This area is remote, awe inspiring, it’s the coldest, windiest, and yet the driest of all the continents, being the fifth largest of the seven, it’s twice the size of Australia, and about 30% larger than Europe. When you’re walking on that Ice Sheet, remember that the thickness underneath you is 2 Km, Antarctica is the highest elevation continent on earth, with an average elevation of 2,500 metres or 8,200 feet. The continent contains 90% of the world’s ice and 80% of its fresh water. 

The cruise begins from the colourful city of Ushuaia, the capital city of Tierra del Fuego on the southern tip of South America, that’s divided between Argentina and Chile, it’s the most southern city in the world. As the cruise ship sails from Ushuaia you’ll be sailing south by the Beagle Channel, leaving the Strait of Magellan, and Cape Horn, behind you. Cape Horn is where the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans collide, opposing currents clash as vast volumes of water channel through the Drake Passage, causing huge and irregular waves that come from different directions.

The activities that one experiences on this cruise are spectacular. The Zodiacs, (small vessels) that carry 12 guests plus crew are capable of landing on the continent in different areas depending on the Captain’s choice on a particular day. Being up close and personal with the Penguins is a school day in experimentation. Watch the male as he begins the initial phase of courtship, bowing his head and pointing his beak towards the female’s feet, if she’s interested she will return the gesture, the conquering hero will then strut around at least two feet taller than before, making sounds comparable to singing. It’s quite amusing when you see these tuxedoed styled males carrying on the same ritual with the soon-to-be female partner hiding in the background. 

The couple work together in raising their chicks, protecting the young from predators and gathering food. The young are targeted by birds such as the albatross, petrels, egrets, cormorants and skuas. When the adults are in the water trying to catch fish their biggest enemy are the seals and whales. There’s an estimated 10 million species of penguins in the Southern Ocean or the Antarctic Ocean. 

The Zodiacs also will also carry you close to the icebergs, glaciers, ice floes and journeying into one of the dormant Volcano Pools. Listen to glaciers moan and groan in their slouching movements to the freezing ocean. 

The culinary offerings on board the ship will more than satisfy your desires. Beverages are to be had at all meals or when your thirst demands it. After dinner most evenings there are guest speakers and lectures on the explorers of the Antarctic and the South Pole. Hear the stories of the Norwegian sealers and whalers that first came here to hunt in the area. 

Antarctica is governed by 30 countries worldwide, in 1959 a treaty was agreed on and signed into law. There’s no military activity, mining, nuclear explosions, or disposal of nuclear waste. In the Summertime (October to March) about 5,000 people live in different parts of the continent, doing research, fishing, and tourism. That number drops below 1,000 in the winter. Environmental protection is very high on the researchers’ studies. With an increase in tourism it’s important to consider the effects that their footprints might be having. 

There’s always something of a challenge to do on the ship, the one I’m speaking of is not so much on the ship but beside it. A polar plunge, the waters were cold, but the spirit was willing and so with a sudden rush of blood I agreed to participate. Togged out for the occasion I head for the water, before jumping a harness is placed around your waist with a rope attached. I jumped in and survived to tell the tale.

I love the policy that the staff on the cruise ships have. “We leave nothing behind but our footprints” and “Take nothing away but our memories”.