Antarctica Adventure: Departure from the "End of the World"!

 

Antarctica is often considered by most people to be a mysterious place too cold and too far away to contemplate visiting but when I realised that it was possible to visit the frozen continent as a tourist, I immediately started making plans. In this series of blog posts, I will share the details of my recent trip to South America and Antarctica, my biggest adventure yet!

Antarctica is the windiest, driest and coldest place on earth. So unforgiving is the continent that only a few well adapted animals can survive on it. There is no permanent resident human population in Antarctica apart from a handful of scientists in the various stations dotted around the continent (I will write about these later). Antarctica is also the only continent that grows to several times its size at certain times of the year. In Winter, several hundreds of kilometres of sea ice surround continental Antarctica effectively doubling its size. Antarctica is only accessible to tourists during the summer season between November and March so if you want to visit, you have to plan for that period. I am told that one is also more likely to find a good bargain at the beginning and towards the end of the tourist season.

During this trip, I had the opportunity to learn about the history of the continent and the several sovereign claims by a handful of countries. Thanks to the Antarctic Treaty of 1959, no single country “owns” Antarctica. All historical claims have been suspended and human activities are strictly regulated. Only research, fishing and tourism are currently permitted. The Antarctic Treaty is said to be the most successful international agreement and has been observed by all signatories till date. To minimize human impact on the delicate ecosystem, one of the stipulations of the Treaty is that not more than 100 humans may disembark at any one time at a specific landing site.

How to get to Antarctica

The main route to Antarctica is by sea but there is a small airfield (Troll Airfield) on the continent that receives some charter flights. History was recently made when Norse Atlantic Airways successfully landed a Boeing 787 (Dreamliner) at Troll Airfield. This was a one-off flight delivering supplies to scientists so don’t expect to be able to book a commercial flight on a jumbo jet anytime soon (if ever). Ships sail to Antarctica from five “Gateway” cities; Ushuaia (Argentina), Punta Arenas (Chile), Christ Church (New Zealand), Hobart (Australia) and Cape Town (charter flights only). Of all these, Ushuaia is probably the most famous as it is the biggest city closest to Antarctica and it was from here that I started my voyage to the frozen continent.

Ushuaia (54.8019° S, 68.3030° W), given the title fin del Mundo (end of the world) by locals, is located at the southern tip of Argentina, separated from the southern strip of Chile by the Beagle Channel. It is often referred to as the world’s southernmost city. This would be considered correct given its population of over 80,000 however, the much smaller city of Puerto Williams, Chile (population of around 2,000) is just south of Ushuaia. Just like most resort cities, Ushuaia has the usual amenities including shops, restaurants and bars along the main high street (San Martin). The port of Ushuaia where cruise ships depart for Antarctica is within a short walk from the city centre.

Ushuaia can be reached by direct flights from Buenos Aires and the journey takes around 3.5 hours. I strongly recommend booking a window seat on the right side as the approach to Ushuaia airport involves a dramatic descent between mountains and over the bay. The Argentinian national carrier, Aerolineas Argentinas, and the low-cost carrier, JetSmart, fly the Ushuaia-Buenos Aires route several times daily. While I heard a number of negative stories about Aerolineas Argentinas, including delays and strike actions, my experience of flying with them was good but one of my flights was slightly delayed. All the others departed on time. JetSmart was also good but like other low-cost carriers, check your baggage allowance and size carefully to avoid eye-watering costs at the airport. Both airlines offer reasonable flight prices if booked in advance. Regarding strike actions, I narrowly avoided one on the way back so if taking a cruise from Ushuaia, ensure that you fly in 24-48 hours ahead of the departure date of your cruise!

During summer, many of the visitors to Ushuaia are essentially on their way  to Antarctica but I also met a few who were just visiting the region. In winter, I am told the area also receives visitors for the skiing season. Most of the attractions around the city centre are thus geared towards tourists.

Handmade souvenirs can be bought from a small artisan market just opposite the Port of Ushuaia and I highly recommend visiting it.

About things to do in Ushuaia, there are hiking trails around the bay and around the nearby mountains and lakes. There is also a large reserve, Tierra del Fuego National Park, as well as boat trips to nearby islands along the Beagle Channel and to the Chilean side of the channel. There are also buses to Patagonia (which I didn’t get a chance to visit on this occasion).

Antarctica Cruises from Ushuaia

There are several tour companies offering last minute Antarctica tours in Ushuaia but from my investigations, they are all middlemen for the tour operators who actually run the ships. This means that you are not likely to find any price quotes on the high street which is less than the official price for the ship and specific cabin. When you book with a tour company, they all have to contact the tour operator to confirm that the space is still available. Ensure that you ask the tour company for free winter gear (jacket, trousers and gloves) as they often provide these. The ships departing for Antarctica from Ushuaia range from mid-size ships to massive cruise liners and the price ranges from around 4000 USD per person for a shared twin cabin to tens of thousands for the luxury cruises! Triple suites are also available on some ships. I went with the MV Ushuaia which is a mid size former US research ship with a capacity for up to 90 passengers. Going to Antarctica with a small ship offers several advantages (and some disadvantages) which I will discuss later.

I set out on this trip knowing that I was going to Antarctica but did not book ahead as I was hoping to find some cheaper deals in Ushuaia (cheap me, I know)! I only rang two tour companies while I was in Buenos Aires the day before I was meant to fly to Ushuaia. I compared prices for the same cabin on the same ship and the two quotes were identical. I had the intention of going with the 10-day cruise which was departing in a few days' time time but stubbornly decided not to book until I arrived in Ushuaia in the hope that I would get a better bargain at the last minute. It turned out that by the time I got to Ushuaia, the ship had sold out and the only option was to wait for the next departure in 10 days! That silly decision of mine essentially shattered my return plans and I was faced with returning home without visiting Antarctica (not an option) or hanging around for 10 days. I decided on the latter but I was not going to spend the entire time in Ushuaia so I decided on a whim to do a South American tour with stops in Chile and Uruguay! Before leaving Ushuaia, I decided to visit the Tierra de Fuego national park.

Tierra del Fuego National Park is a huge expanse of nature reserve located within an hour’s drive from Ushuaia. I took one of the many shuttle busses from the city centre. The bus will usually drop off tourists at the End of the World Post Office. From there, there are hiking trails which go through the forest, coastlines and between mountains. Along the way, there were many vistas including views along the channel separating Argentina from Chile. I ended the hiking trail at a museum dedicated to the Yahgan Tribe, the indigenous peoples who inhabited the area before the arrival of European colonisers. The entrance fee to the National Park was around 12,000 Argentinean Pesos (about 13 USD) for international tourists.

The following day, I flew back to Buenos Aires to commence my absolutely unplanned South American tour!

-To be continued