Photos
Copyrights : Courtesy for the Companies mentionned below
Cruises
For some people, Antarctica exerts an irresistible power of attraction.
Does the power of the white landscape stem from the sheer endless wilderness
or the colonies of penguins ?
Everybody has their own reason for dreaming about the ultimate of continents.
To travel there is to seek out adventure and to follow in the footsteps
of explorers and scientists. 
Antarctica
does not
make it easy for you
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During
the winter, the place is as good as closed to travellers. The edge of
the pack-ice expands for miles into the ocean and the savagely low temperatures
make visiting less than pleasant. Then you've got the dark days with
almost no sunlight and you'll have gathered that Antarctica is not very
people-friendly at this time of the year.
Spring and summer on the continent are milder. There is life around
the coastline and the rim of pack-ice retreats.
Most
tourists visit Antarctica by ship
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This
is the time for cruise ships to set sail and take their passengers on
a voyage of discovery
to a very special world. Most tourists visit Antarctica by ship.These
are vessels that can withstand a storm and cut a way through the ice.
This is the most comfortable way for travellers to get to know this
land of extremes.
A number of
different companies organise cruises.
Thirty
of so tour operators are "Full member or Provisional members or Associate
members" of IAATO (International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators).
Thirty
of so tour operators are full member or provisional members
or Associate members of International Association of Antarctic
Tour Operators (IAATO)
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This
international organisation ensures that the trips organised by its members
are in total harmony with the fragile nature of Antarctica. Selecting
a cruise - and hence a tour operator - is a highly individual choice.
So
it is important to ask as many questions as possible. The answers will
help you to make your decision.
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Below
is a summarised list of some of the major elements that you need to
take into consideration in talking with your cruise operator.
What
sort of ship will you be sailing on?
Is
it an ice-breaker or a reinforced ship?
Has
the ship already made regular trips to Antarctica or is this an exception?
Make
sure you know what is included in the price ! What taxes are included?
What still has to be paid separately ? Some
companies do not mention any taxes in their prices.
How
many days will you actually spend in Antarctica ?
Read the programme carefully because a 14-day cruise sometimes includes
various nights in somewhere like South America. South America is a much
sought-after base to depart from and is the shortest route (2 days)
to the Antarctic peninsula
How
many passengers will you be travelling with?
The
smallest ship making the run to Antarctica carries 38 passengers. The
biggest has ten times that number. A simple rule: the smaller the better.
In any event, the atmosphere aboard a smaller ship is more intimate.
A ship with fewer than 100 passengers aboard is a good average.
More
than 150 passengers is to be avoided
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More
than 150 passengers is to be avoided ! This has nothing to do with too
few seats in the ship's restaurant. Lectures are overcrowded, the specialised
literature runs out and you can wait for ages to be taken to the mainland
by Zodiac.
IAATO members apply a rule of never landing more than 100 visitors at
the same time. Most of the scientific bases do not allow more than 80
visitors at any one time. And some historic sites are even restricted
to 40.
Who
are your fellow passengers ?
Some
natural history associations buy up a number of cabins. The remaining
places are given to tour operators. Different areas of interest can
cause tension when thrown together.
What
language is spoken on board the ship ?
Is the main language English? Are there any large groups which speak
other languages?
Who
is giving the lectures ? What scientists will there be on board ?
Ask to
see the synopsis of a lecture. Lectures are much more interesting when
the presenter is a gifted speaker. But all too often, it seems that
famous scientists have great difficulty getting their message across
to the public at large. 
Is
there a helicopter aboard the cruise ship?
Helicopters
on board give the trip an added dimension. They are able to land anywhere
so that people can visited areas that are inaccessible with the Zodiac.
Helicopters can carry a maximum of 6 to 8 people, so we come back to
our rule again: the smaller the ship the better. Helicopters can also
be used for reconnaissance purposes, seeking out the easiest path through
the pack-ice and restricting travelling time.
Is
the cruise company a member of IAATO ?
If
so, that gives you the reassurance that the trip to Antarctica will
not cause any damage to the environment. Responsible tourism is essential
if the fragile Antarctic ecology is to be protected. For this reason,
IAATO has established a number of rules that all of its members have
to adhere to.
In
the second section, next page,
we will look at ten international organisations
that offer trips to Antarctica with some prices included
(click
here)
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