A wondrous gift wrapped in white! Or as it’s often referred to, “the white continent”. How true that is! Only about 100,000 people per year experience this spectacular part of the world. The summer season is short (December-February) when wildlife is most active and temperatures may rise above freezing (if you’re lucky). Most people, like us, travel on commercial vessels and visit the Antarctic Peninsula. This is mainly due to the peninsula’s proximity to Ushuaia, Argentina (the last point of departure from South America). As it’s affectionately known “Fin del Mundo” (The end of the World)!

Our 20 day Oceania Cruise adventure departed from Santiago, Chile and ventured through Patagonia around the tip of South America, with 5 magical days to Antarctica. This was followed by a northward voyage to the Falkland Islands (or the “Malvinas”, as Argentina still claims it as their own) up to Uruguay and terminating in Buenos Aires.

If you’re considering a trip to this part of the world (it really is worth it!), here’s some information to contemplate:

How to visit Antarctica?

Visiting Antarctica means “responsibility”. All who venture there for a few days (passengers) or longer (scientific researchers) are bound by the Antarctic Treaty, signed in 1959, to be caretakers of this southern gem. The Treaty and its code of conduct, ensures all vessels entering Antarctic waters meet certain standards and abide by the documented environmental protection and peaceful conduct. How novel! Wouldn’t it be nice if the world’s other 6 continents could establish such an agreement?!

Throughout the numerous onboard lecture series, we were enlightened about the Treaty details and visitors’ obligations.

Travel options

For tourists, there are really two general categories of travel options to choose. One, an expedition ship (approximately 200-300 passengers and the option to walk on the Antarctic peninsula in a controlled manner) or a larger vessel (approximately 1000 passengers with no option to step on the peninsula).

We chose the latter, for a couple of reasons. Mostly, my recent bouts of sea sickness took us a little by surprise and had us spooked! A larger ship seemed to be a better option for crossing the infamous Drake Passage. We were also looking for the option to visit the lower part of South America, versus only from Ushuaia to Antarctica. The longer cruise seemed to check these boxes for us. Of course, if walking on the Antarctic ice and exploring in zodiacs is calling you, then the expedition ships may be your best choice! For further information, check out this Forbes article from 2023 comparing options.

The Drake Passage

We were soooo lucky! Our first day departing from Ushuaia and entering the Drake was pretty rolly (is that even a word?). Swells were about 3m (15ft) and I was grateful to have brought along some good drugs! I was fearful we may experience the “Drake Shake”. By evening, however, the ocean smoothed considerably and the remaining two days of our crossing were calm. The “Drake Lake” was our destiny. Thank goodness!

Once we reached the Antarctic Peninsula, the calmness and blue skies persisted. We were so fortunate! The stillness, beauty and serenity were breathtaking. Our first day was like Disney World for adults! We sailed through incredibly narrow channels, dodging icebergs with sunbathing sea lions, whale and penguin spottings were plentiful, and spectacular landscapes in every direction.

We literally spent the day running all over the ship trying to ensure we didn’t miss a thing! All passengers were outside (with a few runs indoors for a quick expresso or hot chocolate to warm up). Our adrenaline was pumping, our cameras were clicking and the energy on board was extraordinary. Even the ship’s educational speakers who had completed previous Antarctic expeditions were in awe of the conditions and gorgeous wildlife sightings!

Onboard Education

As part of the Antarctic Treaty, all vessels entering these waters must provide information and education to those who visit. How fortunate we were to have 4 amazing, well-versed and friendly “Antarctic Experts” to educate us. These four men were always available to chat with, ask questions of, hang out and even share a beverage or two with us. Such a treat!

“Ice Baby Ice”

The memorable quote of “ice baby ice” was frequently heard from our friendly Oceanography professor emeritus, Al Trujillo. His lectures about all things ICE were extraordinary and so entertaining. Who knew ice could be so interesting?! Al really brought the concept of ice to life and helped us understand so much about Antarctica’s importance to our planet. Thank you Al!

Here’s a small selection of the awesome icebergs we passed, sometimes within meters of them. In speaking to many fellow passengers onboard who had visited Alaska, the feelings were unanimous, when it came to icebergs, Antarctica was like “Alaska on steroids”!

What?? The world’s largest floating mass!

Early in our onboard lectures we learned that in 2023 the world’s largest floating mass was on the move once again. A-23A (as it’s known in iceberg nomenclature) had come “unstuck” from the ocean’s floor and was moving northerly with the currents at a rate of approximately 7km per day. This means, as it travels north, it will continue to break apart, slowly melt, and diminish in size. Currently, it is approximately 45 miles long and 27 miles wide, or the size of the entire island of Oahu, Hawaii!

We’re coming to you A-23A!

On the third day of our adventures in the Antarctic peninsula, a very excited Professor Al was at our favourite early morning coffee spot and gave us the news that we were going to see A-23A today! What??!! Our sea conditions were awesome and our captain was very adventurous. Our ship sped through the Antarctic waters and we were on a mission, the ship’s energy was abuzz! Have a listen to this footage to understand what the hype was all about: A-23A is on the Move!

Unfortunately, by late afternoon clouds were beginning to form and our blue sky days were ending, but the massive iceberg A-23A was coming into view! There is no way of describing it’s dimensions. It goes on for miles, it’s as long as the horizon on both sides! Not only is it pristine and expansive, but it’s also tall. An estimated 40m (120 ft) above water which means 400m of ice depth below (only 1/10th of an iceberg floats above water)! We slowly travelled along A-23A’s shoreline for a few hours and did not cover half its length. The photo doesn’t begin to do it justice, this is just “the tip of the real iceberg”.

A family member from Shackleton’s Expedition

Another of our amazing educators was Peter McCarthy. A Kiwi who’s great-uncle (Timothy McCarthy) was a crew member on Sir Ernest Shackleton’s famous Antarctica Endurance expedition in the early 1900’s. Not only was his uncle part of the larger crew of 28 but he was selected by Shackleton for the final push with 6 men to travel the crazy journey from Elephant Island in their attempt to successfully find rescuers on South Georgia Island. What a legacy Peter carries and relayed to us in various segments throughout our Antarctica journey. The story ended sadly however, after all 28 men were rescued (following a 1.5 year expedition), Timothy McCarthy enlisted in the British Royal Navy (WWI) and 6 months later he died when the navy vessel was torpedoed and sunk.

Recommended Read: On our reading list is the highly recommended book Endurance:Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage. It will, apparently, paint a vivid image of this extraordinary journey. Having now visited this harsh part of the world, this novel will have so much more personal meaning.

Marine Mammals galore!

Our friendly, local marine mammal scientist, Dr. Renato Borrass-Chavez of Baylor University, was another wonderful source of information. His exuberant lectures educated us on many aspects of his extensive marine mammal research in the Antarctica. Renato was always willing to answer questions while wandering the decks and patiently awaiting the random appearance of some beautiful sea creature!

Photographer Extraordinaire!

Finally, another wonderful Kiwi, Andy Wood, an amazing photographer and explorer. His work is so inspiring. Andy shared many Antarctic adventure stories and photography tips. Of course, his outstanding photography brings it all to life. Thank you for the inspiration, Andy!

Finally, this is our actual route within the Antarctic Peninsula:

In case you didn’t notice – we LOVED this adventure! Have you been to Antarctica? Do you want to go? We’d love to hear from you!

If you’d like to read about our recent experience in northern Chile, check out our blog post Amazing things to see in Chile’s Atacama Desert.

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