Visit The Frigid Expanse
July 14, 2010 by drewloupsen
Filed under Travel And Leisure
Anyone can travel to the usual places of the Bahamas, Mexico and Canada. Break free from the rut and see Antarctica. An increased number of tourists have come to this cold, barren continent in the past few years. Though we seem to have forgotten about Antarctica, most school children have studied it.
Tourists coming from New York can choose to fly into Buenos Aires. They can also opt to fly directly into the world’s most southern city, Ushuaia, which is in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. Travelers take in two days of sight seeing and introduction, and then climb aboard an Argentine Navy vessel, led by an ice breaker and tug boat, and then enjoy a bold adventure, as they travel on through Drake Passage. The Drake Passage, which is the 600 mile stretch of water between South America and Antarctica, is quite a rigorous challenge.If you want more comprehensive info on Antarctica travel information that site will help you.
To give you an idea of how rough this sea can get, it was tradition that in days gone by, any sailor that survived trips into these waters were seated at a place of honor at the head of the table. This usually happened when the customary after-dinner port was served. A trip through the Antarctic Circle made it possible for the seaman to put both of this feet on the table. Its a little-known fact that, even today, this tradition still continues.
Your Antarctic experience isn’t limited to just feeding a penguin or carving your initials into an iceberg. This particular tourist itinerary also visits several Argentine and U.S. scientific bases, and Argentine science stations. You’ll see ongoing studies, including some that concern ocean and glacial biology, earth movements and meteorology. Not only are the folks who call these research stations home very smart, but they are also very friendly.
One of the high points of the tour is visitors get to participate in some scientific studies of their own, such as marine life or geology. While studying the Antarctic water, tourists may see that it holds more organic matter than water from anywhere else in the world. Travelers can choose to sleep onboard the ship, but they are also free to travel daily by foot or boat to many different areas. When the U.S. is entrenched in winter,it is actually Summer in the southern hemisphere and visa versa. Though the Antarctic summer temperatures can reach a high of thirty degrees above zero, it is still very cold because of the polar winds. The basic warm clothing is provided tourists, such as parkas, snow pants and mittens. Go to this site for further information on Antarctic travel.
Included in the tour are a couple “get acquainted” gatherings with penguins as well as sea leopards and even elephant seals…who live up to their name by weighing in at around 2.5 tons each. Another unusual offering is trips to whale graveyards as well. Although huge bones of whale vertebrae scatter the beaches, your guides will probably recommend not trying to stow any away in your luggage. If you do, you can pay an arm and a leg in overweight charges on your flight back from Buenos Aires.
