This is Donovan Leong’s story. He is a traveler, a beach bum, an adventurer, a mountaineer, a gourmet, a heritage lover, a polyglot. Find him at www.donstravels.com
If you are like most travelers, you normally only see the a part of the world that is intended for mainstream tourists. However, in the event you look beyond these famous tourist spots, you’ll discover that there are places stuffed with each beauty and adventure.
Take Antarctica for instance. If you are on the lookout for an out-of-this-world adventure, Antarctica is the proper selection. It truly is the last largely unexplored frontier on Earth! No one lives there except mad scientists who conduct research on sea stations for about six months yearly.
Antarctica is a photographer’s paradise, with a pristine and natural landscape containing a number of the most incredible landscapes on the planet. The wildlife can also be incredibly diverse and largely site-specific, akin to the elegant emperor penguin. All in all, the fantastic thing about Antarctica is breathtaking – from exotic animals to spectacular sunsets.
Why I visited Antarctica
There were several reasons for my stay on the last frontier on Earth. With some free time on my hands (and being within the prime of my life), I made a decision it was time to satisfy my wanderlust. After all, I actually have at all times liked to dive into the unknown and unexplored and are available out with more interesting knowledge concerning the world. I could also finally say that I actually have visited all seven continents! Finally, I believed this could be a great opportunity to teach my friends who had incorrectly assumed that Antarctica was on the North Pole (it was actually on the South Pole).
Drive
My journey to Antarctica begins in Ushuaia, the southernmost city in Argentina (and on the planet). To get to Ushuaia, I flew from Singapore and flew to varied destinations in Europe and Argentina. The flight back home was largely similar, with transits through other cities in Argentina and Europe before landing in Singapore.
Cruise to Antarctica
As the closest port to the tip of Antarctica, Ushuaia is the proper place to cruise to the southernmost continent. The city offers a lot of these cruises through the summer, when a number of the ice within the Southern Ocean has melted enough for ships to sail through. Remember that within the Southern Hemisphere the seasons are reversed, so summer lasts from around November to March!
In Ushuaia I used to be in a position to discover a cruise called Ocean Diamond that left two days later. Our two-day cruise through the Drake Passage was tormented by rough waters, with the ship continually rocking up and down. We needed to hold on to the railing and make sure that our stuff was secured! Unlike many passengers, I managed to survive the journey without seasickness.
Despite the rough seas, I spent most of my time eating for the primary two days. Not only was the food really good, but I also desired to eat food that was value my money. After all, all meals are included within the cruise price. The quality of meals through the cruise was surprisingly high, and the ship offered breakfast and lunch buffets. There was also a three-course dinner with a selection of soup, salad and important course. What’s more, afternoon tea with sandwiches, cookies and occasional/tea was also served through the cruise!
Since there was no land in sight, through the cruise there have been talks by professionals and film shows that kept us busy. The topics of the talks included geology, marine biology and ornithology. We even learned what different species of penguins are called and learn how to recognize them based on their appearance! This actually got here in handy after we later began spotting penguins.
We first spotted penguins on Barrientos Island, considered one of the smaller islands within the South Shetland Islands. We managed to get near a big flock of Gentoos penguins and take quite a few photos of them.
We then made stopovers at other locations akin to Orne Harbor, Paradise Harbor, Neko Harbor and Cuverville Island. We saw other species of penguins at these locations, including Chinstraps, that are my favorite. They look so cute with the black line on the chin that resembles a chinstrap!
When we finally arrived in Antarctica, I used to be immediately impressed by the pristine landscape, unlike some other I had ever seen in my life. Interestingly, only 100 people can enter the island at any time. This helped keep the environment pristine, which I actually appreciated. We thus alternated between cruising the waters within the Zodiac boats and going ashore to explore the islands.
In addition to flocks of penguins, we also saw ringed seals, terns, snowy shearwaters, a lone Ross seal, and a bunch of humpback whales within the open ocean.
The cruise also offers optional activities, akin to sea kayaking ($950) and camping ($250) on the Antarctic Peninsula, which unfortunately I didn’t determine to try.
However, I made the polar leap! It was a cruise event where you jump into the icy waters of the Southern Ocean. I had some concerns at first since the water temperature was around 1-3°C. There were also pieces of ice floes floating around! I managed to muster up the courage to enter the water, where after a moment of shock, I used to be quickly overcome by numbness. After getting out of the ocean as quickly as possible, I used to be handed a towel and a mug of hot chocolate. I felt truly relieved and proud that I had survived the polar plunge. It was an experience I’ll always remember!
In total, my journey from Ushuaia to Antarctica lasted seven days, with two days traversing the Drake Passage and five days on the peninsula. It also took us two days to return to Argentina via the Drake Passage.
Cost of a visit to Antarctica
To enjoy big discounts of as much as 50%, I like to recommend going to Ushuaia and on the lookout for last minute cruises as a substitute of booking a visit online. There are several travel agencies in town offering the identical packages as prices are controlled by the tour corporations.
Prices range from $6,000-$10,000 for a 10-day cruise, depending on the cruise company and where they may dock. Prices include all meals on board and accommodation.
The average price you can pay is $4,000. You can improve deals in the event you are flexible and share a triple cabin with friends or random strangers. Listings typically range from $4,000 to $5,000, with apartments costing a minimum of $6,000 to $7,000. Prices don’t include flights to Ushuaia.
For those that don’t love such spontaneity, book your cruise roughly six months to a yr upfront to enjoy the very best prices.
My takeaway from Antarctica
My cruise world wide’s southernmost continent was incredibly memorable and I learned so much about it. For example, 98% of the Antarctic continent stays completely frozen for the remainder of the yr. Antarctica can also be the most important desert on the planet! Despite its thick ice, Antarctica is definitely classified as a desert because little or no moisture falls from the sky. It was really interesting to learn more concerning the only continent on the planet that was not commonly settled by humans.
My trip to Antarctica was definitely a visit I’ll always remember! The long flights and freezing weather were daunting, however the view at the top was value it.
Source : tripzilla.com
