Positioned asymmetrically around the South Pole and largely south of the Antarctic Circle, Antarctica is the Earth’s southernmost continent, surrounded by the Southern Ocean. Antarctica covers more than 14 million sqkm, making it the fifth-largest continent, about 1.3 times as large as Europe. Its coastline, mostly characterised by ice formations, measures 17,968 km.
Antarctica is also the coldest of the Earth’s continents. It used to be ice-free until about 34 million years ago, when it became covered with ice. The lowest natural air temperature ever recorded on Earth was in Antarctica: −89.2°C at the Russian Vostok Station on 21 July 1983.
Several governments maintain permanent manned research stations on the continent. The number of people conducting and supporting scientific research and other work on the continent and its nearby islands varies from about 1,000 in winter to about 5,000 in the summer, giving it a population density between 70 and 350 inhabitants per million square kilometres at these respective times, the lowest population density on the planet.
While Antarctica was known as a source of proteins during its whaling era that lasted until 1966, the 6th continent has been the subject of several treaties that have prohibited any military activity (Antarctic Treaty in 1959) and banned all mining activities (Madrid Protocol in 1998).
Nowadays, adventure, nature and wildlife are the appropriate focus of any Antarctic expedition. Setting foot on Antarctica is like landing on another planet, where landscapes are of an extraordinary dimension and where wildlife – particularly the penguins – have no fear of humans at all. They’ve never had any predators on land, and they are, therefore, confident and curious – which means that traveling to Antarctica is an extraordinary opportunity to experience a real once-in-a-lifetime encounter.
November and December
20 days / 19 nights - from £ 14,100 per person
Capital city: Antarctica does not have a capital as it is a continent, not a country, and does not have a government.
Flight time from Europe: 21 hours (one stop) to Ushuaia.
Time difference: GMT – 3 hours.
Best time to go: November to March.
Visas: Upon boarding a cruise ship or plane to Antarctica, you will need to present a valid passport. Because of the Antarctica Treaty, no visa is required. However, you will be required to obtain a permit.
The Antarctic Treaty’s Protocol on Environmental Protection in 1998 declared that all visitors to Antarctica (who are citizens of one of the countries that signed the Antarctica Treaty) must obtain a permit to enter.
Health requirements: No vaccination is required.
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