An Adventurer's Guide to the Frozen Continent: Exploring Antarctica

Welcome to the Southern-most point of South America! You may have already been on an adventure to get here, or this may be your first day stepping off the plane from your home destination. Either way, this is the first step into the most incredible vacation of your life! Ushuaia has many restaurants, shops and bars for you to explore. With a vast maritime history and many museums, you can find countless ways to explore indoors or outdoors.

Today is the day when you finally board the vessel that will take you across the Drake’s passage to your awaited destination. Use this time to tour the ship, get to know your fellow adventurers and meet the crew and guides taking care of you during this expedition. Depending on the size of your vessel, you may have multiple dining and bar areas. Now is the time to scope out all the good sightseeing spots!

The day has finally come, you are rolling the dice to see if you will get the placid Drake Lake or if you will experience the infamous Drake Shake! Do not fear, your captain and crew are all experienced with this trip across the passage and will keep you safe no matter the weather. If you have a history of any motion sickness, now is the time to take the advice of your crew. Take any Dramamine or anti-nausea medication you may have brought with you and use sea bands and patches to make yourself comfortable on the short trip over! The sooner you start, the better you’ll feel.

When you wake up on your final day of the Drake Passage, you’ll finally get a glimpse of what excitement is coming. The first icebergs will start to appear on your horizon making your adrenaline start pumping. It’s hard to put into words how small they seem from afar, until you get up close and start to recognize how foreign this part of the world is. The giant shards of ice bobbing in the water really give perspective as to how small we all are in this world.

Today may be the first day when your captain and crew deem it safe to step ashore. Two places you may stop (all dependent on your ship's itinerary) are either the American Palmer station, or the Russian Bellingshausen station on King George’s Island. Both locations house scientific research centers that are in place during the milder summer months.

The Palmer station has a few spots where you can take photos, and it even has a small shop where you can find items to commemorate your epic journey! The Bellingshausen station has one of the most unique buildings on the continent, called the Trinity Church. Most buildings in Antarctica are very simple to protect from the weather, however the church has an ornate beauty to it and it allows all denominations to visit inside.

If all is going well, you may also finally see your first penguin or other wildlife! This is just a small glimpse into what days are ahead.

Continuing your first epic day ashore, your ship’s captain and crew will now start taking the ship further into the heart of Antarctica. Depending on your ship’s ability, you may have excursion options such as Zodiac trips ashore to see penguin colonies, snow-shoeing across vast plains of ice in between towering cliffs or even helicopter rides! Some ships may also have submersibles on board, which can take you beneath the towering ice, to see the beauty of life below the surface.

My favorite part of the trip was a zodiac ride near a pod of humpback whales feeding together. We spend almost an hour keeping a safe distance away, watching these intelligent creatures work together and feed on small fish. It was hard to contain or awe and excitement during this once-and-a-lifetime opportunity, and we felt so grateful to our guides for keeping us and the animals safe.

No matter how you choose to spend your trip, on or off the ship, you will be able to see breathtaking views due to the 24-hour daylight.