The time is finally here! A trip I’ve dreamed about for decades, researched for years, and planned for months, was finally here. My 7th and final continent. I’ve waited more than two decades to afford this trip and am still pinching myself that it is happening!
Actually, let me back up a bit because getting to Antarctica is no easy feat (nor is it cheap). Where do I start?
First, I had to decide what type of trip I wanted. There are a couple of different ways to get to Antarctica: a cruise from Ushuaia, Argentina or a fly-cruise from Punta Arenas, Chile. I didn’t have 2-3 weeks to spend on a cruise nor did I want to deal with days of seasickness crossing the Drake Passage so I opted for the faster (and more expensive) route of the fly-cruise. There were some as short as 6 days or as long as 10 days that reached the Polar Circle (I chose the 6-day option).
Next, I had to research which company to go with and what activities would be available. Nowadays, there are a ton of companies that offer Antarctica cruises including Antarctica21, Quark’s, Swoop Antarctica, among others. Some companies offer galas, captain’s dinners, luxury amenities, etc. (similar to a traditional cruise) but I personally didn’t really care about any of that. I was more interested in actual excursions like paddle boarding, snow shoeing, kayaking, and hiking (which are offered on some cruises). I settled on Antarctica21 who pioneered fly-cruise expeditions and offered a few activities that were on my “must do” list.
Then, I had to decide when I wanted to go. The Antarctica summer season lasts from late October to early March and that is the only time when the “affordable” cruises are offered. Within that short window, there are spectacular things to see throughout the season. Early in the season (late October-November) is the beginning of the mating season for penguins but whales are a rare sight. Since it isn’t full blown summer yet, the weather is a bit “cooler” (but what is “cooler” when it is already cold!). I’ve heard December is the best month to visit (and is when we were originally scheduled to visit). It is the warmest (by Antarctic standards), there are long hours of daylight (up to 20 hours of daylight!), and plenty of wildlife to observe. In January, there is near 24-hour daylight and lots of fluffy penguin chicks that have hatched. February is the best time for whale watching and fur seals (spoiler alert: we saw a ton of whales when we went!). March marks the end of the season and typically has colder temperatures but still lots of whales.
Lastly, I had to make sure I had all of the funds! It isn’t just the flight (which includes the flight from New York to Santiago and then Santiago to Punta Arenas and can run around $2,000) and cruise (which can cost anywhere from $5,000-$25,000 per person!) but also ALL of the gear you have to buy, extra activities you want to do (kayaking isn’t cheap!), etc.
In addition to those decisions, there was a ton of preparation we had to do, including:
- Creating a packing list: after tons of research on what to pack, we settled on 3 sets of base layers (merino wool leggings and top), 1 “warm” layer (fleece-lined pants and fitted fleece jacket), 1 waterproof layer (Spyder insulated ski coat and Columbia pants), 6 pairs of merino wool knee socks, a neck gaiter, gloves, polarized sunglasses, a beanie hat, binoculars, sunscreen, and waterproof backpack. Spoiler alert: although three layers are recommended, we didn’t end up wearing all of those layers every day because Antarctica is a lot warmer in the summer than you would expect!
- Purchasing travel insurance: We purchased travel insurance from World Nomads for about $400 for the two of us. With a trip of this magnitude, I wanted to make sure I was protected (and the cruise company mandated it).
- Made sure we had all of the necessary paperwork and medical forms completed.
The prep work for the trip was exhausting and overwhelming at times but I soon found out it was worth every bit of stress because the experience was incredible! Let’s finally start the trip!
We put in a bid for an upgrade but were outbid so was relegated to coach. It actually wasn’t a bad flight and went by pretty quickly considering it was a 10-hour redeye and I was stuck in a middle seat. When we arrived, we had to fill out the SAG declaration form digitally. Thankfully, the airport had free Wi-Fi otherwise we would’ve been out of luck. There were “official” taxis inside of the airport so we grabbed one of those (I read that it was supposed to be about $25 and it was $30 so seemed like a good deal to me). It was a brief 20-minute ride to get to Renaissance hotel and we pulled up around 8am. Since we were short on time and weren’t able to check in because we were so early, we ate breakfast in the hotel restaurant and freshened up in their spa.
We had a private tour scheduled at 9am with Chile Private Tours to Vina del Mar and Valparaiso. Since I had read there really wasn’t much to see or do in Santiago, we decided to venture out a bit and explore those two cities instead. The first stop was Palacio Rioja in Vina del Mar which is about an hour and a half drive from Santiago. Back in the day, Vina del Mar was chosen as a place of residence by wealthy businessmen of Valparaíso, one of which was Fernando Rioja. Today, it is a cultural center and museum. It was fascinating hearing about the history of the building and the Rioja family who once lived there. The rooms were over the top and decorated so ornately. Unbelievable to think a single family lived there once upon a time!
Next stop was the Fonck Museum to see the Maoi statue from Easter Island. The unfinished maoi is argued by some to have been donated by the Rapanui people in 1951. However, others say it was not a gift and needs to be returned to Easter Island. We didn’t venture inside the museum because it was mainly just artifacts from the Rapa Nui culture (which I’d rather experience on Easter Island) and the crowds that arrived at the same time we did was also a deterrent.
As we were leaving Vina del Mar, we passed by the famous flower clock which is a flower garden shaped like clock that shows the actual time and plays music.
Our next stop was Valparaiso which is located about 15-20 minutes from Vina del Mar. This was the city I was most excited to see in Chile…and when we arrived, I was a bit underwhelmed 😦 It is a port city with the “best” views being impeded by shipping containers so my first impression of the city wasn’t the greatest.
One of the highlights was being able to take one of the many cable cars located around the city. There are signs all over for the cable car so you can’t miss it (though some may be out of service).
We also just walked around the very colorful town perusing various shops and restaurants, climbing the never-ending stairs, and admiring the amazing street art.
At this point we were STARVING so found a restaurant recommended by our guide. I’m always a sucker for ceviche when I see it on the menu and it was delicious. On the other hand, I also ordered the “risotto” and tuna in oyster sauce which both were a bit odd in terms of flavor. Will had some sort of seafood soup to start, followed by a cheese crabcake dip thingy which didn’t sound like it would be good but he raved about it! Interestingly, that dish seemed to be quite popular in Chile as we saw it on other menus as well.
After lunch, it took about an hour and a half to get back to Santiago and we arrived around 6pm. We had dinner reservations at 8:15pm at El Meson Nerudiano (named after the famous poet Pablo Neruda) so we quickly got ready and grabbed an Uber there for 8000 pesos (a 10-minute drive). Although it was rated pretty highly and looked to be a lively place from the reviews I read, there was no ambiance, no music, and not many people when we arrived. While the drinks were pretty good, the food was bland. I had the empanada (four different kinds) and “ribs” with spicy mashed potato, and both turned out to be quite disappointing.
The next day we had an early morning flight leaving at 8am to Punta Arenas. We called an Uber to pick us up at 5:45am which only cost us $20 (compared to the $60 it would’ve cost if we had taken a taxi through the hotel which was our original plan).
Although the flight was only 2 and a half hours, we were served a meal that included a sandwich, fruit, chips, and bottled water. Pretty impressive when you can barely get a glass of water on a cross-country flight in the US!
After deplaning, we met our Antarctica21 representative at the baggage claim who was ready to transfer us to the Cabo de Hornos hotel located about 15 minutes from the airport.
Our room wasn’t ready yet and we were hungry (that little sandwich from the plane didn’t do much) so we went to La Marmita for lunch. It came highly recommended so we were excited to try it. Beware: they don’t accept credit cards so make sure to bring cash! I started with a blueberry pisco sour, then had mussels, and the leg of lamb with Arabic rice. I’m going to be honest…I was a bit disappointed. I had high expectations from the great TripAdvisor reviews but everything we ate tasted bland. The best part of the meal was the complimentary bread that came out with hummus, sauteed onions, and tomatoes.
We needed to walk off the meal, so we strolled along the waterfront promenade and took some pictures in front of the Punta Arenas sign.
When we returned to the hotel, we attended the orientation meeting for the cruise and were fitted for our boots.
Dinner at the hotel restaurant began shortly after at 7:30pm. It was a standard menu of empanada, king crab seafood chowder (that looked and tasted like crab dip), and a choice of salmon with risotto and asparagus or a meat dish. It was actually really good (especially the seafood chowder) and we were stuffed by the end of it.
We were a bit anxious because there was no guarantee that we would leave for Antarctica the next day. If the weather didn’t cooperate, the plane wouldn’t receive clearance to takeoff. Unfortunately, right after dinner we received a text saying due to weather, we wouldn’t be leaving early the next morning so we figured we would be stuck in Punta Arenas for another day. However, luck was on our side because right before breakfast the next morning, we received a message saying that our flight was scheduled for 12:30pm! Words can’t describe how excited we were because this seemed to be the biggest variable.
After double-checking the weight of our luggage (it can’t be more than 44 pounds total including hand luggage, but it doesn’t seem like they really verified the luggage weight anyway), we ate an underwhelming breakfast at the hotel restaurant, and then loaded onto the bus.
We checked in at the airport and went through security like we would with a “regular” flight, and boarded the plane. My mind was definitely blown when I saw we were flying “Antarctic Airways” since I didn’t even know that existed!
Like the Santiago to Punta Arenas flight, it was a short trip (less than 2 hours) but they served a drink, full sandwich, fruit, and chips! Gotta love non-US airlines 🙂
Within no time, we landed at Frei Station on King George Island in the South Shetland Islands which is officially Antarctica! I think that is when I released the breath I didn’t realize I was holding since we embarked on the journey from New York.
We took a 5-minute bus ride to the zodiacs. Fun fact: they just started using buses recently to get to the zodiacs. Previously, passengers would have to walk on the runway to get to the zodiacs. The zodiacs then took us to the cruise ship where we were shown our room (which was pretty standard).
After a quick safety briefing and safety drill, we had lunch of pumpkin soup, monte cristo sandwiches, and potato wedges. I think the excitement of the day was starting to catch up to me at that point so we rested for a bit (missing a penguin lecture). We made it to happy hour at 6pm where you could order free drinks from the “bartender”.
After just relaxing in the observation lounge (which was also called the bar, lecture room, and panoramic view room), there was a daily recap and introductions of the team, including the multiple jobs that they each have on the ship. At this point, we realized there were only 39 guests on the ship but more than twice that number of staff/expedition team on the trip! One of the reasons I hate cruises is because there are SO many people everywhere but with only 39 people (on a ship that holds 72 guests), it definitely didn’t feel crowded at all.
Before we knew it, it was time for dinner at 7:30pm. There was an appetizer of salmon, a choice of three entrees (we both chose the perch with zucchini in a black bean puree and mustard sauce), and then dessert of dulce de leche cheesecake (or in our case lemon sorbet since neither of us likes cheesecake). It was pretty good but similar to other Chilean cuisine we had, tasted somewhat bland.
After dinner, we had to meet for the kayaking program at 8:45pm. At this point, I was running on fumes because I was exhausted but my adrenaline kicked in because I was super excited about the kayaking! They mentioned that we would go kayaking twice a day (weather permitting) and also make landings on the continent as well. We had to prebook the kayaking ahead of the cruise as it is only limited to 10 people (and of course there were some people there who hadn’t prebooked but wanted to join and weren’t allowed to). Afterwards, we tried on all of our kayaking gear which was hilarious in itself! Watching Will squeeze his head through the little kayaking jumpsuit hole was like watching myself give birth again…creepy.
After that, we headed straight to bed but couldn’t get good sleep all night because we could feel the ship rocking back and forth the entire time.
To start off our first full day in Antarctica, there was a “wake up call” at 7:30am (which was just the expedition leader telling everyone what time to meet on the gangway over the loudspeaker). After a breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage, toast, and fruit at the buffet (which was actually really good), there was a quick briefing by the kayak leaders and then it was time to get ready for kayaking! I’m not going to lie: we both were extremely nervous. We had been kayaking in warm water before but nothing quite like this.
The first location we visited was Palaver Point. We took a zodiac close to the spot we were going to kayak and then got in the kayaks from the zodiac. We spent the next hour and a half kayaking along the coast looking at seals, penguins, and whales from the water.
To get a bit closer and achieve an even better view, we hopped in the zodiac and had the opportunity to view the hungry, breaching whales up close. Such an incredible experience!
Afterwards, we did a quick landing and was able to get closer to the penguins. We definitely had to watch where we walked because there was ALOT of penguin poop and pee everywhere! And, in case you were wondering how it smelled, imagine a fish market. I don’t think I wanted to even see a piece of fish after that!
Back on the boat, the first thing we had to do was disinfect our boots in the tray provided to make sure we weren’t transferring germs back and forth. Shortly after, it was time for lunch which was pretty good (I’m always a sucker for a good buffet!). Among other delectables, there was pork in plum sauce, beef noodle soup, and vegetable fajitas. And for dessert, banana cake and strawberry smoothie.
Afterwards, we saw tons of humpback whales feeding right outside of the porthole window in our room. We also ventured upstairs to the panoramic deck to see the Gerlache Strait (a narrow passage between two glaciers and separates the Palmer Archipelago from the Antarctic Peninsula).
Before we knew it, it was time to head back out for the second landing for the day. We started off kayaking again and saw tons of whales and then went to observe some humpback whales feeding near the zodiac.
Then, we were able to finally experience the moment I had been waiting 40 years for…we stepped foot on the Antarctica mainland continent! It was everything I thought it would be and more…I couldn’t help but marvel at the pristine glaciers and icebergs, and just revel in the peacefulness of it all.
We headed back to the ship in time for happy hour and then the debriefing or ”lectures” that described the different types of animals we saw that day and gave a bit more information about the locations we visited. Before I came on the trip, I honestly thought that the “lectures” would be boring but they were the complete opposite! It was quite interesting learning about the whales that we saw as well as different types of icebergs (who knew there are different types of ICEBERGS?!?!). Before we could blink, it was time for dinner. We had an appetizer of mozzarella cheese in pesto sauce, followed by the pasta (which was really good but a touch bland; Will had the chicken and said that was pretty tasty), and concluding with a molten lava cake with ice cream for dessert. This was all accompanied by delicious Chilean red wine. It was a great full first day in Antarctica!
For our second full day (which was also Valentine’s Day), we anchored by Petermann Island, a small, low, rounded island known for its Adelie penguins. We decided to skip kayaking and do snowshoeing so after indulging in the breakfast buffet, we met downstairs on the gangway around the same time we would if we were kayaking. We took the zodiac to the island and grabbed a pair of snowshoes and poles. I had been snowshoeing before in Norway (see Norway post) but experiencing it in Antarctica was even more thrilling and felt unreal. As soon as we landed on the island, there were penguins EVERYWHERE we turned which was pretty cool.
The views were simple breathtaking. I could stay there for hours just admiring God’s work. We also saw different types of red and green algae on the snow known as cryoplankton (which I originally thought was penguin pee!).
And, of course, the trip wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t take a pic on a new continent representing! Perhaps I’m the first Nevisian-American to travel to Antarctica? I like the sound of it!
We also saw Gentoo penguins and the infamous Adelie penguins… as well as the skeleton of a dead penguin. Speaking of penguins, we saw a group of penguins at the edge ready to dive in the water but it seemed like no one wanted to go first…so they turned around and no one went in!
After we were done snowshoeing, we headed back on the zodiac to the ship to rest until lunch time. Interestingly, at this point in our voyage, we were at 65 degrees south of the Earth’s equatorial plane…which was “only” 1 degree from the Polar Circle! I tried to convince our expedition leader to take a detour since we were so “close” to the Polar Circle but they explained that 1 degree actually takes a couple of days to sail to since you can’t go too fast at night with icebergs lurking in every corner. Nevertheless, it was still pretty cool being so close!
For the afternoon “landing”, we kayaked around Biscoe Bay which was full of small icebergs. Although the zodiacs weren’t making any landings, we had an amazing time kayaking. First, we kayaked into a shallow, little inlet close to penguins. It was so shallow that we kept getting stuck on rocks which made for an adventure.
The most exhilarating and scary part of the trip happened next. We paddled further out and by one of the icebergs, we saw a leopard seal (with its baby leopard seal cub) AND a minke whale super close to one another. It was super scary since leopard seals can be a bit aggressive so we “rafted up” to create a bigger presence and tried to “moonwalk” away by pedaling backwards…as the seal kept coming closer and closer. Thankfully, we escaped unscathed.
When we finally returned to the ship, we indulged in happy hour in the lounge where the cocktail of the day was sangria. I noticed a huge chunk of ice by the bartender so we were able to have fresh Antarctic ice in our drinks.
After our daily recap and debriefing, we headed up on the top deck for a Polar BBQ dinner! There were a ton of different options including lambchops, pork chops, ribs, hot dogs, corn on the cob, different salads, barbecue chicken, a HUGE fish, vegetable skewers, and more. We also had hot mulled wine and then for dessert caramelized pudding. Everything was soooo good. Although we were eating outside in 30 degree weather, it was an amazing and unforgettable experience.
Needless to say, with the weather being so cold, we didn’t last too long on the deck and called it a night quickly after we ate. The crazy thing about Antarctica during their summer is that even at 10pm at night, it looks like it is 2pm in the afternoon because they get 18+ hours of sunlight. It is soooo white and clear outside, you would never guess it is the middle of the night (which definitely makes it hard to go to sleep). Good thing all of the activities each day wears us out enough to collapse into our beds regardless of the brightness peeking through our windows!
For our third full day in Antarctica, we sailed to Port Lockroy. I didn’t have many expectations going into this trip (since things can change so quickly) but this was definitely one of the places I was hoping we would get a chance to visit! It houses the most southerly operational post office in the world so we were able to mail postcards and (perhaps more importantly) get our passports stamped! Currently, there is a staff of 4 women processing all of the mail (and yes, they live there…but only for a couple of years). They let us know that our postcards would take 2-3 months to get to their respective destinations since it had to go through the UK first.
There also is a souvenir shop and museum that shows how some of the early explorers lived and survived while there. Interestingly, only half of the island is open to tourists, while the other half is reserved for penguins.
Afterwards, we boarded the kayaks and explored the area. We saw a crabeater seal and lots and lots of penguins (of course). It was extremely cold outside and despite having gloves on, I couldn’t seem to get my hands warm at all 😦 (don’t be fooled by the smile on my face!).
After we finally returned back to the ship, it was the moment I had been waiting for the entire trip…they announced the polar plunge! We quickly changed into our swimsuits and bathrobes. I knew I wanted to do it but it was crazy when the time finally came. I jumped in and didn’t feel the coldness until I was coming out. I guess I was too excited because I caught a mouth full of seawater, wasn’t paying attention to where the photographer was so wasn’t looking that way, and couldn’t see where to put my feet on the steps to board the ship. I eventually found my way out and they gave me a towel and a shot of vodka. I took a nice hot shower after but still couldn’t seem to warm up or feel my toes for quite some time!! Nevertheless, the experience was soooo worth it!
It was then time for lunch and a bit of a rest before the afternoon landing at Orne Harbour. We skipped kayaking and went out on the zodiacs for about an hour and a half following humpback whales.
Afterwards, we had our second continental landing and hiked up a very steep glacier. We only made it about halfway because it was exhausting and very slippery. There were supposed to be great views from the top but the views seemed just as good to me from the halfway point where I was!
When we headed back to the ship, we continued to enjoy the view from the panoramic deck upstairs.
After the daily briefing on whales, albino type penguins, and the plan for tomorrow, we had a great dinner filled with delicious food and even better conversation. The sea bass was incredible and the conversation with a table full of 2 different families of Chicagoans as well as several different nationalities and native languages….all of whom love to travel as much as I do was amazing. It was so wonderful talking to other travelers who have a thirst for exploring the world as much as I do and being able to connect over our shared love of travel despite different languages.
I couldn’t believe our last full day in Antarctica was here so quickly! As with the other days, we had breakfast and talked to fellow passengers until we were kicked out of the dining room by the cleaning crew. We opted out of kayaking in the morning and instead, cruised around Astrolabe Island in the zodiac. The crew attempted to do a landing but we couldn’t because there were too many fur seals, the rocks were too slippery, and the water was a little rough with a swell. Despite not being able to do the landing, we saw lots of penguins and seals as well as salp (a small, strange looking, gelatinous blob in the water).
For the afternoon “expedition”, there were no landings or kayaking since there wasn’t really a good place to land and it was going to be a shorter than usual outing. Instead, we went in the zodiacs cruising near the Chilean base station called Bernardo O´Higgins station. Since Antarctica’s weather can be unpredictable, we were never 100% certain where we would end up each day. The captain had a plan but sometimes it was in the hands of the “weather gods”.
We saw a seal that killed a penguin and began devouring it! This was nature in full force! It was incredible to see the seal smacking the penguin back and forth to skin him and get to the meat.
After we boarded the ship about an hour later, there was a champagne toast on the top deck followed by a group photo.
Shortly after was the farewell dinner where we had a French onion soup that was a bit bland, a ribeye steak that was seasoned perfectly, and a baked “Antarctica” (a play on baked Alaska which I’ve always wanted to try!). This farewell meal was delightful. The only downside was the ride back to Frei station which was a bit rocky and left me feeling queasy for the rest of the night.
We had to be up at 5am the next morning for breakfast and disembarkation since our flight was scheduled to leave around 8am. With the weather sometimes being unpredictable, we had to take any open windows we can get even if it was at the crack of dawn. After a short zodiac ride to shore then waiting in the waiting rooms for the plane, we boarded and arrived back in Punta Arenas.
We stayed in the same hotel as before and after putting down our bags, headed out to Ruta 9 for a simple lunch. We had burgers and a pisco sour calafate which was delicious. After being without internet for so long (a whole week!), we spent the afternoon catching up on news, life, and emails.
We had the hotel make dinner reservations for us at Damiana Elena for 7:30pm (you can’t eat there without reservations as we saw several people turned away). It was only a 13-minute walk from the hotel and it looked like a house turned restaurant with old world style décor and dinnerware. There are no menus (paper nor digital) so the waiter just read a list of appetizers and entrees to us (thank God Will’s memory isn’t as bad as mine!). We shared the spicy garlic shrimp as an appetizer and unfortunately, it had no real flavor. It also came out super duper fast so I wouldn’t be surprised if it wasn’t cooked fresh. I tried the pisco sour chardonnay as my cocktail and it was decent. For entrees, I had the duck with roasted potatoes and Brussel sprouts, while Will had the lambchops with rice and a chutney sauce. The temperature of the lamb was uneven and tasted a bit blah without the sauce. My duck was good but missing something. I saved a tiny bit of room for dessert since I’m always a sucker for a crème brulee. Unfortunately, it seemed as if they rushed and the top wasn’t even brûléed all the way. Overall, we were very disappointed, especially because this restaurant had been rated highly and received great reviews.
Our last day was our “long” day as we had to make our way from Punta Arenas to Santiago and then had an 8-hour layover before our flight from Santiago to New York. Our original plan was to check in for our flight and drop off our bags so we could go and explore Santiago. Unfortunately, we couldn’t drop off our baggage until around 7pm and we didn’t even bother checking if there was long-term storage. So what would we have done if we were able to get back to the city? We would’ve tried Chipe Libre restaurant and taken the cable car and funicular.
The long trip back home was worth it though. I was able to experience my dream trip and it surpassed every expectation that I had. The most surprising part was how much I enjoyed kayaking and would do it again in a heartbeat!
Toya's Travels 