Here’s How To Finally Cross Continent Seven Off Your Travel List
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Racking up stamps in your passport earns you your traveler stripes, but hitting all seven continents on the globe is an unmatchable feat. Here are three ways to cross off continent seven and actually make it to Antarctica. (Heads up: This is not a budget trip. You gotta pay to play with penguins.)
1. From Ushuaia, Argentina
The most popular route to Antarctica starts from the city touted as the southernmost in the world. Trips are generally a 10-day voyage and can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000. The price depends on the company you travel with and what kinds of activities you pick. Kayaking in the polar waters can cost up to $1,000 per outing.
Spontaneous travelers, if you’re totally flexible, you can book a tour once you get to Ushuaia. The hope is to nab a last-minute discount bed on a cruise, but you could also end up waiting weeks. And this still isn’t a cheap venture. The best deal we’ve seen reported is $3,000.
2. From Bluff, New Zealand
It’s possible to go from New Zealand or Australia all the way south, but it does take about seven days to even touch Antarctica. If you have a lot of time and love being on a boat, this could be the route for you. But keep in mind, as the length of your trip increases, so does the price. We’re talking upwards of $10,000.
Going from Oceania, you will land on the less-touristed side of Antarctica. So travel hipsters for whom Antarctica is not enough of a feat, consider this route.
3. From Cape Town, South Africa
Have you just won the lottery? Wonderful. Then we would suggest combining your Antarctica adventure with a trip to Cape Town. You can actually fly between the southern tip of Africa and Antarctica in just seven hours and spend eight days on the continent. You’ll be going via private jet, of course, camping among penguins, trekking through ice caves and touching the South Pole. Welcome to the $80,000 bespoke package from White Desert.
If You Go…
Is the South Pole calling your name? You’ll want to plan an Antarctica adventure for the continent’s still-snowy summer, which is November through April. One of the lands of the midnight sun, daytime never truly ends during this time of year, although it gets slightly darker at dusk.
Choose your cruise carefully. You’ll have more of an up-close-and-personal experience on a smaller boat (and you’ll really feel the choppy southern sea and surf), but even the bigger commercial cruises aren’t the stereotypical all-you-can-eat buffet fests with performing troupes of disco dancers.
In order to spend time or sleep in the Antarctic, you’ll likely have to pay more. But we understand how it might be worth it to see as many penguins as you possibly can.
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