Ushuaia as Antarctica Gateway: The Last Continent
Ushuaia is the embarkation point for the vast majority of the world's Antarctic cruises; the combination of the Drake Passage crossing, the first sight of icebergs, and the Antarctic continent itself makes the journey from Ushuaia to Antarctica one of the world's most extraordinary travel experiences
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Drake Passage Crossing
The Drake Passage crossing (2-3 days one way) is the price of entry to Antarctica; lake conditions range from 'Drake Lake' (calm, glassy — rare) to 'Drake Shake' (4-6 meter swells — common); the physical challenge of the crossing, the first albatross sightings and the excitement of approaching the ice are inseparable from the Antarctic experience
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Första isbergen
The first iceberg sighting — usually at approximately 57°S — is a moment of collective excitement on every Antarctic cruise; the icebergs (calved from the Antarctic ice shelf) can be the size of apartment buildings; the deep blue ice (compressed air-free ice that absorbs all wavelengths except blue) and the extraordinary shapes of the icebergs make the first iceberg one of travel's most powerful sights
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Antarctic Wildlife
The Antarctic Peninsula — the most accessible part of Antarctica, 1,000 km from Ushuaia — has extraordinary wildlife; Adélie and gentoo penguin colonies of hundreds of thousands of birds, leopard seals hunting penguins, humpback whales feeding in the bays, and Weddell seals sleeping on ice floes are all standard sightings on Antarctic cruises from Ushuaia
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Polar Plunge
The polar plunge — jumping into Antarctic waters (approximately -1°C) from the expedition ship — is a tradition on Antarctic cruises; the few seconds of total immersion in the coldest water on Earth, followed by warm towels and hot drinks, is one of travel's most bracing voluntary experiences; most Antarctic cruisers attempt it at least once
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Expedition Ship Culture
The expedition ship culture of Antarctic cruises — the daily briefings by glaciologists and ornithologists, the Zodiac landings on beaches and ice floes, the communal meals with fellow travelers, and the 24-hour daylight of the Antarctic summer — creates an intense community experience that passengers consistently describe as life-changing
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Climate Change Visible
Antarctica is the place on Earth where climate change is most dramatically visible — the retreating glaciers, the ice-free coastlines, and the penguin colonies relocating to newly ice-free beaches are all observable on a single cruise; the 'last wilderness' quality of Antarctica gives the climate change evidence a particular emotional weight that no chart or statistic can replicate