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Fun Facts: Antarctica
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 The "White Continent" may be the coldest, windiest, driest and most remote continent on earth. But a desolate, snow-covered wasteland it's not. It boasts the world's largest concentration of marine wildlife. Hundreds of thousands of penguins call it home. So do six species of seals, nine types of whales and such amazing birds as the graceful wandering albatross.
The history of Antarctic exploration includes the famous race for the South Pole, as well as one of the greatest survival stories of all time. In 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton and his crew set sail aboard the Endurance on a quest to be the first to cross the southernmost continent over land. They abandoned their attempt when they lost their ship. Incredibly, thanks to Shackleton's courage and determination, all crew members survived the harrowing ordeal.
Most cruise ships today visit the South Shetland Islands and the 1,000-mile long Antarctic Peninsula. Think of it as the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the entire continent. Antarctica covers almost one-tenth of the earth's surface. Put another way, it is 1.5 times the size of the United States, including Alaska. Last year, over 30,000 tourists traveled here, a small number compared to Alaska's 1 million cruise visitors. Approximately one third came from the U.S. U.K. travelers ranked second, closely followed by German adventure seekers.
There's never a dull moment on a cruise to the bottom of the world. You can expect to see three types of penguins -- chinstrap, gentoo and Adelie -- though macaroni penguins are fairly rare in these parts. Finding an emperor penguin this far north is also highly unlikely, but it does happen. Seals are commonly found on the beaches, on icebergs and in the water. Did you know that elephant seal pups gain about 120 pounds in the first three weeks after they're born? That works out to a quarter pound per hour!
Along with remarkable marine life, the truly awesome scenery and enormous icebergs are trip highlights. Immense, flat tabular icebergs break off from frozen ice shelves in huge chunks. A tabular berg can measure 100 miles in length. You have to see these monsters to believe them. There's so much ice in a berg that one can drift for years before finally melting completely.
Who Goes There?
Ships visiting Antarctica come in four distinct varieties: small icebreakers, small expedition ships with ice-hardened hulls (some in the luxury class), medium-size ships and large cruise ships. All but the big guys carry inflatable landing craft (usually Zodiacs) so that passengers can venture off the ship and actually set foot on land. Large ships offer two to three days of scenic cruising with no landings. Among your options:
 Small, upscale ships heading south are Travel Dynamics' Corinthian II (114 passengers) and Clelia II (88), Orion Expedition Cruises' Orion (106), and Hapag-Lloyd's Hanseatic (184 mostly German-speaking guests) and Bremen (164). Both Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Abercrombie & Kent market Swan Hellenic's Minerva (198). In late 2008, Silversea will begin Antarctica cruises on Prince Albert II (132), formerly operated by Society Expeditions as the World Discoverer II.
Less cushy options are Lindblad's National Geographic Endeavour (110) and the ships in the Quark Expeditions fleet: Kapitan Khlebnikov (108), Akademik Sergey Vavilov(105), Ocean Nova (68), Akademik Shokalskiy (50), Akademik Ioffe (110), Lyubov Orlova (110) and Clipper Adventurer (110).
Medium size ships often reduce the number of passengers on Antarctica itineraries, giving everyone more Zodiac time and on-land opportunities. Hurtigruten's Nordnorge carries 350 (as opposed to its usual 464), while its Fram has cabins for only 318. Voyages of Discovery's MV Discovery takes 550 (though it can sleep more than 700), but only guarantees two landings per person.
Large, sightseeing-only ships include Crystal Cruises' Crystal Symphony (960 passengers), Princess Cruises' Royal Princess (1,200), and Holland America's Rotterdam (1,316) and Amsterdam (1,380).
Choosing an Itinerary
Most Antarctica itineraries (and fares) include charter flights to the cruise port of Ushuaia, Argentina from (and back to) Buenos Aires, Argentina or Santiago, Chile. There is generally an overnight scheduled at a hotel in Buenos Aires or Santiago on the way to the cruise. Some longer cruises will depart out of Buenos Aires or Santiago and include Antarctica in a full round-South America voyage.
Once you reach Ushuaia, there are two primary options for your actual cruise. The basic Antarctica itinerary is about 11-14 nights at sea, and includes the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands located off its tip. The second option (14-19 nights at sea) adds the Falkland Islands, where you can add king penguins to your wildlife sighting list, and South Georgia, where Shackleton is buried.
In the end, where you go is entirely weather-dependent. If it's too windy and dangerous to land the Zodiacs at one spot, the captain will sail to another landing.
In the large ship category, on lines such as Holland America or Princess, the journey to Antarctica takes about six nights during an around-the-horn South America cruise. Remember, you won't have the opportunity to get off the ship in Antarctica.
Big ship or small, to reach Antarctica from South America, there's no getting away from sailing across the Drake Passage, roughly 36 hours of rough seas and gale-force winds. And you have to endure it coming and going! There's a reason it's called expedition cruising. Of course, you could get lucky and have a smooth ride. But come prepared. Bring a supply of seasick patches or pills.
 Day-tripping
It is possible to visit Antarctica for a few hours without going by sea. On a limited number of large-ship South America cruises, you can book a shore excursion and fly there (weather permitting) from Punta Arenas, Chile. The flight takes about 3 1/2 hours each way. Crystal Cruises offers a 12-hour trip where passengers actually land at the Chilean base on King George Island and then have about four hours on shore to see the base and the penguins. The trip costs $2,150 per person. Holland America has a 4.5-hour flight (no landing) -- prices aren't currently available.
Extending Your Cruise Adventure
As mentioned, ships generally depart from the port of Ushuaia, Argentina, with a charter flight taking you on the final leg south after you spend an overnight in Buenos Aires or Santiago. One night isn't nearly enough time to explore either of these vibrant cities. It pays to add a few days, or even a week on your own in Buenos Aires or in Santiago. You won't regret it.
When To Go
When it's winter up north, it's summer way down south. The Antarctic cruise season begins in mid-November and lasts to March. You're likely to experience a wide variety of weather conditions -- rain, snow, sleet and sunny skies. Temperatures seem to change by the hour, ranging from a relatively mild 40 degrees to freezing and below zero when wind chill is considered.
If you want to see penguins bustling about repairing nests and sitting on eggs, go in early December. From about mid-January on, the chicks are in the cute, fluffy stage.
What To Pack
Essential clothing for Antarctica includes a winter parka, waterproof pants (to keep you dry while riding in a wet Zodiac), a pair of knee-high rubber boots (for wet landings), two pairs of warm gloves (again one to keep dry when the other pair gets wet) and a wool hat. Don't leave home without any of these. You'll also need ski-type underwear, heavy socks, sweaters and wool pants or sweatpants (to wear under your waterproof layer). You won't need hiking boots, as you will always go to shore in your rubber boots.
If you're taking photos (almost everyone does), you'll need a waterproof backpack to carry your gear in the Zodiac.
Check with your cruise line to see if parkas and/or boots are supplied on board for passengers to borrow. A few upscale ships even supply a parka that you get to take home after the cruise.
Landing Highlights
There are no ports of the usual kind in Antarctica. No cafes. No shops. No towns. No people, except at a handful of research stations. Most ships drop anchor and take passengers by Zodiac to roughly the same spots. These shore excursions are included in the cruise fare.
Elephant Island, now the habitat of chinstrap and gentoo penguins, is where Shackleton's crew was stranded while he took five of his men in search of help. The whole crew was eventually rescued from the island, but not before they had spent the winter there.
Deception Island is the place to have your photo snapped while "swimming" in Antarctica. Actually, it's more of a dip than a swim, and a quick one at that. You wear a bathing suit (under your parka while riding in the Zodiac), run in the water and stay warm long enough for a photo. The shallow area near shore contains thermal springs, thanks to volcanic activity. You're right in the caldera (it looks like Oregon's Crater Lake), and this is considered a live one! Deception Island also has the remains of an abandoned British Antarctic Survey base and crumbling boilers from a Norwegian whaling operation. Whalers used the place from 1910 to 1931.
The British station at Port Lockroy on Wienke Island was secretly established by Churchill during World War II. Its function was to report enemy activity and provide weather reports. The rustic, historic building is manned by three people each summer. They monitor the effects of visitors on the penguin rookeries. The building is part museum, part shop. Get your cash ready. They sell post cards, souvenir patches and pins that you won't find anywhere else.
Half Moon Island is the site of an Argentine research station and the wreck of an old wooden whaling boat. It's also home to gentoo penguins. You'll find fur and elephant seals lazing on the beach.
The Lemaire Channel is one of the most spectacularly gorgeous waterways on the planet. It's obvious why it is nicknamed Kodak Gap. Think mountain peaks capped with pristine white snow, ice-blue bergs and clear, sapphire seas. This is not a landing, but the Zodiacs may be lowered for passengers to take photos of the ship and the dramatic background.
--updated by Erica Silverstein, Associate Editor
Top photo was taken by James Dragisic and is copyright:
Australian Antarctic Division 2002
Kingston Tasmania 7050.
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