Antarctic Journeys
Antarctic Journeys
It is still considered one of the most isolated places on the planet: Antarctica.On an Antarctic cruise you can still feel like an explorer - or simply experience nature in all its magnificent unspoiled beauty.
The southern land was once a myth.People used to whisper about it around the campfire.Told of the end of the world, of monsters, mighty storms and certain death.Some still set off in search of it.Some never came back.
Even today Antarctic journeys are among the most exclusive adventures on earth.The world around the continent of Antarctica is still strange.It is rough.But also enchanting in its natural beauty.It doesn't matter whether you want to visit the Falkland Islands, South Georgia or the Antarctic Peninsula. They're all worth it.
It is the end of the world that is packed with superlatives: Antarctica, for example, is almost twice as big as Europe.The ice of the mainland is almost up to 4800 metres thick - Mont Blanc with its 4810 metres could hide in it.On top of that, it is the driest place on earth.In some valleys it has not rained for millions of years.After all, nowhere is it as cold as in the Antarctic: minus 70° Celsius is not uncommon.
No wonder that ice is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Antarctica.There's the ice shelf. It's a frozen mass on the ocean.Huge icebergs break off the ice shelf. and huge doesn't mean big like a truck or a house. It means more like a street or even a major city. Man becomes small again on an Antarctic journey.
Yet even on this ice cube, life has found its niches. And on an Antarctic cruise you can be a guest in the home of these animals. The most famous are certainly the penguins. They are so perfectly adapted to a life in the sea that they even abstain from flying. As elegant as they are in the water, they seem so clumsy on land. Fortunately for them, they only need to leave the sea to breed and change their feathers. Fortunately for us, because we can admire them then.
No, there are no polar bears in Antarctica, by the way. They'd probably be too cold.But there are numerous seal species living here, such as the crab eater or the leopard seal.But the biggest seals here are the Southern Elephant Seals, which you can meet on the beaches of South Georgia.They can be six metres long and weigh over four tons.They are true giants.
Only the whales in the Southern Ocean are getting even bigger.This is where blue and minke whales feed.Here orcas and sperm whales look for prey.No wonder, since the water is so rich in krill and fish. and it is also no wonder that man has been mercilessly hunting whales and seals here for decades.Rusting ships and abandoned stations still tell of it today.
as in other oases of life, Antarctica is easy to be damaged when travelling. and it is just as easy to protect it.You leave nothing but a footprint and take nothing but memories.There are plenty of those down here, at the southern end of the world.
Find out more about the variety of Antarctica travels that Arctos Travel presents on this website.
