Ah, the Antarctic – the undiscovered gem of the south that only a select few have been able to venture to. Well, it’s actually more accessible than you may have initially thought.
Each year, Antarctica gets around 170,000 tourists from English speaking countries, though more are starting to visit from the likes of China.
But what’s so special about Antarctica? Isn’t it just some great white blank space on the map? Would I be better off spending my summer at a Caribbean resort? Well, ultimately it depends what floats your boat, but Antarctica offers something unprecedented in terms of global travel.
Nowadays, you can take a cruise south and explore it for yourself, and you can get the best Silversea cruises to take you there. See the icebergs and the penguins and create memories that will live with you forever.
Without further ado, here are 4 reasons for you to try something a little different this year, and take the journey south toward the undiscovered gem that is Antarctica.
1: The obvious – those magical penguins
By any account, penguins are wonderful creatures, even more so when up close and in their natural habitat. There are swathes throughout the Antarctic, and they tend to be curious when humans visit, so expect to be amazed by how close you can get to these beautiful birds.
You could go to the zoo instead, but it really wouldn’t be the same.
2: Seals
Not to be outdone by their feathered brethren of the continent, seals live in the Antarctic too, and they’re incredible.
You’ll have to take a few more precautions when visiting seals, but nothing could be more wonderful than witnessing these beautiful creatures up close.
There are an array of species when it comes to seals, and nothing can beat watching them in their natural environment.
3: Unprecedented sunlight, rising and setting gorgeously
There is nothing on earth like a polar sunset, whether it’s in the Arctic Circle, or the Antarctic; these places are one of a kind.
The contrast of colours – the blues, the pinks, the oranges – they’ll combine to create a picture that even a photograph probably couldn’t do justice to.
Imagine watching those penguins and seals frolic as the sun sets across the vast ice sheet that envelops the continent. Majestic.
4: Ice floes
It’s a landscape like no other, as we’ve already mentioned above, and the approach to the continent is where the beauty will hit you right off the bat. If you’re taking an expeditionary cruise, it will genuinely blow your mind just how vast and beautiful the Antarctic continent truly is.
You’ll want to take at least a thousand photos, and every one of them will show something different and magnificent. Imagine being able to show friends and family that you’ve been to Antarctica!
All in all, you’re not exactly going to be short of wonderful things to do or see when you visit the southernmost continent.
If you can handle the remoteness, the extremely low temperatures, and some of the other challenges that the Antarctic continent throws your way, then it’s certainly worthy of your time.
