For most people Antarctica is the last frontier, and over the last few years the cost of travelling there has become much more affordable to the average traveller. The season for cruising to Antarctic goes from late November through to March.
Getting down to the Antarctic is half the fun as it can be quite daunting, exciting, and boring all in one! Most of the cruise ships head off from Ushuaia, which is right at the bottom of South America. From here you travel down the Beagle Channel and then spend two days crossing Drakes Passage before hitting Antarctica – and it’s crossing the Passage that can be very testing, as sometimes it can be incredibly rough. With the crossing taking two days in each direction, you really do have to be very patient when travelling to the Antarctic, but once you are there you'll be glad you did it!
So apart from how big, vast, silent and jaw-droppingly amazing Antarctica is, I guess the highlights for me were the wildlife. Penguins, seals, whales and much more! My favourite were the penguins because you can sit and watch them for hours as they waddle, flap, fall over, face plant, dive, swim and squabble with each other.
I also spent one night camping on the ice in a tent, which means I can now say that I have slept on every continent in the world - that’s pretty special.
Even though there may be two or three other cruise ships leaving Ushuaia at the same time, you don't see them once you have set sail. On a typical 10-day cruise you will visit some amazing places - Lemaire Channel, Pleneau Island, Petermann Island, Paradise Harbour, Nek Harbour, Danco island, Port Lockroy - where you can post a letter back home - and Deception Bay.
Get in touch if you would like experience the great white continent for yourself.