Preparing for Antarctica
It’s the end of May 2020 and I’ve been stuck largely in my apartment for 10 weeks. I think a lot of people, including myself, feel like our lives are on “pause”. It’s like quietly but swiftly the whole world changed.
The transition has started to sway back the other direction as cities and countries begin gradually re-opening and trying to resume our old ways of life. While I’m frustrated that this process is gradual, I’m immensely grateful for having the experiences I had before the world turned upside down. One of the highlights of the end of 2019 for me was completing my bucket list trip to Antarctica.
I planned on completing this trip in March 2020, it’s funny the way things work themselves out.
Logistics
Antarctica is the southernmost continent on the planet, without permanent residents and with a very narrow window for travel each year. Outside of securing a research-type job on the continent the only accessible way to get there is through an expedition tour company. Since I did not have a Ph.D. or the ability to take on a seasonal job, my option was the later.
There are quite a few options these days when it comes to expedition tour travel. There are large boats with greater than 500 passengers or smaller ones with around 100. You can even skip the infamous Drake Passage and fly directly to Antarctica before getting on a cruise boat - though this option is not very environmentally friendly. I opted for the smallest cruise boat I could find as there’s a rule in Antarctica that only 100 people are allowed on land at a time. I figured I’d deal with the motion sickness from traversing the Drake on a tiny boat if it meant more time to set foot on the continent I desperately wanted to see. After all, trips to Antarctica do not come cheap and I didn’t want to miss out on anything.
The best way I found to compare cruises all in one place is by visiting www.polarcruises.com/antarctica. I found this site pretty late in the game during my planning but it was a game-changer. Here you can find discounts available, price ranges and cruise boat information all in one place. This is also a great place to find some last-minute deals, but I wasn’t brave enough to go that route.
Cruises can have different departure locations and pre-departure itineraries, so it’s important to secure a cruise before booking flights and accommodations (unless you’re going for the last minute deals).
Flights are quite extensive no matter where you’re coming from (unless you already live in Argentina…) so I recommend mixing up your departure dates and stopovers when you search to see what gets you the most value. I always use www.google.com/flights as a starting point and then purchase the flights directly from the airline. Booking directly through the airline gives you flexibility for changes or delays more easily. If you’re booking through a search engine like Expedia, re-booking can be a hassle. I watched people struggle with this when we arrived at the port earlier than expected after our expedition. Flexibility is a key factor when booking flights. Make sure you arrive early and give yourself flexibility on departure. I’d say that travel to your pre-departure travel is more important than departure out after your cruise. These cruise boats leave on time. People pay a lot of money to travel to Antarctica and they will leave without you. Do yourself a favor and book in at least a day or two on the front end. Coming from a different time zone, spending a few extra days in Ushuaia before embarkation was a great addition to my trip. Unless you have to be somewhere after your trip at a very specific time you should have more flexibility on that end.
Another point to consider when booking your flights is the luggage allowance. This isn’t much of a problem for any international flights you may be taking as they normally allow two checked bags. It was nearly impossible for me to get to Ushuaia without a domestic flight from within Argentina. These flights had strict bag restrictions and I ended up finding it cheaper to upgrade to premium (with more baggage included) than paying for additional baggage with economy. If you’re an expert minimalist packer and manage to keep your luggage within the domestic flight restrictions, congrats. I think my camera gear itself out-weighed the requirements…
Also if you’re flying domestically in Argentina you will likely have to change airports. This can be a bit stressful, but I’ve included the information Poseidon Expeditions sent us below. I followed them exactly and had no issues.
If your flight schedule requires an airport change in Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - International Airport to (AEP) Aeroparque Jorge Newbery - City Airport, we recommend booking the official taxi from ‘Manuel Tienda Leon’ or ‘Transfer Express.’ Immediately after clearing customs in EZE, you will see a counter from ‘Manuel Tienda Leon’ and ‘Transfer Express.’ You can book a taxi and pay in advance there at the counter. These taxis are official rates. We do not recommend taking a taxi from one of the drivers offering it verbally in front of the terminals. Use only official taxis after booking and paying for it in advance at the desk. It is about 40-50 minutes’ drive between the airports.
Pre-Departure: Ushuaia
As I mentioned, there are several ports for departure to Antarctica, but the most popular by far is Ushuaia, Argentina.
I arrived in Ushuaia on the morning of December 7th, 2019 and my expedition cruise was scheduled to depart on December 9th. Ushuaia is a small town in the very South of Argentina. The main street can be walked in a matter of minutes and is packed full of souvenir shops, restaurants, and outdoor gear stores. For my two days in Ushuaia, I chose to stay in an AirBNB. It was a small studio just a few blocks from the main street. Laura was a great host, and for $50 a night I found it really affordable. If you’re interested in staying here you can find her listing with this link.
I had a day and a half to explore Ushuaia before I moved to our pre-departure hotel - the very swanky Arakur Ushuaia. If you get a chance to stay here it’s so worth it - highly recommend. The pools here are so amazing. They have a heated infinity pool that overlooks all of Ushuaia below and you can even watch your cruise ship make it’s way back to port at the harbor.
So what is there to do in Ushuaia besides walking aimlessly up and down the main street?
Well, Ushuaia is a great hub for hiking. There are several trails nearby that can be reached by taxi or bus depending on how much time you have. The taxis here are relatively cheap but the drivers don’t know much English.
I chose to hike up to Glacier Martial and I got to the starting point by taxi. You can also walk here from Ushuaia and I saw many people doing that, but it’s a bit of a trek. The hike involves walking straight up a ski slope, but the view at the top is pretty nice. It’s a popular spot and there’s a little cafe at the bottom of the hill if you feel like grabbing some food or a drink after the hike. There are plenty of taxis waiting at the bottom to drive you back to town so you won’t get stranded.
Other than that I spent some time walking around the shoreline to get some different views of the city. Of course, there’s also the famous “Ushuaia” signs to check out on the way.
Another thing not to miss out on is the food. My favorite was the fabulous centolla a la parmesana (southern king crab with cheese). Argentinians eat late, but at dinnertime, the restaurants get quite full. Ushuaia is also famous for Lamb so if you’re into that, this is the place to order it.
What to Pack
My expedition cruise company, Poseidon Expeditions, sent out a great guide on what you need to pack for Antarctica. Here’s what they recommended and what I used:
Parka: This is normally provided by the cruise operator and is essential. I wore mine every day. If you have to buy your own make sure it’s warm :)
Warm Trousers (aka. Ski Pants): Definitely need these too. I brought my normal ski pants and they worked well.
Waterproof Pants: Probably the most important thing to bring. You will get wet at some point coming off the zodiacs. It’s no fun to stay on land when you’re wet so make sure your pants are truly waterproof not just resistant.
Thermal Underwear: The weather on my trip was quite warm (not windy, mid-20s mostly) so I only ended up wearing my top a few days and never wore the bottoms. What worked for me was leggings on the bottom and a short and long sleeve shirt on the top underneath the items above. The weather in Antarctica is notably unpredictable so I would still have brought them.
Sweaters/Polar Fleece: Bring these too. Even if you don’t wear them on land they’re great for running out on the deck to take a photo without absolutely freezing.
Onboard Clothes: The temperature onboard is pretty normal, so make sure you have enough clothes to comfortably get you through the duration of your journey. Laundry on board is crazy expensive, but on my ship, it was like 50% off towards the end of the voyage. Dress on my ship was very informal with two opportunities to dress up at the “captains cocktail” events, but not ballgown fancy, just some nicer clothes than jeans and a t-shirt. It was also totally optional to dress up.
Mittens and Gloves: My hands are always the first to get cold. I invested in some really warm waterproof mittens which were great and then always had some cheap thing gloves underneath for fiddling with my camera gear.
Woolen Cap or Fleece Cap: You don’t need anything fancy. I just had a nice beanie. But again it was warm on my trip, so I did have a few warmer back-ups I never used. My parka also came with a hood.
Scarf: Ya this came in handy. I actually had just one of those fleece neck scarves and it worked really well
Onboard footwear: Sneakers are good. I also recommend a pair of flip flops.
Backpack: Especially if you’re bringing cameras, this is essential. I bought a fairly cheap one off of Amazon. It was listed as waterproof, but it probably was more just water-resistant. It never got that wet so it wasn’t really a problem. You just don’t want to be holding your expensive camera out in the open as your zodiac is splashing over the ocean waves.
Sunglasses: THIS. Bring multiple pairs, you can’t have too many. The worst thing would be without sunglasses - the sun and snow are incredibly bright.
Sunblock: If you burn you will burn even if the temperature is below freezing. Bring some. I’m pale so I brought some SPF 80.
Camera + Batteries + Charger: I brought multiple cameras and multiple batteries. This is one thing I really looked into before I went because I wanted to take some great photos. I ended up bringing a Canon 90D and T3i body along with three lenses (but only used two). I used the 18-55 mm lens and the 70-300 mm lens and really liked that combination. I also brought a DJI Osmo Active for some shots on the zodiac and my cell phone just in case. I always brought extra batteries along with me and had my Joby tripod for some time-lapse shots. Also, bring extra memory cards just in case. I had a couple of 256 GB ones I brought with me. A polarizer or variable ND filter can be nice for sunny days and sunsets.
Bathing Suit: If your ship has a hot tub or you plan on doing the polar plunge.
Binoculars: I brought these but to be honest I didn’t use them. The telephoto lens on my camera was sufficient.
A few other items I’d recommend -
A Notebook/Journal: I didn’t think I’d journal on this trip but when you’re out there seeing all of this amazing nature and have some downtime on the ship it’s nice to write some of it down. Some of my friends on the ship used their phones and I ended up writing in a pocket journal from my AirBNB
Money: For alcohol, any souvenirs and tips for the crew
A Deck of Cards: Very useful while you’re on board. I didn’t bring one but luckily we found one in the library.
Hard Drive and Laptop: If you’re going to be taking a lot of photos or videos I’d recommend this. I ended up using mine, and it’s always nice to have the peace of mind of backing up your photos
Seasickness Things: There are a ton of options here and it really depends on the person I think. The ship's medical staff had plenty of strong meds available and barf bags… I luckily didn’t get seasick, but what worked for me was these Upspring Stomach Settle drops in combination with proactive Dramamine for the first day each direction. I took the chew-able non-drowsy kind. I also had these air patches ready to go, but never ended up using them. When you start feeling sick look at the horizon and move as close to the bottom center of the boat as possible. It’s also not a great idea to stare at a book/phone/screen when it gets really rocky. Even if you do end up getting sick, you’ll be feeling much better soon enough.
Water bottle: Plastic water bottles aren’t a thing in Antarctica, so bring your favorite reusable one with you. Especially across the Drake and after being outside for a few hours it’s important to stay hydrated.
Get Ready for the Trip of a Lifetime
A trip to Antarctica is the trip of a lifetime. After the first day of landing on the continent, all of the travel and money spent to get there seemed way more than worth it. It’s truly an otherworldly place. Everything won’t go according to plan and you have to be willing to roll with the punches, but sometimes the little detours end up being the most exciting. You’ll meet so many people with the same awe and passion for getting to Antarctica as you. Make sure you take time to just sit and watch the world around you in between taking some unbelievable photos. And don’t worry if you gain a few pounds eating all of that dessert.
Here are just a few memories from my trip:
