Is going to Antarctica worth it?
Just as traveling in general is becoming more popular, traveling to Antarctica has also become more common as evidenced by an exponential growth in the number the number of Antarctic travelers, especially in the years post-covid. It’s easy to see why. Antarctica was genuinely like going to another planet.
As a nature lover, I immensely enjoyed being surrounded by mountains, glaciers, and wildlife, all untouched by development. You feel so far removed from your real life in such surroundings. This feeling was aided by the delightful experience of having no internet connection.
So, is traveling to Antarctica worth it? Unequivocally yes.
What should you do in Antarctica? Keep reading for more on the 5 best Antarctic activities: kayaking, camping, mountaineering, snowshoeing, and sightseeing.
Kayaking
I have been fortunate to experience amazing scenery and other areas of untouched wilderness in different parts of the world but Antarctica was different. It is just so remote and much of the wildlife is unique to the region. It’s not everyday you hop into a kayak and paddle around with penguins hopping off and onto an iceberg or nearby landmass, while simultaneously dodging the curious leopard seal swimming nearby, before seeing two humpback whales surfacing for a breath of air. This was day 1. In fact, this experience describes my very first excursion.
Camping
Antarctic camping was quite the experience! We each had to dig a grave like hole in which we would lay in our sleeping bags. The hole protected us from the wind as we didn’t use tents. Despite having nearly 24 hours of daylight, we were able to watch the alpenglow change on the mountains from “sunset” to “sunrise.” The sunset light took place around 10:45 p.m. and the sunrise light occurred around 3:30 a.m. according to my photo time stamps. Although I didn’t sleep much, the opportunity to have such a unique – and uniquely beautiful – experience was absolutely worth it.
Mountaineering
The photo on the right shows one of the guides searching for the crevasse… which I fell into up to my knee. When I asked my guide, “what do I do,” he responded “crawl out of it.” And we continued to the summit.
Mountaineering in Antarctica was surely a once in a lifetime opportunity. We loaded our gear made up of boots, crampons, ice axes, helmets, ropes, sunglasses, and many layers of clothing. We snowshoed until we needed to trade out for crampons. The variability of the conditions was one of the most impressionable parts of the experience. We were only out for the better part of a day but we experienced everything from calm blue skies to white out conditions in that timeframe. At one point on the way back down, just past the crevasse, whose surface I managed to break through two more times on the exit, there were suddenly whiteout conditions which made me briefly disoriented.
Overall we were extremely lucky with the weather conditions during the excursion but the brief and intense changes provided enough perspective to elevate my respect for this harsh and oftentimes unforgiving environment.
Snowshoeing
Yet another favorite experience was snowshoeing. I had never snowshoed until this trip and I would highly recommend giving it a try if given the opportunity. The activity in and of itself was enjoyable but we were rewarded with incredible views and plenty of time to observe the families of Chinstrap penguins. Everyone seemed to leave the trip with a favorite penguin. The Adélies were a crowd favorite, but I favored the Chinstrap.
Sightseeing
The sightseeing alone is a good enough reason to go to Antarctica. Besides beautiful mountains, oceans, icebergs, and lichen, the wildlife viewing is incredible. We saw four species of seals: Weddell and Leopard seals (featured below) as well as Crabeater, and Fur Seals and three species of penguins: Gentoo, Adélie, and Chinstrap. Additionally we saw humpback whales, orcas, and many different bird species.
Summary
To be honest, I didn’t have Antarctica high on my list as a next destination. In retrospect, I just did not have the appreciation for just how spectacular a place it is. Serendipitously, remember the friend I mentioned before in the Safari in Tanzania article, the one who by happenstance I met on safari in Tanzania? She convinced me to join her.
While cruising is not for everyone, the experiences on the ship were almost as impactful as the excursions. I met so many wonderful and interesting people from all over the world. The crew members brought so much knowledge and perspective to their lectures and excursions. I also think I laughed more in those 12 days than I had in months, and maybe in years, prior. This trip was good for the mind, heart, and soul.
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