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How to plan a trip to the Icy Continent

How to plan a trip to the Icy Continent

You need not worry about planning if you have your mind and heart set on exploring the white continent, which is also one of the coldest and remote areas on the face of the planet! This icy continent is actually hidden less than one mile of ice, which makes it impossible for plants to flourish. The temperature in the Antarctica is below freezing- but do not let that put you off, as these tips will help you plan your holiday to the frozen continent.

A trip to Antarctica will undoubtedly be a once in a lifetime opportunity, so you must get it all correct from planning and packing to transportation and other paraphernalia’s In fact, there have been around 37, 552 visitors who have been to the continent and also visited the adjoining areas during the summer of 2006-07- this would be good news! The tourists to Antarctica take three different modes of transportation, such as sightseeing by air, expeditions as well as commercial sea voyages and the latter is the most commonly used mode of transportation.

The International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) is what manages the tourism industry and over 102 member companies are there to promote private tourism to the continent. You can even log on to their website to check out the various travel operators. There are various departures of cruise ships from Hobart (Australia), Ushuaia (Argentina), Bluff (New Zealand) and Punta Arenas (Chile). There are even some rare departures from Fremantle/Perth, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town in South Africa.

There are pros and cons when it comes to deciding on whether to take a smaller or larger cruise. The larger ones are lesser prone to rough weather at sea but have limited options when it comes to landing. On the other hand, the smaller ships might be a little rough and have more landing options.

You should also consider the service provider based on the excursion that they offer like seeing scientific stations, meeting the penguins or perhaps having a guided naturalist hike and so on. The main sights to visit would be the Palmer Station, Mount Erebus, the active penguins.

Remember that you would need warm clothing all along which translates into thermal wear, gloves, boots, warm jackets, fleeces, warm pants – all which are both windproof and waterproof. You can either buy your own or hire them from your port of departure. Other important things to carry along would be seasickness medicine, sunglasses and sunscreen, apart from books, a camera and other gadgets that would keep you company.

Summary:

A trip to Antarctica would not only be a unique experience, but it will also eat up on a lot of your savings, which does not include the airfare to and fro from your embarkation point. However, with some pre-preparation tips, you can make this tough voyage become a pleasant one.

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