“Goooooood morning, my dear expedition members!” Our expedition leader, Kuba’s now familiar voice sounds from the speakers in our portal cabin on the Magellan Explorer. “We will be arriving at the South Shetland islands in the morning, and we should be seeing our first iceberg sometime in the middle of the night.” A swell of excitement rose in my chest. I was almost there- to my seventh and final continent, Antarctica!
I had been bitten by the travel bug at 18, when I visited my first country outside of the United States, Brazil. I was captivated by the beauty of Rio’s landscape, the colorful homes on the hillsides, the tiny monkeys in the trees that ate bananas directly from your hands, and the brazen heat mixed with Samba music.
After that trip, I knew I wanted to see the world. Studying abroad in London allowed me easy access to Western Europe. I spent months in Australia and New Zealand.
Eventually, my work with a nonprofit took me to Nepal to trek to Everest Base Camp, then to Tanzania to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, and again to the Philippines to minister to victims of human trafficking. My heart is so filled, and my horizons so expanded by world travel!
When I would tell people I was going to visit Antarctica, I got a mix of responses. People were either very excited and curious about the opportunity, or they would frown and with furrowed eyebrows they would ask, “Why would you want to go there?” The basic answer I gave was, “Because it is incredible…and because I want to reach my 7th continent!”
“According to recent data, a very small percentage of people visit Antarctica, with only around 1% of the global population having ever traveled there, as most people are deterred by the high cost and logistical challenges of reaching the continent,” a Google search concluded. Tourism to Antarctica has only been an option for about 60 years, so historically, not many people have ever even dreamed of visiting.
I can understand why Antarctica is not the most visited continent. Antarctica is the coldest, driest and windiest continent on Earth. It is actually a desert. In the winter, it is surrounded by sheet ice and the entire continent expands by almost double. The average temperature of the interior is about -71 degrees Fahrenheit, rendering it unlivable. However, on the coast in the summer, which begins in November, the temperature is around 32 degrees F. During the summer, Antarctica has about 20 -24 hours of daylight. The summer season is the only time it is safe and accessible for tourism.
What is there to do in Antarctica? If you are a photographer, a naturalist, or an animal enthusiast, the wildlife in Antarctica will thrill you.
Our landings required taking a smaller boat called a zodiac from the mudroom of the cruise ship, where we cleaned and sanitized specially sanctioned boots from the ship. We set foot on land and were greeted by thousands of Gentoo, Adelie and Chinstrap penguins!
During the course of the trip, we also saw several types of seals as well as orcas, humpback whales, and many species of Arctic birds. We also went snowshoeing, hiked an active volcano, and even had a chance to stand on some thick sheet ice that we came across!
One of the insane touristy things to do is to take the polar plunge, which 67 of the 92 visitors on the ship did. We jumped off of the back of the cruise ship into the frigid Southern Ocean.
November is mating season for the penguins, and male penguins present small pebbles to female prospective mates. They use these stones to build a raised platform for their eggs. It was fascinating to see the penguins mate, and hilarious to watch as a few times, the males would aggressively chase a female penguin around!
During our trip, we saw a sight so rare that none of the expedition team leaders had ever seen one before: a “leucistic” Gentoo penguin, with white feathers rather than black. The penguin is not technically albino, since it had black eyes and an orange beak. We were very lucky to come across this penguin, as this condition only occurs in 1 in 140,000 penguins!
Aside from the wildlife, the glory of the landscape around us was more than enough reason to visit. The snow-covered mountains, massive glaciers, broken up sheet ice, and pristine icy waters were a sight unlike anything I’ve ever seen. The beauty around us as we cruised around in zodiacs was simply unreal.
As we left Antarctica, our cruise ship was surrounded by hundreds of porpoising penguins, and three humpback whales. It was such an incredible sight, and a perfect way to say goodbye. I would 100 percent recommend a trip to Antarctica for all you slightly crazy adventurers out there. For those on the fence because of the cost or time commitment, the only thing I can say is… you only live once!
