Antarctica Travel Blogs, Travelogues, and Travel Journals

WOOHOO FIRST LANDING OF THE EXPEDITION!!! I was so excited to get out of the boat. Our first landing at 4pm, it takes time to put on layers of clothes. After lunch, I grabbed my binoculars and my jacket to go outside to take photos entering Deception Island. There are only small amounts of snow caps on the mountains.  It was an active volcano.  We will be landing on whale’s bay. It is where the explorers will dig and make a swallow pool for brave souls to do the famous POLAR …

Sunrise 03:42, sunset 22:11.Our first glimps of land today, it was Elephant Island in the distance. We also saw our first icebergs. The icebergs in the southern ocean can be really impressive, and lots of them are flat on top, because that's how they fell off the Antarctic continent. Elephant Island is quite famous as far as Antarctica is concerned, because this was where Ernest Shackleton and his men were forced to winter back in 1916, and where he started his incredible 850 mile sailing in …

It’s Day 8 of my Antarctic cruise and the Clipper Adventurer is on the way back to Ushuaia via the Drake Passage. We left from the South Shetland Islands last night and immediately encountered rough seas as the ship passed through two weather systems. We had great landings in the Antarctic Peninsula and the continent proper from Febuary 23-27, 2008. Initially, we encountered dark and gloomy skies punctuated by rain and snow on the first two days of landings. However, the next three days sa…

Despues de una larga singladura tocando puertos como: Salvador de Bahía (Brasil), Río de Janeiro (Brasil), Mar del Plata (Argentina), Ushuaia (Argentina) o Punta Arenas (Chile) llegamos al fin a nuestro destino: las salvajes y virgenes Islas Shetland. La sensación que te invade al pasar el tiempo viviendo en estos parajes (concretamente 80 días en dos tandas de 40, descansando unos días en Ushuaia) es de una enorme soledad y paz interior, conviviendo con unos paisajes lunares como los de…

I made it to Antarctica! I spent nearly 3 weeks at McMurdo Scientific Research Station! AND! I finally made it to the South Pole! Quite an exciting time for this geography geek..McMurdo Station, Antarctica77.85°S 166.67°EBrief HistoryAntarctica was not sighted until 1820. It is believed that no on actually set foot on the continent until 1895.In 1841, James Clark Ross's ships the Erebus and the Terror were the first to penetrate the Antarctic pack ice.Robert Scott, Edward Wilson, Ernest Sha…

From 10 December 2007 to 22 January 2008 in Argentina, Uruguay, Antarctica & Chile. 6-week trip in South-America (Patagonia & Lake District) and Antarctica.

Some time ago i was reading a few travel brochures and in one of those there was a trip to Antartica. it was already an idea to go to antartica in the future, but here was an opportunity  that i could not pass. after a few months i was finaly on board the ms explorer. After 40 hours we reached elephant island,  our first stop af many. Here Is where we got to get a ride in the zodiacs for the first time. also a little iceberg that was increddible blue. we visited…

Date: 08-02-07 From: Ushuaia To: Aitcho 20:00 Position         60˚31’0.S         061˚02’3.W Weather: Wind:                SW 6-4 temperature:     4   Nice day with sun breaking trough in the morning ending up in a beautiful day. Great to have every body on deck again even the greenest faces show some colour again. &n…

when the fresh air hits your face and you get your first glimpse of an ice burg the beauty takes your breath away! if 10 days on a ship isnt enough, the moment you step on land and get within inches of 100s of penguins is unbelievable! if adventure is your cup of tea there always swimming in the antarctic ocean (waters about 30 degrees F) let me tell you from personal experience the water is so cold it takes your breath away literally! oh yeah they dig out a hot spring too if you cant handle …

As some of you know, I have recently returned from the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. I was there for three days conducting the annual fire inspection with the assistance of the four full time firefighters stationed there for the summer. Going to 90 south I didn't really know what to expect besides to feel terrible due to the high altitude. The altitude is about 9,600 feet, but due to the air pressure and such, your body reacts as if it is at 10,500 feet. I went to the McMurdo hospital be…

On the very last day of Antarctica we came to this spot that actually had a little bit of a beach. Most of the spots have been carved up so much by glacier movements that the land just falls right into the water with jagged edged cliff walls. This spot had a pebble beach with a very slow grade into the water. I was the bell of the ball wearing my oh so fashionable Russian hip waders when the thought occurred to me that.. well.. that I was wearing Russian hip waders. So I started trudging thro…

After 2 days in bed due to the roughest waters in the world: The Drake Passage, I considered my price for the majestic Antarctica payed.It was time to really enjoy my expedition and what a wonderful day it was! Two landings on 2 different islands in the South Shetland...

Ushuaia to Ushuaia cruise feb / may 2006 ms Hanseatic Hapag Lloyd Expedition - Antarctic The never-ending ice crunches under the hull of the HANSEATIC. You glide along on table icebergs, which break away from the shelf ice and then drift thousands of kilometres in the sea. We only accompany them for a short distance on the way to the next island, where penguins plunge into the sea, seals tend their harem and albatrosses perfect their flying skills.

Vernadsky is the Ukraine base on Antarctica. The base was formerly owned by the British, but they had to sell it because the had too many bases on Antarctica. In the 1980's the 'hole' in the O-zone layer was discovered at this base.The Ukraine base is open for visitors. A tour round de base is fun. Watching all the research rooms with photos of families (or pin-ups).It is remote and in winter time it is very cold and dark all day as well.Best thing is the Vernadsky bar! They make their o…

This is an itinerary of our trip around the world and does not include any journal entries.