Independent Travel to Arctic / Antarctic

A short guide about Arctic / Antarctic

The Arctic (North Pole) and Antarctica (South Pole) are some of the most remote fortified places in travel and visitors to these destinations will generally arrive by ship to explore the remote wilderness. Here you'll find Polar Bears live in the northern regions, while Penguins live in the south. But besides the unique fauna - tourists come to see the breathtaking scenery of Calving Glaciers. This natural phenomenon occurs in both Polar Regions, but is more intense in Antarctica than in the Arctic - because its ice shelves are significantly higher, with some shelves rising 300 metres above the water.

The Arctic is more accessible with a number of European and North American countries having land inside the Arctic Circle - so there are many holiday options for the visiting traveller. This is very much the kingdom of the polar bear and you will see large males as well as mothers and their cubs, especially during the spring as they search for seals. The enchanting drift ice and rugged backdrop of the snow-capped landscape makes this trip a voyage to the extremes of the Earth.

The Antarctic by comparison is much more remote, and places often visited are the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula - after travelling through the Drake Passage. See Emperor Penguins, Whales, Seals and a myriad of bird life in this unique and rugged setting. Most tours begin in South America, but there are other tours that depart from Australia and New Zealand, and during the Antarctic summer it is relatively easy to fly back and forth from New Zealand.