Who's actually been?
 

This seems a rather rare destination. Anyone actually been?

Alas, a continent that I have not yet ever visited! http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/frown.gif

Unless you get assigned there, the only other way to visit is with tour companies going there. You would be suprised at the number that do offer trips.

I haven't been either - but have a facination with visiting someday. I did receive a brochure from the World Wildlife Foundation for a tour they support. It includes a cruise on a very small ship, visits to many islands, etc. - all for a price of something like $30,000 per person! Yikes!

That would be a dream trip if I had 30 large laying around the house. There are also small-ship cruises up north to Alaska that focus a lot on nature/wildlife. Someday...

My wife and I went there several years ago to fulfill a silly goal of going to all 7 continents in one year.

We took a cruise and paid about $7000 each. You can also fly there on charter flights from Southern Chile.

The views are beautiful, but perhaps not breathtaking. We stopped off on land one day to see the penguins, but one thing that fails to make the brochures is that the penguins smell incredibly bad because of all the manure that thaws out in the sun.

I took one of the sightseeing flights from Australia over Antarctica last year, so while I didn't stand on the continent, I got as close as comfortably possible (8000 vertical feet). http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/smile.gif


[This message has been edited by hauteboy (edited 04-11-2003).]

To those who are interested...

I'm trying to go to Antarctica for the Austral Summer. I figured the best way (read cheapest) would be to go in support of the U.S. Research stations there.

If you're interested, try looking at www.polar.org and click on the employment link (that's for those of us insane enough to actually go for four or six months but not rich enough to drop 30K or so in travel). ;D



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Travel light, travel cheap, travel often

I've done 6 continents.. and I would love to do #7. My recent AAA magazine lists a Holland America cruise to South America and Antarctica for $5776 on the ms Ryndam Jan 23 to Feb 15, 2002 that includes air, 1 night at the starting point of Santiago, Chili with stops around/in Antartic islands and passages, Argentina, Falkland Islands, Uruguay and ending in Rio de Janerio, Brazil. If anyone wants to hire me as their personal assistant on this cruise - let me know! <chuckle>. Some day.......

I went in 1998 and I just paid $5000 with a Canadian company called Marine Expeditions. I shared a room with a woman I didn't know but who spent most of her time with her parents who were beside our room. This included Buenos Aires, Argentina before and after the cruise, aifare from Miami to Buenos Aires, Ushuahia, and an extensxion of the trip to the Iguazu Falls in Argentina and Brazil.

I differ from Millionmiler but I know that is a matter of opinion. We went to land everyday that was possible and sometimes more than once per day in the zodiacs. The scenery for me was breathtaking. It was amazing to find the penguins, seals and birds in this climate and even the humans in Port Lockroy. The penguins are funny to watch. I have traveled a lot and this has been my favorite trip so far.

Antarctica is a vast region, the area that most people from the US go to is the Antarctic Penninsula. It is outside the Artic circle, reached by ship from the southern tip of South America. I went last Christmas with Marine Expeditions and was very pleased. The weather was very moderate, and the guides knew just where to go to see the wildlife. I wasn't crazy about going, but liked it so much that I would go back. It takes 2 days by ship to get to the penninsula, 3 days touring, and 2 days back. If I had it to do over, I would choose a tour that was longer, and see the Emperor Penguins. I think the penguin poop smell gets worse with the season-at Christmas there was only one colony where it was objectionable. My usual computer is being updated, or I would include some websites of interest. I don't remember all the legal issues of Marine Expeditions, but last year, the sister company, World Expeditions went belly up and stranded 2 ships full of passengers on an around the world cruise. I know that technically, my money paid in May was paid to a corporation that went bankrupt, and the new corporation honored my payment in the interest of goodwill. All went well with the cruise, and I have since done internet searches to try and see if there were any problems with Antarctica trips, and found no bad reports. Their tour staff on the ship was great-extremely capable and willing to please. The phone staff in Canada could use some organization

Here's the next best thing:
watch Imax film on Shacklton's fantastic expedition in 1914.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/shackleton/1914/

Glen has a detailed photo report on spending the first day of the Millennium on the Antarctic Circle on a Russian icebreaker:

www.glenstephens.com/penguin.html



[This message has been edited by Joh (edited 07-31-2001).]

Reading about a cruise about a year ago, most people on it had already been to the other 6 continents, and wanted make #7.

need to make the 7th, but would like to make all of travelers century club destinations. any info?