The South Pole; emperor penguins; the white desert; the 7th continent; the last frontier on Earth; the bottom of the world; the most beautiful place on the planet. This is Antarctica. If you’ve been before you can’t wait to go back. It gets into your blood. There’s something about the ice. There’s something about being where so few have been or will ever go. To visit the South Pole is my dream. I will be participating in an expedition in December and I want you to join me!
The expedition will take place December 10-20. The expedition originates from Cape Town, South Africa. The tour company is White Desert; which runs the only luxury camp on the Antarctic continent. The cost is 59,000 euros per person and it is the trip of a lifetime.
We will fly from Cape Town on board a Belorussian Ilyushin 76 cargo plane from Cape Town International Airport to the blue ice runway at Novolazaravskaya Russian Base in Queen Maud Land, Norwegian Antarctica. I know that’s a mouthful but it will be the coolest flight you ever take-trust me!
Upon landing, you will be met by White Desert representatives; who are some of the coolest and most accomplished guys I’ve ever met. You’re then transported by vehicle to the White Desert campsite. At the camp, you sleep in state of the art, comfortable and heated pods at the base of a stunning glacier.
The camp is also equipped with a shower, toilets, a common room, kitchen and dining room that serves some of the best food you will ever taste-seriously. Everything is very comfortable and is the best accommodation you will find anywhere on the ice. White Desert has nicer accommodation than what Prince Harry stayed in last year when I was down there with him and his group.
From the White Desert camp, experienced alpine climbers, adventurers and guides organize your days. You will go on glacier walks, ice caving, ice climbing or any activity you want. You can go in groups or cater to the individual depending on your preferences.
The expedition will also include a day where you fly out to a massive colony of emperor penguins; which you can only see on the ice. This is one of the coolest things you will ever do. The penguins are amazing, the landscapes are breathtaking and the photographs are priceless. When I did this last year, it was literally one of my favorite days of all time.
However, the main draw is to visit the South Pole. We will fly from the Russian Base down to the 83 degree line to refuel and then onward to the ice runway at Amundsen-Scott base at the geographic South Pole. I dream of the moment when I reach the South Pole and will likely break down in tears when I finally do reach it this year!
This is it. This is the trip. This is the bucket list trip to put all other bucket lists to shame. You can take a boat to the Antarctic Peninsula or some of the surrounding islands from South America, Australia or New Zealand but you won’t have the same visceral Antarctic experience.
To be wholly within the ice; the Antarctic continent; the white desert; is so powerful that it’s hard to explain in words. It needs to be experienced. The extreme silence, beauty and unspoiled landscapes are things that will stay with you until the end of your days.
Join me this December for the trip of a lifetime to see the emperor penguins and be one of the few in history to reach the South Pole.
Please email me if you’re seriously interested or feel free to comment here if you have questions as well.
Visit the South Pole
May 19, 2014 by 10 Comments
Such a different place to go and even if it’s never been on my top destinations, it looks stunning and those penguins are incredible cute! Thanks for sharing!
WOW!!!! The trip is amazing!!! I bet you can’t wait for December to come fast enough!
Wow!!! how beautiful photographs! The journey is amazing!!! Penguins are also looking excellent. places are really ideal for adventure. this article can help travelers to take decision to go these places. thanks for sharing these beautiful pictures.
jealous! antartica is the only continent i haven’t stepped foot on!
What an interesting choice of travel destination, not one I’ve ever really considered. Maybe I will now.
Any other more ‘out there’ travels planned? I’ve always wanted to visit North Korea – fascinating place.
I have to rob a bank to get the money. Hahaha
We would so love to do this if we could! Have been to Antarctica but would love to make it all the way to the South Pole. We’ll contact you to join if we ever win the lottery!
Alright, I’m in! I just need to win the Eurojackpot first. Keep your fingers crossed for me every friday… 🙂
I’m planning on going to Antarctica around january. Would have loved to visit the South Pole, but I have to admit it’s out of my price range. I have done most of my bucket list destinations already, and Antarctica is the most important to me of the remaining ones. Too bad the South Pole can’t be done as a budget tour.
Awesome trip but so out of range for me. At $81,000 times two this would be very close to the cost of our house just a few years ago. May all your expectations of this milestone become reality.
I was thinking of going to Antarctica this past winter but I was so tired and then I heard that because of the climate changes there is too much snow, It is covering the few land areas you can see, so I just stayed in Rio for a few weeks. Some people in Rio said that the cruise over is the best part for seeing new things. But, I wanted to walk on Antarctica because it is the only continent that I have not been to.
Two years ago while I was having stents put in I went into cardiac arrest. The crash team zapped me and got my heart going, slow but beating. A few minutes later, it stopped again. The crash team returned and zapped it again. When it stopped the third time the crash team told the doctor the heart was finished. My doctor had the hospital pack me in ice to chill me to 34 degrees F and put me on life support while he looked for the reason my heart kept stopping. After a few hours it turns out my heart had a cardiac tamponade. Never did find what caused it. He drained the blood, they zapped me and warmed me up, I was back, with some mild brain damage, memory loss, due to lack of oxygen.
I have fished and caught piranha on the Amazon, found gold panning, swam with sharks explored the ruins of temples, forts and castles. There are so many fun and exciting things to do. More things to do than we have time.
I don’t care to go to every country, But I kind of would have liked to go to every continent before I die. I am 60 years old, not old, but with COPD, CAD and chronic pain. Not to mention draining most of my savings paying medical, doctors, and hospital bills. But I still think about it, 6 out of 7 one to go.
Just getting a quick trip to Antarctica will ad about $10,000.00+ on top of what it cost us to vacation in Argentina or Chile.
So Mr. Abbamonte, I will be checking back on your post and when you get to Antarctica, or anyone else who goes, please post what you saw, what the weather is like, how you got there and what the cost was. I would prefer to go by way of South America for travel time reasons. By chance you meet someone there who went by that route. Who knows, I might just make it.
Flyingbye