Day 1- Start Point: Cape Town, South Africa & Fly To Antarctica
We will host a mandatory safety briefing the day before the flight where our staff will welcome you. We will also update you on the latest weather forecasts in Antarctica and assist with any last-minute preparations. Our Guest Experience team will personally check your kit & polar clothing to prepare for your flight south.
Today, soar across ice-cloaked oceans on a 5.5-hour flight from Cape Town. Cross into the Polar Circle and bask in endless daylight. Land on a blue-ice runway, then toast your arrival at Echo with cocktails chilled by 10,000-year-old Antarctic ice.
On the flight from Cape Town, you will pass into the Antarctic Circle and into 24 hours of continuous sunshine. The Airbus A340 (or similar) will be equipped with return range. All carbon is offset with fully accredited projects.
Day 2 - Around the Camp Activities
Curate your perfect day: from yoga, massages, and gentle hikes to abseiling and summiting a nunatak. Or, slow down and listen to our explorer team’s tales of lesser-known Antarctic history and recordbreaking feats beneath the endless southern skies.
Day 3 - Atka Bay
Fly 2.5 hours across dazzling landscapes to Atka Bay. Walk among resilient Emperor penguins; majestic, rare, and utterly unforgettable. Very few will ever witness such a scene in the wild heart of Antarctica.
At the colony’s height in November/December, you’ll see over 12,000 adults and their newly hatched chicks — a spectacle full of noise and energy that is a must with wildlife enthusiasts and photographers. There are so few visitors to this inland colony that the chicks are unafraid of humans and often waddle close by. Mindful of our responsibility to the wildlife and of IAATO guidelines, we keep at least 5m (16.4ft) from the Penguins. Looking in every direction, all you’ll see is a vast icy expanse contrasting the penguins’ shimmering feathers.
November: Thousands of fluffy chicks begin to step off their parents’ feet.
December: As they grow, the chicks begin to lose their down feathers.
January: Late in the month the colony begins to return to the sea.
Day 4 - Around the Camp Activities
Hike above the ice sheet to sweeping views of untouched peaks. Enjoy a champagne picnic, then venture further with your guide to a breathtaking lookout. Every step reveals the vast, silent beauty that defines this polar realm.
Day 5 - The South Pole & Overnight at Dixie's Camp
The South Pole awaits. Board our Basler aircraft and fly over vast mountain ranges. After refuelling at Dixie’s Camp, land at the Pole and stand where explorers dreamt to be. Capture the moment, stamp your passport, and overnight like the pioneers at Dixie's Camp.
It is a total of 2,400km (1,500mi) from our main camps to the South Pole. The first part of the journey is a 5-hour flight to Dixie’s Camp, our expedition camp. Flying 3,000m (10,000ft)
above the ice, your view is sensational as we cross the High Polar Plateau.
We stop to refuel and then continue on another 2 hours to the South Pole itself — the very lowest point on the Earth. Setting foot at 90°S still remains the holy grail for many explorers.
After a few hours at the Pole, we fly back to Dixie’s Camp at 83°S, to rest overnight and to join the very few who have ever spent a night in the beauty of the High Polar Plateau. There is a
true sense of remoteness at Dixie’s where, for an uninterrupted 360 degrees the white horizon meets the pure blue sky.
Enjoy a warm meal reflecting on the day and fall asleep knowing you’re in one of the wildest places on Earth, a place rarely visited and still vastly unexplored.
Reaching the South Pole is considered one of the greatest feats of human exploration. Still today, fewer than 500 people a year reach the destination.
Day 6 - Fly from Dixie's Camp back to Whichaway Camp
Awaken under canvas on the High Polar Plateau. After breakfast at Dixie's Camp, fly back to Whichaway, savouring the scale and solitude from above. A celebratory three-course dinner and champagne await your return, your triumph toasted beneath Antarctic skies.
Day 7 - Around the Camp Activities
Venture along a dramatic cliff-side trail with panoramic views of the last true wilderness. Led by IFMGA mountain guides, this challenging hike promises awe, exhilaration, and a deeper connection to Antarctica’s untamed spirit.
Day 8 - Fly back to Cape Town
The flight out of Antarctica will be the last of your enduring memories of the great White Continent before you dive back into the vibrant energy of Africa. You will be transferred to your hotel where you will have a chance to relax and reflect on your Antarctic adventure!
This itinerary is entirely subject to weather conditions in Antarctica and is meant purely as a guide to what guests may expect day by day. The exact sequence of activities and the types of aircraft mentioned in this brochure may vary. Antarctica is a bucket list trip for a reason - Mother Nature reigns supreme here, that’s what makes it a true adventure.
