South Pole goal

Bottom of the world on a budget

An Australian biologist spotted a 'huge floating island of ice' halfway between New Zealand and Antarctica a few weeks ago, and since the start of satellite records in 1979, total Antarctic sea ice has increased by about 1% a decade. While it might not be everybody’s choice of a holiday destination – some are saying it's an adventure of a lifetime.

“Besides sensing the ghosts of heroic explorers who mapped the end of the world, you encounter unparalleled landscapes and icebergs sculpted by immense forces of nature,” writes Simon Calder in the Independent newspaper.

There are so many things to discover, Calder writes. “Albatrosses, petrels, fulmars, shearwaters and prions are numerous, especially in the sub-Antarctic islands, while penguins by the million occupy offshore islands. Sea-life includes elephant seals and several species of whale. Most vessels carry small, rigid, inflatable boats (ribs) that allow passengers to land.”

However these ‘attractions’ don’t come cheap; the cost of getting to Antarctica is, he says, “astronomical”. For £10,000 you can get to board the Russian icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov for a specialist photographic journey to Snow Hill Island in Antarctica.

If you want to do the journey on a budget, “You'll be wanting the western portion of Antarctica. Even though it is much smaller, this part of the continent is much more popular with visitors because it is much more accessible,” Calder writes.

The Independent's tips:

From next month, you can fly on Air Europa from Gatwick via Madrid to Salvador on the north-east coast of Brazil. From here it is easy to make your way slowly overland by bus to Rio, continuing via the beaches of southern Brazil and Uruguay to the lovely old city of Colonia, directly across the River Plate from Buenos Aires.

While the Arctic is traversed by many flights linking Europe, Asia and North America, there are very few flights across Antarctica. Your best bet is the Aerolineas Argentinas flight from Buenos Aires to Auckland and Sydney, which on some journeys just grazes the Antarctic Circle and may, on clear days (or summer nights), allow a glimpse of sea ice or even the coast of West Antarctica.

All commercial visits to Antarctica are governed by the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (iaato.org), with operating procedures, requirements for technical and professional requirements, and stringent environmental controls.

At and near the South Pole, the temperature rarely gets close to freezing point (or melting point, as it perhaps should be termed).