Antarctica is a once-in-a-lifetime destination that lends itself to outlandish activities – like sleeping out on the ice or even taking a mini-submarine ride.
There aren’t many opportunities to visit Antarctica, so when you’re offered the chance to camp on the ice of the seventh continent you say “yes”.
Even though I had only 90 minutes to get ready, pack, put on layers and eat my final meal – there would be no food allowed on to the pristine tent site – the last minute offer was not one I was going to turn down. It would be a camping trip unlike any other I’d been on.
Of the 335 passengers aboard Hurtigruten’s Frijdthof Nansen, only 30 had places on the Antarctic camping trip. As an excursion with very limited places, these were allocated by secret ballot. Paper invitations were slid under the cabin doors of the lucky few.
And I had not been lucky. At least not initially.
It did not stop me from turning up to the briefing, out of sheer curiosity. The remoteness and nature of Antarctica means any activity is inherently unpredictable. It’s the only place I’ve sailed to without even a rough itinerary. Due to the changeable weather conditions and unpredictable navigation, the following day’s activities would not be revealed until the night before, adding to the mystery.
In fact, the trip outline was less than a brief sketch. Following a two-day sail out of Ushuaia, Argentina, the schedule merely said: Five days, Antarctica.
We knew at least that some of us would have the opportunity to go kayaking and snowshoeing. These elective activities cost anywhere from $80 to $900 on top of the trip, and even after the ballots there was no guarantee the trips would take place. The much-anticipated “Amundsen Night” on the ice had been cancelled on the previous sailing by a blizzard which rolled into Paradise Bay with little warning.
Each activity had a comprehensive briefing en route to the ice. This was very strict. Failure to turn up meant visitors would not be allowed off the ship. Even passengers who had been cabin-bound with seasickness while crossing world’s roughest oceans were not offered a second chance. No matter how sickly they felt, every passenger turned up to the mandatory IAATO (International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators) briefing and biosecurity inspection. It was a prerequisite of being allowed out on the ice.
But for all the uncertainty, I had not been expecting a call through to my cabin.
“There has been a dropout,” came the voice of Paul, the ship’s expedition leader.
“It says here you were at the briefing. There’s a space if you’re up for it. We leave at 8.30.”
With little time to think, I was in an inflatable dinghy with the other happy campers and 15 red two-person tents. I was paired up Todd, a retired lecturer from Texas. Todd had several great anecdotes about “the backcountry”, which for him meant navigating bears and flash floods in Yellowstone and Yosemite.
Though none of us had ever spent a night on Antarctica – or, as it turns out, used a snow anchor.
Putting up the tents on the ice was very different to the carpeted meeting room on the Nansen. There was plenty of practice putting the tents up before we could depart for shore, though this was only so helpful.
Before long the tents were up, two layers of ground insulation and thick down sleeping bags ready for the night.
As the temperatures plummeted to around -6C it was hard to tell in all our layers when sundown had happened. It hovered just below the horizon but darkness never came. It was only when the Nansen sailed around the cove and out of sight, it dawned that night had arrived on Antarctica.
We were left with the ethereal sound of breaking ice, wind blowing snow and the snores of two dozen cruise passengers.
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What they don’t tell you about camping in Antarctica
- 1. Leave no poo behind!
The Antarctic Treaty says no waste can be left behind, not even human waste. We had to collect our poop and bring it back off the ice. They gave us buckets in a snow dugout.
- 2. No food allowed!
Cooking stoves and food are not allowed at on-shore camps because of the Antarctic Treaty regulations. We only got emergency rations.
- 3. It’s always twilight!
The tourism season is during the four summer months, so direct daylight is around 16 hours. At these southern latitudes, darkness never really falls.
- 4. It’s freezing at night!
During the summer, nighttime temperatures can drop below -6°C. In winter, it can get as cold as -20°C. But that’s still warm compared to the average winter temperature of -63°C, which was recorded at the South Pole.
8 Unbelievable Antarctic Activities
Snowshoe over Antarctica: Tourists wear giant plastic overshoes to reach places in deep snow.
Write from Port Lockroy’s penguin post office: The southernmost post office is manned by volunteers from the British Antarctic Heritage Trust and occasionally Kiwi conservators. They collect mail and sell stamps for postcards.
Participate in a polar citizen science project: In the world’s largest scientific reserve, citizen science initiatives like the Happy Whale project allow visitors to log cetacean sightings against a database.
Fat bike past the Orvinfjell mountains: Visitors to the Wolf Fang camp in Queen Maud Land are lent snow bikes with fat tires for activities.
Take a flight to the South Pole: Companies like ALE offer charter flights to the Geographic South Pole.
Take a polar plunge: Cruise ships offer dips in Antarctic waters, which are bracing at -2C.
Skin up, ski down Antarctica: Specialized expeditions offer ski touring on continental Antarctica, a bucket-list activity for snow enthusiasts.
Take a mini-sub ride: Mini-sub rides are available in Antarctica, but they require special equipment and clearance by biosecurity.
Antarctic cruise ships like the Viking Polaris and Viking Octantis now have mini-submarines. Visitors can comfortably explore the Antarctic oceans for US$499 per person.
