Antarctica - Express Air-Cruise to the White Continent

Who could have known that a missed connection and an overnight layover in Minneapolis would lead to the trip of a lifetime. I was headed home for the holidays. My connecting flight through Minneapolis was delayed (due to snow), which caused me to miss the last flight from there back home. Luckily my cousin, Megan, lived in there and I was able to spend the night.

After a glass, or two, of wine we started talking about places we wanted to travel to before it’s too late. I mentioned Machu Picchu, where I’ve wanted to go since middle school. She mentioned Antarctica. Before that moment I never thought that normal people could go there. She asked me if I’d be interested in going and my response was a no brainer.

A few weeks later I had compiled a list of companies that take people to Antarctica, particularly ones that did not cost $20,000. We were also worried about seasickness crossing the infamous Drake Passage, so I narrowed the search to companies that did not sail both ways across the Drake. Thus when I found Antarctica XXI, which had tours that fly one way across the Drake and did not break the bank (at least not quite as much as other tours we saw), we sent an email and soon after put down a deposit.

Since the trip to Antarctica was only 6-7 days, we decided to stop in South America for a week before heading down to the bottom of the world (see post here).

Since no country owns Antarctica, the tourism industry is mostly self-regulated. Therefore, when looking for a tour company to Antarctica, make sure that they are following safe and environmentally responsible practices. One way to do that is to look for companies that are members of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO).
Since Antartica is so untouched by humans, it is important to be respectful of nature and animals. If an animal wanted to pass in front of us we had to stop and give them the right of way.
To help prevent the unnatural spread of anything between the boat and the different points on land, we had to wash our boots before boarding the zodiac boats and immediately once coming back onboard the main ship.

We booked our Antarctica cruise with Antarctica XXI almost a year in advance (more out of excitement than real necessity). We picked the “Express Air-Cruise” trip, which consisted of a one-way flight to Antartica, 1.5 days there and 3 days cruising back through the Drake Passage.

We left from Punta Arenas, Chile and flew to King George Island (one of the South Shetland Islands at the very northern tip of Antarctica). Once there we boarded a small, but beautiful, cruise ship (there were around 70 passengers) that sailed around the South Shetland Islands for 1.5 days. We then headed back through the notorious Drake Passage, ending in Ushuaia, Argentina.

DAY 1: FLIGHT FROM RIO TO PUNTA ARENAS (VIA SANTIAGO AND PUERTO MONTT)

We had a full day of travel to get from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (leaving at 7:30 AM) to Punta Arenas, at the bottom of Chile (arriving at 7 PM). We had a layover in Santiago and a stopover in Puerto Montt. The flights were relatively uneventful but we had beautiful views of Patagonia as we neared the bottom of Chile.

Flying over Patagonia

From the airport, we were able to easily get a taxi to our hotel in the center of town. We checked in and then went to find dinner. Our original plan was to get sushi from Mas Sushi, which had good reviews. However, they only offered takeout, so we ended up eating at a pizzeria, La Luna Restaurant.

Since it was summer in Punta Arenas (yay southern hemisphere!) the sun didn’t set until 10:10 PM. We finished dinner around 10 PM and then walked along the water since it was still light out. We soaked up the views and then headed back to the hotel.

DAY 2: PUNTA ARENAS

We checked out of our hotel around 10:30 AM and walked a few blocks to our next hotel (which was paid for as part of the Antarctica tour). Upon arriving at the hotel, we checked in with the tour company. They informed us that we had to buy our reciprocity fee for Argentina (which was required for entry into the country as a U.S. citizen). We also went to a boot fitting since the company lent everyone boots for the trip.

Exploring Punta Arenas

We had free time before our orientation, so we spent the afternoon exploring Punta Arenas. We first went to Too Much Sushi for lunch. We then walked 15 minutes to the Cerro de la Cruz lookout that had pretty views of Punta Arenas and the ocean. While climbing the stairs to the lookout a stray dog started following us. Despite not petting or feeding him, he remained our companion for the rest of our exploration of Punta Arenas.

Mirador Cerro de la Cruz

Following the lookout, we headed 10 minutes to Cervecería Austral, the southern most brewery in the world. We didn’t see a public entrance or anywhere to take a tour so we continued on. Next we headed 20 minutes to the Cemetery of Punta Arenas, which had manicured trees and grand mausoleums.

After walking around the cemetery for a few minutes, we headed back to the hotel, said goodbye to our furry companion and relaxed before the orientation.

Antarctica XXI Orientation

We had an hour long orientation at 5, where Antarctica XXI staff gave an overview of the trip, safety information and the departure plan for the following day. They warned us that our departure time the following morning would be weather dependent and that there is always a chance that departure to Antarctica could be delayed for a day or two (or not happen at all). Naturally, that piece of news put everyone on edge that we might not actually make it to Antarctica.

At 7:30 we walked over to the La Pergola Restaurant for cocktails and dinner provided by the tour company. It was a nice way to meet other people on the trip. At dinner they announced that we would be leaving the hotel at 6:20 AM to head to the airport for our flight to Antarctica!

DAY 3: FLIGHT TO KING GEORGE ISLAND, ANTARCTICA!

At 6:20 AM we loaded onto buses to head to the airport. They gave us our tickets and we went through security. We then had to wait until we got word from Antarctica that the conditions were good enough for us to depart. Finally at 8:30/9 we boarded the plane and took off.

It was a short 2 hour flight that was operated by DAP, a company that specializes in flights around Patagonia and to Antarctica. The plane was especially designed for short runways, which made it ideal for travel around that area.

We landed around 10:30 and then walked 30 minutes from the runway to the boat (luckily they transported all of our luggage for us). Along the way we had our first penguin siting and took pictures with the Antarctica flag. We then took Zodiac boats to the cruise ship.

Made it to Antarctica!

The ship was beautiful! Our room had two beds, a walk-in closet and a balcony. The ship also had a lounge area with books and movies and a beautiful dining room. Once onboard we had lunch and a safety debrief before heading out for our first excursion.

Penguin Watching on Ardley Island

For all of our excursions onto land we took small zodiac boats. They were operated by the expedition crew from the tour company, who all specialized in different polar fields (ex. glaciers, polar birds, etc) and acted as our guides around Antarctica. For each time slot they had several options for excursions, which allowed for flexibility.

For the first excursion we decided to first go to Ardley Island to see the penguin colonies located there. This island has one of the largest concentrations of Gentoo penguins in the South Shetland Islands. We were able to walk around and observe the penguins and their babies.

Penguins on Ardley Island

Tour of Frei and Bellinghausen Stations

Following Ardley Island, we hopped on a zodiac boat over to the Frei and Bellinghausen stations. We first walked to the top of the hill to look at Trinity Church. We then stopped into the Russian owned Bellinghausen Station. A few hundred yards away was the Chilean owned Frei Station. One of the people there gave us a tour of the station. He told us that in the summer around 23 people live at that base. However, in the winter season that number drops to 10.

View of Bellinghausen and Frei Stations from Trinity Church

Following the day’s excursions we had cocktail hour with a briefing for the next day’s activities. We then had dinner at 8 in the dining room.

Note: Where the ships stops is dependent on conditions in Antarctica. As a result the excursions could change from trip to trip.

DAY 4: SOUTH SHETLAND ISLANDS, ANTARCTICA

Today we had a full day of exploring Antarctica. We had a wake up call at 7 AM and breakfast from 7:30-8:30 before heading out for our first excursion.

Hiking on Half Moon Island

At 9 AM we left the ship to explore Half Moon Island. Our excursion options for the morning were to observe penguins, go for a hike or go on a zodiac cruise around the icebergs. We decided to first go for a hike. We walked through the snow (to avoid Skua bird nests) to the top of a hill that had beautiful views of the island. Once at the top we spent a few minutes soaking in the view and appreciating the purity and peacefulness of Antarctica.

Hiking on Half Moon Island

Zodiac Iceberg Cruise and Polar Plunge

Following the hike, we went on a zodiac cruise around the bay to observe icebergs. Pictures don’t even begin to show how beautiful and majestic they are. As a bonus, we even saw penguins on a few of them!

Zodiac Cruise around Icebergs

After a 30-40 minute cruise we return to the beach on Half Moon Island for a polar plunge (yes I willing went into freezing cold water when it was 30 F outside). It was a once in a lifetime experience but was definitely cold! Following the plunge we headed back to the boat to shower before lunch.

Hiking at Yankee Harbour

After lunch and downtime, we left the ship at 3 PM to explore Yankee Harbour. Similar to the morning, we had the option to either hike or observe penguins and seals. Once again we opted for the hike. This hike was more challenging since it was steeper, in deeper snow and we had to watch out for crevasses. However, the view from the top was incredible!

Hiking at Yankee Harbour

We were welcomed back to the ship with complimentary pisco sours that had ice from a 30,000 year old glacier! At 6:15 we had appetizers on the boat and a debrief of the day. After dinner we spotted several whales and watched an amazing Antarctic sunset!

Antarctic Sunset

DAY 5: SOUTH SHETLAND ISLANDS AND THE DRAKE PASSAGE

Originally we were supposed to spend the entire day sailing the Drake Passage. However, there was a storm passing through the area so we postponed our departure. Fortunately, that meant we could do one last excursion in Antarctica.

Unfortunately, it meant that our crossing of the Drake Passage would mostly likely be stormy. We were going to start our crossing at the tail end of the one storm and were going to try to make it through before the beginning of another.

Zodiac Cruise in Admiralty Bay

After breakfast, we left the boat at 9 AM for a 2 hour zodiac cruise around Admiralty Bay. The bay had sea ice floating in the water and was surrounded by glaciers, which made for a beautiful boat ride. We saw part of a glacier break off while on the cruise, which even impressed our guide.

Cruising around Admiralty Bay

Following the cruise we had lunch and then had to secure our cabins in preparation for crossing the Drake Passage. The crew also prepped the ship and set up ropes in the hallways to help with walking during rough waters.

In the afternoon one of the expedition team members gave a presentation on seabirds in the Southern Ocean. In the afternoon, we departed from Antarctica and started through the Drake Passage. By evening there were already 13 foot waves. As a result, dinner was entertaining as we were trying to keep our silverware and plates from flying off the table. It was also pretty empty since people were starting to feel sick.

Note: Before leaving for Antarctica, I got seasicknesses patches from my doctor, which I put on the day before we started crossing the Drake Passage. The doctor onboard also had seasickness medication.

DAY 6: DRAKE PASSAGE

After a night of mediocre sleep due to the boat rocking, we woke up for breakfast from 8 AM - 9. Once again it was pretty empty. We had a lot of free time since today was a full day of crossing the Drake Passage.

Lectures on the Boat

There were four lectures throughout the day on different topics relating to Antarctica. I attended a few and also borrowed a few books to read from the boat’s library. However, when I switched my seasickness patch, it caused my eyes to dilate, which made reading tough.

Tonight the waves were supposed to be even worse than before, so I decided to take a stronger seasickness pill that also makes you drowsy.

DAY 7: DRAKE PASSAGE AND PUERTO WILLIAMS, CHILE

I woke up groggy thanks to the seasickness pill. However, I managed to sleep through the entire night despite 30 foot waves. This was extremely ironic given that I am usually a very light sleeper. I even missed my cousin getting thrown from her bed because of the waves.

Lectures on the Boat

There were two more lectures in the morning before lunch. Typically, if the weather is decent, the boat tries to stop at Cape Horn. However, since we were going through the beginning of a second storm, we weren’t able to.

Hike to Cerro Bandero

Instead at 2:30 PM we stopped at Puerto Williams, Chile. We had the option to walk through town or do a several hour hike. I opted for the hike, which was to Cerro Bandero. It was 3 hours roundtrip that was mostly uphill on the way there. It was a hard hike but had amazing views!

Hiking to Cerro Bandero

Once back on the boat we had farewell cocktails and dinner. We then hung out at the boat’s bar and had a final celebration since it was our last full day on the boat.

DAY 8: USHUAIA

We ate breakfast and then had to disembark at 9 AM, which was sad! We had booked an AirBnB in Ushuaia. Once we were off the boat our host came and picked us up to take us back to her house.

Exploring Ushuaia

After checking in and taking a nap, we went to explore Ushuaia. We walked to the Fin del Mondo Sign. We then stopped in at a restaurant that had penguin meringues. Later in the afternoon we met up with two people we met on our cruise. We wandered around the wharf area and then ate dinner at a nearby restaurant. Ushuaia is known for their king crab, so we got dishes with that.