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–> Seeing how Antarctica has no native population, no roads, no cities, is locked up in a deep freeze, and is the coldest, highest, most lifeless continent on the planet, it goes without saying there is no gay scene. But to be fair, there is no scene of any kind to begin with — one does not go to “the Ice” to party
While a few nations lay claim to pie sliced-shaped swathes of the continent, the whole of Antarctica is technically neutral ground, open only to scientific — and presumably unaligned — purposes. Research stations dot Antarctica: McMurdo (USA) on the Ross Sea coast is the largest, but Bharati (India), Casey (Australia), Vostok (Russia), Great Wall (China), and King Sejong (South Korea) prove that for such a desolate place, Antarctica is quite the kumbaya continent.
But I do mean “desolate.” The coast is a good example of just how hardy life really is — give it a chance and it will flourish. Seals, penguins, even the stray whale, call Antarctica home. At the Amundsen-Scott Base at the geographic pole, it is the same temperature as Mars. As in, the very cold, very dead planet. Not even bacteria survives without man-made help.
That being said, tourism to this most brutal of Earth-bound environments began in the 1960’s, and has grown into a steady industry: 37,000 brave souls are expected this year alone, and of that, 27,000 will actually go ashore. We’ve all heard of Antarctic cruises, and most restrict themselves to luxuriously loitering off the Antarctic coast. A few intrepid, and well-connected, tour operators actually get feet on the ground to mingle with the penguin colonies.
So say you want to go. It helps to do your research. A good place to get your “Antarctica 101” is icecube.wisc.edu/pole/tourism, and once you branch out and find an operator to your liking, be prepared for red tape like you have never seen. Everybody wants to keep Antarctica “clean,” so before you leave your ship (or plane), you have to be biosecured so you don’t introduce invasive species to the environment. You also will not be allowed to go to the bathroom, so don’t eat or drink before you disembark. Also, you have to keep five miles from the wildlife, unless they come to you. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t.
The motto to live by in Antarctica is “Take only pictures, leave only footprints.” And don’t press your luck with that last part. But once you start posting to Instagram, trust me, no one will be able to touch you.
Contact Steele Luxury Travel for assistance with your next Antarctica adventure at
www.SteeleTravel.com
