Program
“Antarctica and its Inhabitants”
(Code: QML-EP) 

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival at Cape Town

Our staff will meet you upon your arrival at Cape Town International airport and take you to your hotel. The day is for you to relax and enjoy Cape Town and its surroundings. On your request we can arrange a program for you.

Day 2: Cape Town / Pre-flight briefing

The morning is at your disposal.

In the afternoon we will take you to our Antarctic Club in the centre of Cape Town to meet your field guides and other guests.  You will have an orientation & safety briefing telling you about your flight to Antarctica, current weather situation and forecast and much more. After that the guide will go through your equipment with you, demonstrating how the clothing systems work and making adjustments where necessary. The field guide will be able to answer any question you may have. After briefing we will have a cocktail party to relax in anticipation of the journey ahead of you.

Day 3: Cape Town / Departure to Antarctica

The morning is for you to pack, relax and enjoy Cape Town.

In the evening, you will receive a preliminary confirmation on your flight at 6 pm and a final “green light” at 7 pm, after which, we will collect you from your hotel about 8:30 pm for transport to the airport. Please note that a flight to Antarctica depends on a number of different factors, such as wind direction, cloud cover, snow accumulation on runway etc, all of which may alter the scheduled flight time.

Departure from Cape Town is scheduled for 11:30 pm. Flight duration is approximately 5.5 to 6 hours depending on the winds. About 4,5 hours after start we will cross the Antarctic Circle (66,5 degrees South). Along this circle the sun never sets during the austral summer solstice and never rises during the austral winter solstice. Further south these Antarctic days and nights lengthen until at the Geographic South Pole the sun rises and sets only once a year.

Iljushin 76 in Antarctica

Day 4 - 9: Antarctica

The IL-76 aircraft will land on the blue ice runway of Novo Station early in the morning (about 04:00 GMT). After landing you should collect your luggage and follow the guide to the heated mess tent of the Airbase where you will get some tea and a snack.

After that we will bring you to our Guesthouse complex called “Oasis” where you will stay during your Antarctic trip. The Guesthouse is situated in an ice-free, rocky area - the Schirmacher Oasis - about 14 km from the runway and it takes about 20-30 min to drive there with an overland vehicle.

The wooden houses of the guesthouse complex are cozy and offer all the comfort needed in Antarctica: heated rooms for 1 to 5 people, a kitchen, electricity, warm water, a shower for sharing, toilet facilities and a Russian sauna. After arrival we will show you to your room and you can have some rest after a long overnight flight.

Guesthouse in the Schirmacher Oasis, Antarctica

During your stay in Antarctica you will have enough time to explore together with our guides the magnificent landscape of the Schirmacher Oasis from the nearly vertical glacier walls which embrace the Oasis from south over rocky hills and partly frozen lakes to the Shelf Ice which stretches to the north. Dependent on the weather and snow conditions there is a possibility to visit the ice grottos, a frozen world of shining blue. You will get the chance to see South Polar Skuas and with some luck we will meet Adelie Penguins.

At the Edge of the Antarctic Continent

A visit to the nearby Russian and Indian Research Stations Novolazarevskaya and Maitri will give you an inside view to life and work in Antarctica. We will have a chance to speak to the scientists and get to know their projects in Antarctica.

The highlight of our journey is the trip to the mountains of Queen Maud Land and the Emperor Penguin Colony on the Eckstroem Ice Shelf.

The excursion in the area of Queen Maud Land starts with a flight in a Basler Turbo 67 aircraft (former DC3) to the impressive mountain range called “Fenriskjeften” (“Jaws of the Wolf”). We plan to set up a camp there for you to be able to explore the mountains and their surroundings skiing or hiking together with our guides. Depending on the weather we will stay in the mountains one or two nights.

BT67 airplane near Holtanna Mountain

After we dismantle the camp a two-hour flight will bring us to the Emperor Penguin Colony. The flight will give you a unique opportunity to see the stunning mountain ranges of Queen Maud Land from above. So keep your camera prepared!

In order to minimize disturbance of the penguins we will land on Eckstroem Ice Shelf in a minimum 5 km distance from the Emperor penguins colony. We will then ski or walk (depending on the surface conditions) to the colony on the fast ice of the Atka Bay. You will have several hours to observe the penguins and their chicks and to walk to castle-like icebergs trapped by the fast ice. We will also get an opportunity to see some other inhabitants of Antarctica: South Polar Skuas circling over the colony, beautiful Snow Petrels passing by, agile Adelie Penguins cutting their way through the vast crowd of Emperors and may be Weddell Seals laying by the tidal cracks or breathing holes in the ice. A field toilet and a tent where you can warm up and eat will be set up near the colony (in a distance of approximately 300 to 500 m).

  At the Emperor Penguin Colony

Later in the evening we will fly back to the airbase and return to our guesthouse where you can relax, sit together with a cup of hot tea or enjoy a glass of excellent South African wine and talk about the impressions of the day. After that you are welcome to the Russian Antarctic sauna. 

On the last day of your stay in Antarctica we will bring you back to the airbase. Late in the evening we will board IL-76 airplane and fly back north to a warm, sunny Cape Town morning.

Day 10: Cape Town

We arrive in Cape Town around 6:30 a.m. Transfer to your hotel. Excursion on your own.

Day 11

Depart for home or a program in South Africa.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: We recommend clients arrive in Cape Town no later than 2 days before the scheduled date of departure for Antarctica. Depending on prevailing Antarctic weather patterns, the flight may depart up to one day earlier than scheduled.  Also, once in Antarctica, the listed activities may be changed in reaction to varying weather conditions.