The incredible adventure of travelling to Antarctica

Everything you need to know for a trip to Antarctica

Are you looking forward to a challenging adventure? Then, getting to know the Antarctic Peninsula is an ideal option for you and now we bring you closer to fulfil this desire. The white continent has always been an inhospitable and little explored place on our planet, perfect for any tourist with a thirst for adventure. Nowadays it is possible to reach this incredible ice giant with boats prepared to cross frozen waters. Then, upon arrival, you can enjoy some adventure tourism activities and take pictures of incredible landscapes.

It is important to know that there are tailor-made trips for every tourist. Depending on the time you have available or the places you want to visit during the trip, different itineraries can be made in different periods of time. There are trips of 10 or 12 days or longer journeys of up to 20 or 22 days. The ideal is to find out about the itinerary of the boat and make the best decision to enjoy this adventure that will leave an indelible memory in your life. In this post we will give you useful information for your trip to

Antarctic continent to make sure you don't miss a thing.

What places can be visited on expeditions to Antarctica?
 

Most trips start at the end of the world, in the beautiful city of Ushuaia, where we recommend spending a few days for summer excursions. Then the cruise will return to the same place. From there, cruises depart for two days sailing the Drake Passage to later visit the Antarctic Peninsula, where most of the tourist activities take place. These trips are the ones that last approximately 10 or 12 days, but with more availability it is possible to make longer cruises that last 22 days visiting the Falkland Islands and South Georgia.

Antarctic fauna and flora

As we know, the white continent is a place where flora is really scarce, its adverse climatic conditions mean that there is only restricted vegetation in places without ice. There are only 350 species in Antarctica: lichens, algae and mosses. This vegetation is called "lower vegetation". Snow can sometimes be seen tinged yellow, red or green by the presence of "snow algae", a type of algae that generates this colouring. The vegetation naturally had to go through periods of adaptation to the severe climate of the region over the years, in fact, the plants mentioned above are very resistant to particularly adverse conditions.

With regard to the Antarctic fauna, there are no vertebrate animals on the surface of Antarctica. You can see different species of penguins such as the Antarctic, emperor and adelie penguins. You can also see native birdlife such as Dominican gulls, skuas and petrels. The marine fauna is made up of fish, elephant seals, whales and seals that arrive on the continent in summer.

What is the best time to visit Antarctica?

The best time to visit this mysterious ice giant is from October to March. At this time the ice decreases a little and the fauna of the region can be better appreciated. If you're wondering about the climate, we can tell you that it varies greatly from one part of the continent to another. The interior of Antarctica has the lowest temperatures, while the coastal area has more precipitation and less severe temperatures.

The Antarctic Peninsula during the summer season can have temperatures between -2° and 5°. Then, depending on what we want to see on our trip, there are ideal months to visit the white continent during this season: In the month of November, for example, temperatures are still very low and there are places on the continent that are not yet accessible for tourism, so it is advisable to make the expedition in the high season from December to February. Another advantage of visiting Antarctica at this time of year is the phenomenon of sunlight. Here the days are very long, reaching 20 hours of natural light. March is an ideal time to see the local fauna, as the penguins have not yet migrated and you can see the humpback and minkes whales, although the temperatures begin to drop in anticipation of winter.

Activities to do in Antarctica

On some expeditions of Ocenwide, the company that runs the cruises, you can make different landings to get to know this incredible part of the world by putting your own feet in the snow and exploring the place from your own point of view with the appropriate clothing and accessories (rubber boots and snowshoes are provided free of charge by Ocenwide). You will visit various points of cultural interest that have been central to history, culture and scientific research.

Antarctica offers the possibility of camping and enjoying a very different kind of night under the starry sky or kayaking in breathtaking natural scenery. In addition, the ships offer talks by lecturers who will share information about the flora, fauna and characteristics of the continent with enormous educational value.

In this way, you will be able to see that expeditions to Antarctica have different modalities, times and natural scenery to get to know. Tourism is one of the commercial activities developed on the continent and in recent years the number of visits to Antarctica has increased steadily. Visiting the white continent is possible and in the most comfortable and safest way you can imagine. Contact us to choose your trip to Antarctica!