There are many cruises running to Antarctica from either Ushuaia at the tip of South America or the Falkland Islands, but some are rather more exclusive than most. One of these is Quark Expeditions " Epic Antarctica " journey, which is – as it says on the tin – an epic journey, sailing half-way round Antarctica in the space of a month, starting out in the Falklands and ending up in either Australia or New Zealand.
Why is Epic Antarctica More Exclusive Than Other Trips?
It's not just the costs involved that make this trip particularly exclusive, but this is the only boat that carries passengers around some of the more difficult to get to parts of Antarctica. These include the Amundsen Sea and Phantom Coast (aptly named as sailors originally wondered if it existed – in the Antarctic summer of 2009 the Kapitan Khlebnikov couldn't get with 300 nautical miles of this particular part of the coastline, due to thick pack ice and fog, meaning passengers didn't get to see this highlight at all).
But more importantly, this icebreaker is due to retire from passenger duties in January 2012, meaning that until a replacement passenger-carrying ice-breaker is found, there are no alternatives for the semi-adventurous traveller wanting to see this little visited part of our planet. (The KK isn't retiring from the sea though – apparently the Russians increasingly need their icebreaker for oil industry duties and are taking it back into full-time industrial use.)
Where do Epic Antarctic Trips Start?
Although the group meets in Santiago before flying to meet the ship, the Falkland Islands are where passengers actually board the Kapitan Khlebnikov for an Epic Antarctic trip. Sadly there is often not much time to see the island before boarding the ship, but the coach transfer between the military airport and Stanley provides some views and commentary from a local Falkland Islander, and there may be time for a short walk along the seafront.
Do I Have to Cross the Drake Passage?
Travellers wishing to explore beyond the Antarctica Peninsula from South America on such as trip as the Epic Antartica do indeed have to cross the Drake Passage by boat. Although there are a few options now which fly to Antarctica (and avoid sailing across the Drake Passage), these are limited to Antarctic Peninsula trips only. But it has long been said that all travellers to Antarctica have to earn their Right of Passage, which crossing the Drake Passage certainly does! In many ways flying across the Drake Passage loses much of the adventure and challenge in getting to Antarctica, and there's some risk it may diminish the sense of wonder at such a remote and relatively unexploited part of our world.
But any trip to the Antarctic is Epic, whatever the conditions and however the means of (responsible) travel – the landscape, wildlife and remoteness make this continent of a million shades of grey utterly unforgettable.
Chiz Dakin - A keen mountain walker, scrambler, cyclist and occasional climber and sea kayaker for several years, Chiz Dakin has carried a camera with ...
