What's it really like visiting Antarctica?

Telling friends and family my next holiday would be to Antarctica garnered several incredulous reactions. English people tend to choose places with guaranteed sunshine for their holidays, to escape from our cool and rainy island.

“But won’t Antarctica be too cold, why would you want to go there?” I was asked several times.

Fortunately I know several people who had visited Antarctica and it was their stories that made me really want to go for myself. One thing that everyone who has visited the last continent says is “If you get the opportunity, just go; you won’t regret it!”

The vast mountains of Antarctica are a dramatic backdrop to zodiac cruises

Demand for Antarctica is actually increasing rapidly as people look for more off-the-beaten-track destinations to travel to. There is now a wide choice of operators offering Antarctic cruises and expeditions, so think carefully what you are looking for when choosing one. For this journey, we chose Silversea Expeditions, and I’ve added more information about them at the bottom of this blog.

How to get there

The journey can be long and tiring from the UK, but most Silversea voyages include a pre-cruise night in a 5* Santiago hotel which is the perfect opportunity to relax and enjoy some warm weather before flying by charter plane to Puerto Williams, the southernmost town on earth.

From here, we boarded our vessel, the Silver Cloud to sail across the Drake Passage to Antarctica.

The Drake Passage is notorious for being one of the most unpredictable seas in the world so I was nervous about the crossing. The Captain told us its either the ‘Drake Lake’ or ‘Drake Shake’ and fortunately for us it was the former conditions on this occasion. Having said that, the ship was rocking enough to make me need to take travel sick medication every day.

On the afternoon of day 2 it was foggy but we could see the South Shetland Islands in the distance as we passed between them to reach Antarctica itself. Soon icebergs began to appear as well, adding to the excitement of everyone on board.

Silver Cloud in Neko Harbour, Antarctica

Arriving in Antarctica

The next morning the ship arrived in Cierva Cove and we woke up to one of the most stunning views I’ve ever seen. The ship was in a quiet cove surrounded by icebergs floating on a clear blue sea, surrounded by snow-covered mountains and sparkling glaciers.

We had been briefed by the Expedition team that each day we would have 2 excursions, and usually the ship relocated to a different place for the afternoon activities. An excursion could be either a zodiac, cruise, a hike or kayaking. Whichever you choose, zodiacs are always used to disembark and embark the ship. This morning’s activity was our first zodiac cruise. These small rigid inflatable boats are military-grade so they can still float even if they are punctured several times and they always felt safe skippered by the expert expedition guides.

Gentoo penguins going for a swim, Cierva Cove

What we saw in Antarctica

On this first morning, we cruised around the bay, weaving between icebergs and saw our first penguins (Chinstraps and Adelies) as well as skuas, shags and numerous other sea birds. At times in open water, the zodiac drivers sped up to give us all an adrenaline rush.

In the afternoon, the ship relocated to Mikkelsen Harbour where we stepped ashore for the first time. This small island is home to a large gentoo penguin colony and the first thing we noticed was the smell. As penguins live on fish, their droppings do smell strong, especially in such large quantities. Stepping ashore, we were immediately among these comical birds waddling around us, completely ignoring our presence. A large Weddell Seal lay on the beach fast asleep, also seemingly oblivious to our arrival. In February the penguins chicks were nearly fully-grown but still grey and slightly fluffy unlike their sleek black and white parents. I could have watched these comical birds for hours as they went about their daily business: catching fish, swimming, fighting and chasing each other and often falling over!

View my full Antarctica gallery

The next 5 days followed a similar pattern, with an early start and 2 excursions daily. Passengers on the ship are assigned a zodiac group, and the start time varies every day so each group only has two 7am starts and the rest are later. Expeditions are different to traditional cruises in that there is no set schedule, instead the Expedition Leader and the Captain study the weather and charts and carefully and decide the next location depending on where the best conditions will be.

There was not a single day that I wasn’t completely awestruck by the scenery and wildlife we saw but I will summarise some of the highlights.

At Neko Harbour we stepped ashore on continental Antarctica for the first time. We followed a route laid out by the expedition team to walk up to a viewpoint. Although a path had been trodden in the show, it was still very slippery and quite steep to get to the top, but worth it for the stunning views over the bay.

There was also a large gentoo penguin colony and many of the penguins walk along the human paths and we had to give way to let them waddle past. On returning to the zodiac to go back to the ship, the driver diverted so we could see a huge leopard seal lying on an iceberg. As we glided quietly past, it raised its head slightly to look at us then went back to sleep. Leaving the bay in the evening, the setting sun lit up the surrounding mountains in the most gorgeous pastel hues, reflected in the mirror-like sea.

On several mornings, we woke up and went out on the balcony to be greeted by the whoosh of  humpback whales expelling water from their blowholes. The best place for whales was Fournier Bay where at one point, they were all around the ship and we kept seeing jets of water blasting into the air or their enormous tails and back fins rising out of the sea.

At Cuverville island as we had boarded the zodiac on the beach to return to the ship, everybody gasped as a leopard seal suddenly popped its head out of the water within 10 feet of our boat. In the crystal-clear water, we watched as it swam right beneath us and circled for a few minutes before silently vanishing.

Kayaking is another activity offered on most expedition cruises, and we had signed up to this on perhaps the worst day. As we left the safety of the ship, it started snowing hard, and soon visibility was so bad that the ship completely disappeared in the fog.

However, it was one of the most surreal experiences, gently paddling around the enormous and jagged shapes of the icebergs, with snow falling heavily so that we were all soon covered in it. Suddenly our guide told everyone to be quiet as we were passing a leopard seal asleep on an iceberg. We paddled as little as possible to pass silently in the gloom without disturbing the sleeping giant. We had nearly arrived back at the ship when some of the officers met us on a zodiac to hand out hot chocolate or champagne, which really brought home to me how fortunate we are to be able to visit this vast empty continent in such luxury compared to the first explorers just over 100 years ago.

A Leopard Seal sleeping peacefully on an iceberg

Deception Island

Our final landing was at Deception Island, part of the South Shetland islands. The entrance to Whalers bay is so narrow that an expedition ship can only just pass through, and we woke up to find ourselves surrounded by land on all sides.

This fascinating bay is actually the water-filled crater of an active volcano, although it last erupted in 1969. When we landed ashore, it was so windy that we had to cover our faces because it was painful to feel the ice-cold snow being blown onto our skin. We were greeted by a large group of fur seals growling and fighting each other on the shore and the remains of an old research station. Three penguins sheltered in the shadow of a huge rusted fuel tank which was the only colour in this monochrome scene of white snow and black volcanic rock. The abandoned research station was at times controlled by Norway and Britain and had even had an airfield at one point. Now the buildings are ruined but still largely intact, the aircraft hangar even still has its roof on. Three small crosses sticking out of the snow marking the graves of men who had died while stationed there were a stark reminder of how inhospitable this climate is.

The bleak but atmospheric conditions on Deception Island

Would I recommend visiting?

I’ve often heard it said that Antarctica defies description, and now having been there, I can confirm that it surpassed my expectations. It would be worth going just to see the beautiful rugged scenery or the multitudes of icebergs, each one a completely unique and sometimes unbelievable shape. But when you add to this its teeming wildlife, all living oblivious to their rare human visitors, it truly is the trip of a lifetime.

Layers of water, ice, cloud and mountains at Fournier Bay

How we got there

There are many different companies offering Antarctic expeditions now. Silversea is considered one of the most luxurious, but as it is all-inclusive, the final cost works out similar to many of the other operators. They also offer a variety of different length voyages from 6 to 18 days. We opted for the 10-day voyage which fitted in best with our schedule. The ship’s crew were all amazing, delivering service equal to any 5* hotel, and we also couldn’t fault the food and drinks. It was quite surreal, being in one of the remotest places on earth and still being able to enjoy fine dining, butler service and unlimited champagne.

The Silver Cloud is a relatively old ship, built in 1994, and although the décor might be slightly outdated, it was all in perfect condition and we thought it was very elegant. There was also a gym, sauna and steam room, and outdoor hot tubs and a heated swimming pool on the ship.

The cruise fare includes a backpack, water bottle and parka, and boots are available for hire, but we took our own wellies.

The Expedition team are all very experienced with qualifications in areas such as natural history, biology, geology and ornithology. Every day they deliver a briefing to prepare passengers for the next day and also recap the day’s activities. Some of the team also delivered lectures which were very interesting, and they were always so helpful if anyone had questions.

If you would like to find out more about Silversea, visit www.silversea.com 

I’m also happy to answer any questions, just drop me a message here