These were the first words to cross my mind when I saw an ad promoting the ‘holiday of a lifetime’ to Antarctica. The white continent, the South Pole… Not in my wildest dreams did I imagine this frozen land could be accessible, but here it was!
The reactions when I announced my travel plans ranged from “You’re kidding me” to “Are you out of your mind?!” But the lure of the South Pole was too much to resist for me — so also for my son, daughter and nephew. That’s how we embarked on the remarkable journey to the southern end of the earth.
Gateway to Antarctica
Ushuaia, the southern-most city of the world, is the capital of the Argentinian province of Tierra Del Fuego. Termed the Gateway to Antarctica, Ushuaia is situated in front of the Beagle channel and surrounded by the Martial Mountain (a part of the mighty Andes). Ushuaia translates as “the bay that penetrates west”. Its port attends to the needs of most expeditions heading towards the White Continent.
Yamanas, our hotel, was named after the first inhabitants who hunted the Fuegian Channels. We first strolled down the main street dotted with shops selling winter wear and sports goods, and equipped ourselves with gloves and the like.
Dinner was a sumptuous affair at the harbour restaurant Tia Elvira, famous for its fish and king crab. We feasted on mussels, king crab and hake, a delicious white fish which literally melts in your mouth.
All aboard
Excited and a wee bit nervous, we headed towards the port early the next day. Our ship was the Plancius, previously the property of the Royal Dutch Navy. It had been bought and redone by Oceanwide Expeditions to ensure passenger comfort.
We boarded the Plancius at 3 pm and found that our luggage made it to our spanking new cabins even before we could find our way around the beautiful ship. The first moments were spent getting acquainted with the others on board, an interesting mix of 19 nationalities. We were also introduced to the highly qualified and experienced staff, headed by Treols Jacobeson.
Leaving Ushuaia at a quarter past eleven in the morning, we sailed the calm waters of the Beagle Channel. Everyone made a beeline for the observation deck, where we enjoyed the balmy weather as the ship sped east.
Magellenic penguins, Imperial shag and sea lions were spotted in the waters but the crowd favourite were the dolphins.
Soon we reached the Drake Passage, which is every sailor’s nightmare as its waters are said to be the world’s roughest. Separating South America from Antarctica, this 800-km wide passage is the shortest crossing from Antarctica. It is here that the cold, humid sub-polar climate starts changing into freezing-dry Antarctic climate.
Luckily there were no storms along the crossing, only huge swells, and the ship did a bit of rock ‘n’ roll of her own. Occasionally the plates and cups would slip and slide a bit in Chalpin-esque fashion but nothing deterred us from enjoying the excellent food on board.
One small step for me
Our first views of land in the Antarctic region were dim shapes through the dense fog. But we had two good shore landings in the south Shetland Islands. Despite the fog providing a bit more ‘atmosphere’ than we wanted, we were happy riding the inflatable Zodiac rafts to the shore. The exciting part was the close encounters with chinstrap penguins and large colonies of gentoo penguins. These friendly souls didn’t seem to be
unduly worried about us aliens landing on their territory either.
My first footstep on the continent was a bit of a snowy affair, true to the Antarctic experience. It was bitterly cold but even that couldn’t dampen our spirits as we landed on the continent in Neko Harbour, with more gentoo penguins to greet us with their shrill calls and a huge but forbidding glacier in the background. While returning to the ship we had our first whale sighting — a Minke right next to our Zodiac raft!
American hospitality
Palmer Station, operated by United States, is one of the premier research stations in the Antarctic. Only 10 or 12 ships are allowed to visit the station each year so we were privileged to be ushered in there. After a tour of the station, we found a souvenir shop and stocked up on ‘Go Antarctica’ memorabilia and even got our passports stamped from Palmer Station — proof that we travelled to the white continent.
After a relaxed lunch, we cruised through the famous Lemaire Channel, which many consider the apex of Antarctic Scenery. Clouds drape the mountain peaks, giving fleeting displays of this magnificent flooded gorge. The water was glassy flat and Pleneau was perfect for zodiac cruising, so that’s what we did. The fabulously sculpted icebergs displaying various shapes, textures and brilliant hues of blue wasere a sight to behold. We had our fair share of marine mammal sightings — crab eater, Weddell and Leopard seals. Not to forget the spectacular glaciated mountains.
After the freezing journey on the rafts we were greeted with cups of steaming hot chocolate laced with Kahlua. The evening ended on a high note with a surprise barbeque on the aft deck.
Camping in the snow
Our next stop was Almirnate Brown station which has one of the most beautiful
surroundings of any Antarctic station. This was the big night: camping on the white
continent. After a quick dinner on board, 15 of us sped off in the zodiacs towards our camp site.
Our guides had already set up tents on the snowy grounds, so all we had to do was roll out our sleeping bags. (The bivouacs had three layers that keep you warm.)
The thrill of sleeping out on the snow in the quiet of the Antarctic night was a dream come true. Most of us stayed awake, too
excited to sleep. Our conversation died away into a deep silence. There was the constant roar of the ice calving, and the skies somehow seemed brighter than back home. The Southern Cross was a sight to behold.
There was a light drizzle in the wee hours of the morning but our bivouacs were good protection from the biting cold of the Antarctic night. It was an incredible feeling — sleeping under the stars on Antarctica!
By 8 am the zodiacs had arrived and we happy campers were back on Plancius with our new experiences to share with the others on board.
An hour later everyone was raring to go for the final landing of our trip. Air temperatures hovered around a cool 1 degree Celsius. It was also an opportunity to have a Polar dip. Many bravehearts, including my daughter and nephew, were willing to plunge into the sub zero water briefly.
Our final zodiac cruise around Melchor islands featured glacier-covered islands, more seals and icebergs. Careful driving got us through the narrow channel and
shallow waters that seems to have been under the glaciers. It was a wonderful end to our amazing trip.
Back to Ushuaia through the Drake Passage; disembarking at the port was a very quick and efficient process. We bid adieu to our brilliant expedition team and the Russian sailing crew.
Looking back, if I were to ask myself whether I would do this trip again — the
answer is a big YES. Though expensive, it was worth every penny spent, an adventure that only few can experience. As for me, I’m headed to my final frontier — the Arctic!
— shamimmohamed@rediffmail.com
Factfile
Getting there: By flight from India to Buenos Aires, Argentina. By ship onward to Antarctica. (Kerala Travels Interserve is the only Indian tour operator offering the Antarctic package.)
Accommodation: All nights will be spent on board the ship, unless you get a rare opportunity to camp out in Antarctica!
Attractions: Beagle channel, Drake Passage, Lemaire Channel, Penguins, Whales, Seals