Antarctica hadn’t originally been on my radar. But when the opportunity came up, I took it, and I’m so glad I did.
I sailed aboard Viking Polaris from Ushuaia, Argentina, with just 300 guests onboard. The intimacy of that number matters in a place like this. Every Zodiac excursion, shore landing and onboard activity was coordinated by the expedition team with a precision that meant I could focus entirely on what was unfolding around me rather than the logistics of making it happen.
The first thing the expedition leader told us was to set aside the itinerary we’d been given when we booked. In Antarctica, conditions dictate everything, and that turned out to be part of the appeal. The route shifted constantly, always in pursuit of the best the region had to offer on any given day. No two expeditions, I quickly learned, are ever quite the same.
What surprised me most was the sheer density of life in a place that looks, at first, so desolate. Penguin colonies stretched across shorelines. Seals dozed on ice floes. Whales surfaced alongside the ship. One of the moments I carry with me: sitting in my cabin, window open, listening to the crack of ice and the intermittent breath of whales just outside.
The landscapes matched the wildlife for sheer impact. Towering glaciers, ever-shifting ice formations, light that changed everything by the hour. I hadn’t expected to find myself so drawn into the science of ice and water, but seeing it firsthand has a way of making you want to understand it.
Having experienced Antarctica on an expedition cruise, I can now guide my clients through the decisions that matter: choosing the right vessel, preparing properly for conditions, knowing what to prioritise. It’s the kind of knowledge that only comes from being there.
To start planning your own Antarctic expedition, contact me at Travel by Courteney.
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