Cruise to magical Antarctica

THE SOUTH POLE: Antarctica is the most extreme and remote continent in the world, before just visited by the toughest. Now you can travel comfortably on a cruise to this special place. 

Before Christmas I had the great opportunity to go on a personal press tour with Hurtigruten to Antarctica. This was my second trip with the cruise lines explorer ship Fram, after I traveled with them to Greenland in 2012.

The Greenland trip was amazing, and I became really fascinated by the beautiful, icy landscapes. Going to Antarctica I thought I slightly knew what to expect of a trip to new icy landscapes. But I tell you, going to the south pole is something different, something so special. I was really taken off guard by how beautiful and breathtaking this continent is. The trip far beyond exceeded my expectations.

Already on the famous Drake Passage I understood that travelling to Antarctica differs from any other travel experience. This was an expedition. The two day long crossing of the passage was much rougher than I expected, it really felt like the boat struggled its way to somewhere sooo remote. But finally reaching Antarctica it was all worth it!

There is something about visiting a place with almost no human history. You feel it right away. Here nature is boss, and the nature experience you get here is unlike any other. You feel the vastness and silence of the enormous white continent. And we all talked about that, fascinated by it.

And then there are the penguins! These peculiar birds where the only living creatures that walked the continents for thousands of years before explorers like Roald Amundsen first came there. The penguins are therefore not afraid of people, and they walk curiously right up close to you. The enormous seals are equally not afraid, and they just lie dozing on the beaches in the sun.

When the sun is shining, visiting Antarctica is like walking in to a Disney movie. The snow and ice are sparkling everywhere you see, the colours are more bright than you can imagine. And the animals walk friendly up to you if you sit down.

To sum it up: Antarctica is a magical place. If you have the chance: Go!