“Antarctica left a restless longing in my heart, beckoning towards an incomprehensible perfection forever beyond the reach of mortal man. Its overwhelming beauty touches one so deeply it is like a wound”

Edwin Mickleburgh, Beyond the Frozen Sea

These words express beautifully why a trip to Antarctica is so very special. It haunts you and stays with you forever and having travelled to one of the world’s greatest wildernesses, it puts a whole different perspective on your life.

My expedition to the Peninsula was on the Chilean vessel – Antarctic Dream. A beautiful ship originally built for the Chilean navy. Her big advantage is the communal dining area and lounge with huge picture windows for viewing. She is also a very comfortable ship, with all cabins having en-suite facilities with twin or double beds. The exceptional Chilean cuisine (four courses for lunch and dinner) is served with local wines. At night salsa music is played in the bar and many join in with dancing. With only 39 cabins the Antarctic Dream is a nice size for an expedition, an expedition with a South American feel, so if you love all things Latin you will really enjoy this ship.

I had not anticipated that the continent would be so mountainous and spent literally hours out on the deck just watching the scenery, changing every minute from white to blue to black. Icebergs of every variation floated by in a lake of turquoise blue and all in an eerie silence. Many times I was left speechless and sometimes quite emotional by the sheer beauty of it all.

The land trips also afford you time to reflect and wonder. I spent a good hour watching Antarctic terns defending their nest from a wandering gentoo penguin, who just could not seem to get the message! The three types of penguins found here, gentoo, adele and chinstrap provide hours of entertainment as they steal pebbles from each others nests and stroll down to the sea to bathe.

“Who would believe in penguins unless he had seen them?”

Connor O’Brien

As a person who suffers badly from seasickness I was dreading the Drake Passage, but thanks to some powerful drugs from my GP, it was really ok even in force 10 on our return. My personal opinion is that the Drake is like a right of passage and you need to sail it just to experience how far away Antarctica really is. The migrating birds that follow the ship make it all worthwhile. To watch a wandering albatross with its huge wingspan is a joy to behold.

If you love wilderness, if you love wildlife and if you want to embark on one of the greatest adventures of you life then you must go.

“An Antarctic Expedition is the worst way to have the best time of your life”

Apsley Cherry-Garrard (Scott’s Expedition 1910 – 1913)