Exploring Antarctica today is much safer and more comfortable than it was 50 years ago thanks to new technologies, specially equipped ships with the highest polar classification, trained captains, specialists, crew and modern safety regulations.
Mysterious and vast - Antarctica, the "white continent" at the end of the world, is unlike anything else. A realm of glistening ice, majestic mountain peaks and dazzling beauty, the only continent without an indigenous population. Instead, it provides a haven for migrating birds, whales, seals and other marine mammals that visit every summer to feast on the food-rich coastal waters. When he embarks on a voyage of discovery to Antarctica, he embarks on another world, leaving his familiar world behind. You might feel like you've landed on the moon, or like you've stepped into a fairy tale world. He reached a land where the sun neither rises nor sets. Icebergs float, drift on the water.
Curious baby penguins climb into his lap. Killer whales and humpback whales emerge from the water and look deep into his eyes before submerging themselves in the sea. Most Antarctic expeditions start during the summer season there, between November and March. If you visit in early summer (that is, early November!), you can see countless penguins marching inland from the sea. If you come in late summer, you'll see more seabirds, whales and seals than you can imagine.
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They all fatten up here before their winter migration north. Antarctica is the fifth largest continent in the world and has a lot to see. Depending on what you want to see and experience, you can choose how much time you want to spend here. Shipping companies offer expedition trips of various lengths. The weather there is extremely changeable, in summer the temperature usually hovers around freezing point. However, the 24-hour sun heats up the sheltered corners so much that you can soon find yourself stripped down to your shirt. But if the weather is cool, you don't have to worry either, the cruise lines are prepared for everything.
Your own expedition jacket, manufactured based on the dimensions given in advance, is already waiting for you in your cabin when you board the ship. You can also bring the jacket home as a souvenir at the end of the trip. One of the "requirements" to get to Antarctica is sailing through the infamous Drake Passage. It is a fact that the world's angriest seas meet here, between Cape Horn and the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. However, don't be disappointed if the passage through the strait is uneventful. Fortunately, not all crossings are stormy. Many people put the discovery of Antarctica at the back of their list of destinations, when they have already seen everything else. For most people, this is a deeply spiritual experience – an encounter with the raw power and beauty of nature, and it is equal to the realization that we are tiny, tiny parts of the huge whole. Why would you wait? Get the experiences of a lifetime now!