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There are no indigenous people on Antarctica.
The population varies from fewer than 1,000 in winter to nearly 35,000 in
summer: 5,000 scientists from 27 of the countries party to the Antarctic
Treaty, plus 29,576 tourists last season - 2006/2007.
Antarctica surrounds the South Pole.
The nearest landmass is South America, which is over 620 miles from the
tip of the Antarctic Peninsula.
Surface area 14 million square miles (36
million square kilometres).
There is no indigenous government,
management of the Antarctic is organised through the legal framework of
the Antarctic Treaty of 1959. Forty-three nations are now party to this
agreement, and seven of those - the UK, Norway, Chile, France, Australia,
Argentina and New Zealand - have historic claims on parts of the continent
as national territory. The 1959 Antarctic Treaty preserves the status quo
of the continent by neither recognizing nor rejecting the claims of these
countries and by not allowing expansion in any way on the continent.
Antarctica currently has no economic activity
apart from offshore fishing and tourism, and these are run by other nations
(i.e. not the continent of Antarctica)
Tourism in the Antarctic is mainly by around 20 vessels
carrying 45 to 280 passengers each.
 The
ships are ice strengthened and sail primarily to the Antarctic Peninsula
region sometimes also including South Georgia and the Falkland Islands (Islas
Malvinas).
There have been occasional voyages to Antarctica by larger
passenger vessels (up to 960 tourists), some of which conduct sightseeing
cruises only without landings. Yacht travel is also very popular, and gives
a smaller scale more intimate contact, though often without the luxuries
and facilities of the larger Antarctica cruise ship.
Several expeditions take place outside the
Peninsula region each season. Voyages have been made to the Weddell Sea,
Ross Sea region and, on occasion, East Antarctica including islands of the
Indian Ocean sector. These expeditions have included visits to emperor penguin
colonies, historical huts, the Dry Valleys and other remote areas.
Weather and ice, not clocks
and calendars, set the schedule for a journey here. No matter what the reason
for your visit, you'll be at the mercy of the continent's changing moods
and weather patterns.
Most trips take about 10 days to 3 weeks
from port to port, though occasionally longer or shorter trips are possible.
Minimum about US$5 000 for a place in a twin cabin
(triples may be available for 15-25% less) plus the cost of air fares and other sundry costs to and from your point
of embarkation and then up to about US$30 000 and beyond. These are
for regular scheduled trips. Of course you can pay more if you want the
best cabins in the best positions
You could put together a trip of your own with other people
with the help of a small vessel operator running your own itinerary, cost
- negotiable, but not too different to the mid to high range scheduled
trips
$8,000 -$10,000 for a 10-14 day cruise is
a reasonable amount.
 Antarctic
visits are mainly concentrated at ice-free coastal zones over the Antarctic
summer, the five-month period from November to March, in high summer there
will be 20+ hours of daylight.
The formation and movement of sea-ice outside of these
times means that from March to November, Antarctica is left to the
over-wintering scientific bases and their crews.
Tourist ships possibly could get in and out earlier
or later in the season, but there is the all too real danger of not being
able to get to the places on the itinerary, or more importantly of being
stuck in the sea-ice and having an enforced winter (for an extra 8 months
or more) as has happened on scientific bases occasionally. So apart from
the odd ice-breaker trip that may leave in October, tourist ships just don't
risk it outside of these months.
Winter pack ice extends over 620 miles around the continent,
it is almost permanently dark and temperatures can drop to as low as -90°C
(-130°F)
Temperature Range; December – February 20°F to 50°F
-6°C to +10°C
November & Early
December (Late Spring / Early Summer)
 | Winter pack ice is starting
to melt and break up. The scenery is white, clean and pristine with
pack ice and giant icebergs.
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| Courting season for
penguins and seabirds – see spectacular courtship rituals.
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| Seals visible on fast
ice.
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| Spring wildflowers in
the Falklands and South Georgia. |
| Elephant and fur seals
establish their breeding territories. |
Mid-December and
January (Mid Summer)
| Normally Antarctica's
warmest months.
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| Longer days create great
light conditions and fabulous photo opportunities at midnight.
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| Antarctic chicks hatch.
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| South Georgia and the
Falklands – first penguin chicks emerge and fur seals are breeding.
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| Seal Pups visible on
South Georgia and the Falklands.
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| Receding ice allows
for more exploration.
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February
and March (Late Summer)
| Whale sightings are
at their best.
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| Penguin chicks start
to fledge.
|
| Receding pack ice allows
ships to explore further south.
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| More fur seals in the
Antarctic Peninsula. |
 Peninsula
voyages generally depart from Ushuaia in Argentina, other South
American ports are occasionally used. The great majority of
trips leave from South America, those that leave from elsewhere
tend to be longer and more expensive - considerably so.
Visits to the Peninsula region usually involve
a round trip from Ushuaia. Those to Eastern Antarctica and the Ross
Sea area often involve two different ports, e.g. Hobart (Aus) to
Christchurch (NZ), Port Elizabeth (SA) to Hobart (Aus).
For trips to the Ross region and Eastern Antarctica,
commonly used ports are: Hobart (Australia),
Auckland and Lyttelton-Christchurch (New Zealand).
Departures rarely set out from from Cape Town
and Port Elizabeth (South Africa) and Fremantle / Perth (Australia).
No documentation or visas are required
to visit Antarctica, but if your cruise stops off at other countries
en route, visas and documentation may be required for them.
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Ship size and the
cruise |
|
 There
are passenger ships of a variety of sizes that sail to Antarctica
and the choice of ship can make a big difference to your journey
and experiences.
First of all Antarctic cruises aren't like other
more well known cruises to warmer climates with discos, and showbiz
entertainment, though the larger the ship, the more likely there
is to be entertainment provided.
What you will find are a number of very well informed
and experienced cruise guides working on the ship who will give
lectures on a regular basis about various aspects of Antarctic history
and natural history. These will also often be around to socialize
in the evenings along with some of the ships crew and captain.
There are rules laid down by the
International Association
of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO) covering such things as the
size of cruise ship allowed to enter Antarctic waters and covering
conduct at landing sites in Antarctica. This is a voluntary organization
and is well respected, you should always make sure that the ship
/ tour company you go to Antarctica with is a member of IAATO.
One of the main
rules that will impact on your visit is that only 100 passengers
at any one time may be landed in any one place in Antarctica.
If you are on a small ship of up to 100 passengers, then you get
a chance to go ashore every time. If the ship is larger, then
there will be less opportunity for landings. Although, surprisingly,
there are number of people who go to Antarctica and never leave
the ship - the choice obviously is yours.
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Ship types
Taken from the Cool Antarctica forum:
Q. I'm considering going
on an Antarctic cruise, but I'm a bit wary that the reality won't be
like it seems from pictures I've seen and hearing from people who spent
years there. How realistic is two weeks for instance? I'd be interested
in hearing form any one who has been on an Antarctic cruise whether
it lived up to expectations or not.
A. Hello, I know you
posted your question a long time ago, so you may well have visited the
White Continent by now - if not, and you can afford it - go!
It is the experience of a lifetime.
2 weeks is never enough, but is a good introduction
to the landscape/scenery/wildlife. I came back about 2 weeks ago and
it surpassed all my hopes - none of the books you read, photos you see,
prepare you for actually being there in the most spiritual, beautiful
landscape in the world. You will no doubt go on a cruise ship - don't
choose a big one, or you'll never get ashore - go with a small ship
(less than 50 passengers) and make sure they are members of the IAATO
(Antarctic tour operators association) as this will guarantee your trip
does not adversely impact the environment there.
I've just returned from an expedition to the Ross
Sea aboard the 'Kapitan
Khlebnikov' with Quark Expeditions. Definitely the trip of a
lifetime - the scenery, wildlife, historic huts etc are just awesome
and we also visited several science stations. I can't recommend Quark
too highly; their logistics are superb (ship, helicopters, zodiacs)
and the expedition staff are fantastic!
If you can afford it (and it's not cheap), then a
voyage on an icebreaker rather than just an ice-strengthened ship is
the way to get to the places others can't, and the helicopters do add
a whole extra dimension to the possible range of shore landings (plus
sight-seeing flights as well).
The Lonely Planet 'Antarctica' guide*
has good info for trip planning, and a Google search on 'Antarctic
tourism' will also point you to several useful sites.
Finally, take far more film / video tape etc than
you think you could possibly need...
Mike - Wales, UK
*
Lonely Planet from
USA
|
UK
Email received:
"Our weather was perfect. Cape Horn could have been
rounded in a rowboat (which rather now spoils reading adventure stories).
The Antarctic Circle and the Midnight Sun were more than exciting. A
new appreciation of the continent and the need to protect it environmentally
are now part of my being.
I know from reading your site that you are concerned about the tourist
industry and Antarctica, and justly so. We were tourists on a ship (Holland
American - Amsterdam - 1100 passengers) that simply came to look. Since
there were so many people we could not set foot on the continent due
to the logistics of getting 100 people at a time on land and off. I
was very impressed by the quality of the scientists who lectured to
us - an ice pilot, a biologist, a man who had led a polar expedition
several years ago, a geologist with 40 years experience in the polar
regions.
As soon as we entered the Antarctic waters the tone of the trip changed
to one of an expedition - no fancy entertainment, no talk of fun and
games but a delighted seriousness of being in a very special place.
(the food and comfort however remained probably not one of a serious
expedition)
I have printed your What's it like in Antarctica? pages 1 and 2 to
put with my photo album. Thanks so much for getting that information
into one place. I know it represents many hours of hard work. It is
appreciated."
Phyl Weaver - USA
Cold mountain
Thomas Keneally travels
on the Kapitan Khlebnikov to return a biscuit.
I first went to Antarctica in 1968, for somewhat under a fortnight.
In those days one could visit the continent only as a member
of an official group, and the American ambassador in Canberra,
Bill Crook, a noble soul who would later give his life to a
... |
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Tell me more
about a trip to Antarctica!
|
2009/10 Itinerary
|
Antarctic
Peninsula, Falklands, South Georgia cruises |
Antarctica
Cruise - The Peninsula
From $3,890 |
Antarctica
Cruise
Possibly the best overall trip, kayaking and scuba
 |
Falklands, South Georgia, & Antarctic Peninsula
Most popular trip including South Georgia at the best
time of year |
South Georgia
and the Falkland Islands
25 days - National Geographic Partnership |
Antarctic Peninsula
climbing, kayaking |
Antarctica
Cruise
Comfortable expedition ship at half capacity |
|
Emperor
Penguin Safari, ice-breaker trip to the Weddell Sea |
Antarctica
Cruise - The Peninsula
Active Adventure - kayaking and climbing |
Antarctic Circle
optional scuba
|
Antarctic
Circle
Kayaking, Camping |
|
Antarctic
Peninsula
ice-breaker |
|
Cruises in Eastern Antarctica
- Ross Sea Region |
Historic
Huts & Antarctic Heroes
Ross Ice Shelf, McMurdo Sound |
Epic
Antarctica via the Phantom Coast and the Ross Sea
31 days, icebreaker |
Icebergs &
Emperors
Mawson’s hut, East Antarctic coast |
|
Whale watching cruises |
|
Galapagos cruises |
|
Lonely Planet travel guide
Antarctica
USA
|
UK
Antarctica Cruising
Guide
USA
|
UK
Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage, Alfred Lansing
Antarctic Oasis: Under the Spell of South Georgia, Pauline Carr
and Tim Carr
The Worst Journey in the World, Apsley Cherry-Garrard
Terra Incognita: Travels in Antarctica, Sara Wheeler
The Crystal Desert, David Campbell |
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