A 16-day Cruise to Antarctica
Here's how I spent 2 weeks in Antarctica
| Day | Activity | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Fly into Ushuaia | Likely an overnight flight from the US to Buenos Aires, followed by an airport transfer and another 4 hour flight. Arrive late in the afternoon | |
| Day 2 | Free day in Ushuaia | Frantically scramble to buy anything you forgot for cold temperatures, stock up on booze, visit Tierra del Fuego, or send your last emails and maybe double check your will | |
| Day 3 | Embarkation | Drop bags in the morning and a free day to worry more about whether you have enough clothing. Board the boat at 4pm | |
| Day 4-5 | Drake Passage Trial #1 | Lay curled up in a ball in your cabin as the Drake passage throws the boat around like a toy. Curse the expedition staff for conducting mandatory safety briefings in the vomitorium. OR whale and bird watch if you’re a superior being immune to sea sickness. Hint: take your first sea sickness meds hours before you board the boat. | |
| Day 6-13 | Antarctica | All the activities. There's 9 parts to this, you're gonna have to read. | |
| Day 14-15 | Drake Passage Trial #2 | Hopefully not lay curled up in a ball in your cabin and get to see some of the ocean and birdlife. | |
| Day 16 | Return to Ushuaia | Disembark the boat in the morning and either catch a flight home or continue on in Argentina. |
Tips
- There’s ~50 operators catering to different audiences. I chose one that was more of an expedition on a smaller boat (albeit still quite luxurious) - Oceanwide Expeditions
- Bring plenty of sea sickness medication for the Drake passage. If you can get your hands on patches, do it (though the doctor on board also has them for sale). The middle of the cruise (when you're actually in Antarctica) is very smooth, so you'll only need medication for the start and end.
- Bring lots of downloaded entertainment - wifi will cost you $8 per 20mb. That's basically 3 emails. And if there's a mountain around (and there's many mountains...) it will take you 5 tries to send that email.
- Ideally, plan to do this trip when you have nothing going on at work or home. There's basically no way to hop on a call, even if its an emergency. If you really need it, consider getting your own satelite phone, though it may not be able to work it's magic around the mountains.
- If you expect to go on technical mountaineering, make sure you bring world-class mountaineering boots. They cannot flex even 1 degree, or the over-zealous mountaineering guides will not let you go. If you try rent such boots in Ushuaia, they won't pass the test.
- Clothing: waterproof jacket and waterproof pants as the shell, some kind of fleece middle, spandex inside. Bring layers, sunscreen, TWO pairs of gloves, great sunglasses, a hat.
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