Antarctica, The White Continent — Once in a Lifetime Adventure
Expedition Overview
Easy to moderate mountaineering and ski touring on the Antarctic Peninsula.
First Light Guiding is proud to present its first foray into the pristine waters of Antarctica. This itinerary offers a unique blend of experiences sailing by yacht with a small team.
We offer a low impact, high client satisfaction trip, with close guide to client contact. We will have the freedom and resources to alter our itinerary en route depending on the weather, and the abilities and objectives of the group. There are quicker, more expensive ways to get to Antarctica, as well as cheaper, more crowded cruise ships. We believe this is the best blend of options to achieve the highest level of outcome and satisfaction whilst still maintaining environmental care.
All logistics and organisation are handled for the duration of the expedition ex Ushuaia in Argentina.
We will have exclusive use of the Australis, a 23m yacht skippered by Ben Wallis, whose knowledge and experience in the area is unsurpassed. This nimble vessel will allow us to use anchorages not accessible for larger boats.
The Itinerary
We meet in Ushuaia on the evening of Day 1 for a welcome dinner and briefing. The following morning we load the boat, prepare departure papers, depart Ushuaia, sail down the Beagle Channel and swing south past the infamous Cape Horn. Albatross and petrels accompany the Drake Passage crossing, where we encounter variable seas and icebergs. On Day 5 or 6 we reach Palmer Archipelago, an island chain of soaring mountains and boisterous wildlife — gateway to the Antarctic Peninsula.
Sailing the Drake Passage is a memorable expedition in itself and the 2.5 to 3-day crossing will be a test of sea legs.
Once on land or snow again, our first objective will be to reacquaint with the important skills of glacier travel and rescue. We will explore the many options available to us, such as Port Lockroy, Mt Scott, Mt Shackleton, Lemaire Island, Charver Island and Ronge Island, among others. We will move south onto new objectives and will occasionally move the expedition onto the ice for an overnight adventure.
Possible Mountaineering Objectives
- Mt Scott (700m) — short but dramatic ascent
- Mt Shackleton — named for the great Antarctic explorer
- Ski touring on the Antarctic Peninsula glaciers
- Glacier travel and crevasse rescue practice
- Wildlife encounters — penguins, seals, and whales