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Fly to Antarctica, camp and mountain tour

country:Antarctica
departures:2009: 1 Dec, 10 Dec
price:From €28000 (10 days) excluding flight to Cape Town. Price includes flight from Cape town to Antarctica, all food, accommodation, activities, expert guides, some equipment and carbon off-setting
vouchers:Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday
 
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the amazing things you'll be doing
It is landscape unlike anywhere else on the planet, so rarely visited, yet utterly beautiful.

We are the only company in the world that can take you into the interior of Antarctica in luxury and comfort. Our adventures are tailored to each individual client and run by a management team that have skied over 16,000kms in the Polar Regions. As such, we understand what it takes to travel to such a pristine environment and our guides are on hand to help with every aspect of your journey.

A luxurious and ecological camp, superb food, and experiences that are as unique as they are adventurous. You will see, touch and experience a world that is unlike anything else on the planet. A place that is as surreal as it is beautiful.

With our polar clothing, and very mild summer temperatures, to be able to join us, you only need to be in a normal physical condition. Then, once in Antarctica - what happens is up to you. The place is as big as your imagination.

Please note: The time spent in Antarctica is 10 days. We recommend that you get to Cape Town two days prior to departure and leave Cape Town 2 days after returning from Antarctica. The total number of days spent in South Africa and Antarctica is 14 days.
itinerary
For the first part of the adventure, settle into our luxury camp and take in the awesome surroundings. Each day, our field guides will suggest a number of excursions and activities for you to do. We go on gentle treks to the nearby oasis and explore ice caves and tunnels. You then reach the massive ice disturbances on the coast and trek across them. You do walks to see the little Adelie penguins that nest on an island near our camp.

Igloo buildingThere are picnics and for the really brave, even the chance for an Antarctic swim! From enjoying a glass of GH Mumm Champagne on the crest of a mountain, to visiting one of the local science bases. For those wanting more activity, our expert guides will teach you the skills of a polar explorer. We do technical rock and ice climbing on the nearby Nunatak mountain, along with abseils into open crevasses.

You will then be joining us for a 3-5 day expedition to the mountains. Although no previous experience is required this part of the experience is geared more to those looking for adventure.

Destination: "Wolf's Fang" or "Ulvetanna" is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful mountains on earth. When snow conditions allow, the more adventurous can spend a night in a sculpted igloo. From huge abseils, ice climbs and ski trips, we do it all. Weaving through the kilometer deep crevasses that roll out from the base of the mountains is a truly unforgettable experience. On good wind days, we will also use our specialised kites, teaching you the basics of kite-skiing, the newest form of polar travel! This part of the trip is about experiencing the thrills of being a polar explorer, without having to ski the equivalent of a double marathon a day.
how this holiday makes a difference
Prior to arriving in Antarctica all our clients are briefed in detail regarding the environment they are about to enter. This includes detailed descriptions of the endemic wildlife and how not to interfere with it or affect its behavioral patterns in any way. We also brief them about how and where they can go to the toilet when we are camping and also how to minimize any impact they may have on the surrounding environment. Our company aim is that all clients are aware of the fact that all they should leave in Antarctica are their footprints.

We understand and respect that Antarctica is a highly sensitive wilderness. As such, we operate in strict accordance to the environmental tourism guidelines laid out in the Antarctic Treaty. We also go further and operate our own zero impact policy. To achieve this, our temporary camp is dismantled each season, leaving no trace, while all human waste is transported out of Antarctica on regular flights and disposed of responsibly in South Africa.

Prior to going to Antarctica almost all packaging is removed to save on weight and any packaging taken into Antarctica is put in recyclable bins and then flown out again at the end of the season and recycled responsibly in Cape Town. This is managed by our logistics company called ‘Antarctic Logistics Centre International’.

Composite food waste is also segregated and disposed of in compost heaps in South Africa. Excess food items that are not used during the season, like canned foods etc, are donated to the CWD AIDS Orphan programme in the Western Cape.

The entire camp is powered by renewable energy, using solar panels supplied by Cleversolar and a portable wind turbine, to take advantage of Antarctica’s abundant supply of natural power.

We are an accredited CarbonNeutral® company and offset all emissions from our flights to Antarctica and the associated logistics once there, through a portfolio of Carbon projects. Currently, we are supporting woodland replanting projects in the UK.

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'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left).

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