Antarctica

Frozen in Time: Quark Expeditions to Antarctica

Following in the footsteps of the greatest polar explorer with Quark Expeditions to Antarctica.

The Antarctic cold stung like a whip. The snow and ice seemed to penetrate to the marrow of our bones. The biting wind and freezing temperatures were a constant reminder that survival in this unforgiving landscape required courage and determination. – Ernest Shackleton.

A bead of sweat falls softly onto the page of my book, just as I glance at the towering wall of ice just outside the floor to ceiling window.

“Geez. It really must have stunk.” I said to myself as I whipped another ladle of water on the hot rocks, the sound of instant steam melting my previous thought. I quietly contemplate what will be for lunch, before returning to reading about the famous British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton’s final expedition to the South Pole in 1909.

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No more than 0.0125% of the entire global population have ever witnessed the spectacular beauty of Antarctica. I feel incredibly special to be in this amazing place, let alone on board Quark Expedition's Ultramarine - eight floors of world class service and amenities bring us safely to the harshest, wildest, most pristine place on the planet.

Adventure travel is to me the most difficult to get right. On one hand you want adventure, so there has to be a level of danger; a level of unknown and difficulty. At the same time you want a warm shower, good food, and fast internet. The trick is to make it comfortable, but still raw enough so that you get the same high that Shackleton did. Quark Expeditions' range of trips to Antarctica somehow manages to do this.

The Ultramarine is a ship in its own class; four engines in two redundant rooms, and two twin-engined helicopters which bring us to the most remote, untouched place on the planet safely in extreme comfort.

Within we will find a well-oiled hospitality machine working quietly in the background. A full bar and lounge, extensive library, modern gym, and even a spa with Beverly Hills quality treatments.

The food here in Antarctica is extraordinary, believe it or not. Multiple entree and buffets, carefully curated and delicious, and even a full vegan menu.

The rooms are immaculate and put most of the New York apartments I’ve lived in to shame. Large, comfy beds and sitting areas, rainforest showers, an entertainment centre loaded with hundreds of films, and even high-speed internet for an additional cost that makes my ATT service at home look like a smoke signal.

While this is all lovely, it’s not why we’re here. The moments you get to enjoy this luxurious floating palace are, rightly, quite limited. The amazing staff at Quark keep us constantly in explorer mode. Which is kind of the point, right?

Each day we find ourselves going full-Shackleton in a new area of unexplored wilderness.

Highly trained zodiac teams load us up and give us multiple tours of the ice shelf, and we even land on the beach so that we can get close to wildlife.

Close is not a term I use over-zealously here. Colonies of penguins, Gentoo, Chinstrap, and Emperor swarm us with a curious flapping of wings. Elephant seals bark in the sun, and Minke whales gently brush up against our zodiac.

Shackleton’s observation that “the whole place seems alive with wildlife,” still feels very true.

When not exploring on land, we take up unique experiences like sea kayaking or paddle boarding. If conditions permit, there are helicopters available for a sky-seeing tour, and we go snowshoe trekking on land, also à la Shackleton. Due to being really brave, or more likely possessing a “madness of mind” as Ernest puts it, we take the polar plunge—an almighty leap into the freezing Antarctic Ocean. Our reward is a badge, a shot of vodka, bragging rights and the knowledge that whatever cool ocean we find ourselves in in the future, it’ll never be quite as cold as this.

In the evening the Ultramarine forges ahead to a new destination as we listen to extraordinary lectures and play games.

New bonds and friendships form that feel like they’ll be maintained long after we return to shore. The lounge fills up with a cacophony of clinking glasses, cheers and chuckles as everyone shares incredible stories of what they saw during the day. No two camera angles are alike, no two experiences similar.

Antarctica is a final frontier of sorts—the last continent for me to reach. I have been a traveller since I was 15, born into this life from two airline parents. I have been fortunate to see more places than most, but Antarctica always seemed slightly out of reach, almost other-worldly. I would read the great explorer’s accounts of their obsession with the great white continent. Shackleton made three separate, life-threatening journeys here in a time when it was nearly suicide to do so. That magnetic draw and love of adventure is what also captivated me my entire life.

I was experiencing the same beauty and wonder that he became obsessed with, just without any of the frostbite, which frankly, I’m quite fine with.