trip to antarctica cost | The trip to Antarctica (2/2): practical questions

The trip to Antarctica (2/2): practical questions


Anyone who arrives in the confines of Argentina and Chile, in Tierra del Fuego, can be tempted by the prospect of a polar voyage, to travel to Antarctica, to reach these almost virgin icy lands. But always, some questions, some apprehensions arise: it is to the most frequent questions that Anne answers in this article.

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WHEN TO GO?
Between December and February, it is the season to travel to the South Pole: the pack ice has released part of the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, the climate is bearable (between 2 ° and 8 ° C, but beware of the cold sensation brought by the icy wind) and the sailboats embark number of passengers.

Antarctica in the early morning

I MEASURE 1M55 AND WEIGH 42KG. IS THIS TYPE OF TRAVELING FOR ME, WHO HAS NOTHING A BIG BALÈZE?
Some people think that you have to be tough to go sailing in Antarctica. The author of these lines measures 1m61 for 49kg and came back alive from the white continent. And if it were necessary to start again, she would embark illico. However, it is not a cruise in the Caribbean either, sipping cocktails on the deck (albeit with a good down jacket ...). You must be in good physical and moral condition to withstand the open sea and navigation sometimes muscular Drake passage, the promiscuity of the edge, isolation due to the continent and walks (there, no marked trails!).

Ice floe, the Pitt Islands

Antarctic Dorian Bay

WHERE AND HOW TO SHIP?
Departures for the Antarctic Peninsula are from Ushuaia, in southern Argentina. No direct flights from France. The best is to take a flight Paris-Buenos Aires, then an internal flight Buenos Aires-Ushuaia. Aerolineas Argentinas and LAN Argentina offer scheduled flights. Not the most ecological, we agree, so if you have the time and you feel it, why not go across the Atlantic by boat? I met a few who did it. They loved it.

To find a boat, if you can not resist the call of the Great South but you fear life at an oblique and 8 in the 12m2 of a sailboat, there are the cruise ships, which can contain between 50 and 500 passengers, depending on the companies. This is not our favorite way to travel, but we must recognize that this tourism is reasoned: the boats meet a very precise specifications published by the IAATO (International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators), on the preservation sites, fauna and flora. Learn about the company and its ethics before making your choice.

We, however, prefer to send you to the many yachts that dock in Ushuaia, during the austral summer. They, too, have to fill out a big file with IAATO to get permission to sail in Antarctica. No validation of IAATO, no navigation.

In sailing, count at least 4 weeks, between the round trip to Ushuaia and the cruise itself. For dates and duration, it varies by agency and boat.

You can take a look around here to get an idea:
- Grand Nord Grand Large
- Adventure Cruise Club
- The Boulard

In all cases, liner or sailboat, if your boat did not obtain the validation of the IAATO, flee!

Antarctica with tourists

COST CHEAP, ANTARCTIC TRIP?
Oh yes. But, as suggested above, if you have time in front of you to hang out on the pontoons and try the boat-stop, there is a way to drastically lower the bill. Charter sailboats that do not display complete at the time of departure sometimes accept a traveler who passes by at the last moment, for a lower price. But there, no rules except that of chance, perseverance and coup de bol!