Creating the perfect exotic vacation to Antarctica has grown some Americans? travel businesses. The usual destinations of Monte Carlo or Mexico, do not satisfy the yearly vacation requirements of a large number of Americans any more. The Caribbean no longer draws those who have cruised there before. They are looking for something completely different from the usual. If you’re into outdoing you neighbors they won’t be able to beat you in the unusual vacation category when you come home with tales of your travels to Antarctica.
It is easier than ever to get there. You’ll take a twenty-four hour flight from New York to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, and then you sail for three days. Obviously, the fact that the US Navy maintains a presence in Antarctica virtually ensures one’s safety. The US and a few other countries have had bases on Antarctica since 1957. There’s no need to worry if the cruise ship gets caught in the ice or an adventurous tourist tumbles down an icy chasm; the U.S. Navy is always prepared to tackle any emergency, despite rumors that American sailors often groan when they see a tourist boat docking.Detailed adventure antarctica tours resources can be found there.
You may wonder what passes for tourist attractions in Antarctica. Antarctica offers wonderful photography and wildlife study opportunities. You?ll see whales, penguins, seals and many sea birds. They may also observe long plumes of white smoke billowing out of the 12,000 foot high, ice covered, active volcano, which provides quite an extraordinary experience. Seeing this volcano is far better than seeing any other volcano on the planet.
It takes a special kind of tourist who’s willing to shell out the $5,000 it takes to reach Antartica by plane and boat.Many who visit are scientists or doctors. But you’ll also find honeymooners and long-time married couples alike.And believe it or not, a grandmother or two has been brave enough to make the trek as well.Interest in Antarctica is on the increase, according to a travel agency spokesperson. Experiencing the continent is now possible for almost anyone, he went on to say, as opposed to times past, when only a few brave and daring explorers could actually see the continent.
The spokesperson for the USNavy says the only regulations place on tourists is that they need to take safety precautions, be self-reliant, and follow the international rules set for preservation and conservation of Antarctica. Conservationists and scientists alike are particularly concerned about the negative impact tourism may have on this pristine environment.They imagine tons of visitors swarming the icecap, harassing penguins and littering. They are afraid the few historic monuments may be defaced or even looted. Expert resources on antarctic tours are located on that site.
There is a hut at Cape Royds which housed a famous expedition. It appears exactly as they left it in 1907, complete with canned food on the shelves and clothes in the closet. The table holds a newspaper that had been printed in a major European city during that same year.
One tourist destination in Antarctica is a hill that gives a magnificent view of the Antarctic Mountain range, which is 900 miles distant but visible with crystal clarity as it looms over the South Pole. At the time that the explorers and other adventurers arrived at the pole there was little to observe other than miles of flat, crusted ice. Today, a silver reflective ball tops an eight-foot pole there. The pole has orange and blue stripes like a barber pole.
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