first, and when they returned a few hours later, another group would go out. One day a fog suddenly rolled in, and the first group of Zodiaks got lost in the icebergs. The ship could not anchor, because the currents blow icebergs around, and it has to stay clear of them. So it drifts. They had to sound the fog horns on the ship several times for the Zodiaks to make their way back. Another day the weather was so bad we could not do any Zodiak trips. In all we did eight Zodiak trips.
Most of the people on the cruise are VERY experienced world travelers. Mostly Americans, Australians and Brits. The average age was 56. There were a lot of single travelers, and some of us grouped up naturally and hung out together on the ship.
There are five kinds of penguins in Antarctica, along with many kinds of seals, whales, and birds.
Ushooz did you do a tour? I also do not consider this a 4 letter word like some folks.
quote:
I've been to 73 countries
Someone has more than me.
Yes, I went with Abercrombie & Kent. You cannot just show up in Antarctica. A tour is the only way, other than getting hired to work for one of the scientific bases down there.
Cost about $10K. There are cheaper options, around 4-5K, like defroach says, but I hear they are pretty rough and sometime not very safe.
Cost about $10K. There are cheaper options, around 4-5K, like defroach says, but I hear they are pretty rough and sometime not very safe.
Defroach, you are in Austin, correct? So am I. We should met up sometime for a beer.
Yes I am, north Austin...I am always with talking travel over some beers.