I’m on an Antarctica kick and it’s because it was one of the best trips I have ever taken. It was not cheap but it was worth it. Plus, Antarctica is forever changing and as our climate warms it will change Antarctica in unimaginable ways.  Rights now you can only get to Antarctica via a cruise from South America or a plane from South Africa. Travel to the continent is rightfully regulated and done with the utmost concern for preservation. If you ever considered going to Antarctica or you are wondering why anyone would want to go, let me give you seven reasons why you need to add it to your Bucket list!

Penguins are literally the best.

I can’t imagine a trip to Antarctica where you are not guaranteed to see a ridiculous amount of penguins. In Antarctica, they are everywhere, and they breed during Antarctica summer months of November, December, and January. There are many types of penguins, and most of them look very similar to the untrained eye. But after one of the birding courses, you will inevitably experience onboard the ship, you will learn enough to  start to make out the difference between the Adélie penguins, the Gentoo penguins which were the most plentiful while we were there, and the Emperor and Chinstrap penguins. They are all equally cute. Wildlife regulations require you not to get more than 5 feet away from the penguins, but with the right camera, you can get all the close-up shots you need. Of course, the penguins don’t know the rules and sometimes while you are waiting patiently in one spot a penguin or two may come waddling over to you. It is one of the most enduring things you can experience! As we went during their breeding season we were lucky to visit their breeding areas. Although Penguins are in a sense, solitary creatures, they breed in packs. Most of the time they are almost sitting on top of each other, with their nest so close to another. They are also quite cheeky and a bit lazy. As you observe them, you can find some of them stealing each other’s rocks from their nest for their own. I watched as one penguin literally made their way around the nesting grounds taking rocks from nests as they saw fit and causing quite an uproar. The penguins quacking at him as he wobbled away. Even when angry they are adorable.  But boy do they smell. Penguins have to spend upwards of two months sitting by themselves, on their nest, as their mate goes off hunting for food. They can’t move an inch because danger lurks in the sky overhead with predatory birds waiting for an opportunity to eat a penguin egg, sometimes these predatory birds are bold enough to actually sit in the actual nesting site and wait. These poor penguins spend upwards of 2 months without a jump in the ocean. And they have no manners. They do their business as they please and sometimes that means on another poor penguin who then must just sit with penguin business on it, angry as all getup, waiting for their mating partner to return from hunting.

The seals are freaking awesome.

There’s also not an Antarctica trip where I can’t imagine not finding seals. Initially, I could have cared less about them since it was really all about the penguins, but seals hold their own in cuteness and fierceness. What I learned was that there was really just one seal that eats penguins, the leopard seal. The rest are just chilling eating kelp, plankton, and fish. Once I found out #notallseals are mortal enemies of penguins I started to enjoy them more. The crabeater seal has the face of an angel when it smiles, and you almost forget these seals can weigh a ton and will probably accidentally kill you if you get too close. There are just 6 types of seals in Antarctica and wow are they supercool. We got to see the adorable Weddell Seal, which holds an award in my heart for cuteness, the Leopard Seal which is elusive and hard to find, the angelic Crabeater Seal, and one Ross Seal. We didn’t get to see any Elephant Seals but that’s more of a reason to return.

It is probably the most beautiful place you will ever see.

When I told my family, we were going to Antarctica they wanted to know why. I could only answer Icebergs, penguins, and it being the last frontier in the world because that’s all I knew. I know you can see icebergs and penguins for much cheaper in South America or in the Arctic, but there’s still only one Antarctica. What I was not prepared for at the time was how much unspoiled mountainous lands covered in glaciers, surrounded by icebergs, sea ice, and a small but sturdy cast of wildlife could literally take my breath away. Now, whenever life starts to get me down, I need to only think of the morning we drifted into the Lemaire Channel and how I spent 3 hours outside in the blistering cold with hot chocolate entirely mesmerized, unable to step away, because Antarctica’s splendid beauty held me captive. Words and pictures can never do Antarctica justice no matter how lengthy, creative, and beautiful. Watching a sun that never sets over some of the most beautiful scenery in the world is unparalleled. It was then I understood why some people choose to dedicate their lives to this place. I could come back every year of my life, and I imagine its beauty will never cease to stir an enormous sense of wonder and gratitude within my soul.

It’s the ultimate “glamventure” travel.

Like what I did there? Anyway, if you are not into adventure travel but you really want to go to Antarctica then traveling with Quark Explorer on a cruise is the best of both worlds. Twice a day you go to land. Once in the morning and the afternoon. You spend an hour cruise on a dinky, and I admit kind of scary boat and an hour on land hiking in designated areas. You feel super brave, but you are extremely well insulated and taken care of. You get to hike a bit, but you can be confident the guides have already staked out and blocked off with red flags where any danger may be. You get up close and personal with wildlife that is literally no threat to you as long as you keep your distance (yes, there are whales and the leopard seal which can totally do you in but they probably will not). You can partake in activities like kayaking, camping overnight, and the epic polar plunge. Yes, you can literally jump off the ship’s boarding dock into the icy cold waters of Antarctica for the most frigid winter plunge ever. We opted for camping, and I also took advantage of the polar plunge. I got a sticker for it, and it was the coldest I have ever been in my entire life. But I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Killer Freaking Whales…. Also known as Orca, and other whales too.

Even if you didn’t know you liked whales, you will like whales by the end of this trip. This is the land of the Orca, Minke, Sperm, Sei, Fin, and Humpback whales and it beats anything you ever saw as a child at Sea World. These are beautiful whales in the wild going about their lives without much notice of you, and they are gorgeous, intelligent, and a sight to see. We were lucky to experience a once in a lifetime adventure. On our way back to Argentina as we had all said a tearful goodbye to the continent; suddenly someone screamed “Humpback” and everyone left their stations and drinks at the bar and ran outside. Coats, gloves, hats be damned. But no, it wasn’t just one Humpback. It was 40 who had just returned with their young from the coast of Brazil, and THEY WERE HUNGRY. They were in the middle of a feeding frenzy. They were breaching out of the water, sometimes two at a time. People were losing their minds, screaming about how epic it was to be in the middle of literally a feeding frenzy of a school of humpback whales. The resident marine biologist was literally in tears of joy. We stood out there for hours, no one cared how long, and we watched them. The ship circled back and forth, and the entirety of the attendants on the ship ran from side to side to not miss a view. Then just when we thought it could not get better, FIVE FREAKING ORCAS show up to hunt the humpback young. Forming a cunning and sophisticated plan they attempted to break up the group of humpbacks, to separate the calf from their mother and have a satisfying meal. The ocean, which was previously full of chaotic hungry humpbacks went immediately calm, and the humpbacks devised a plan to protect the young. Then the water suddenly broke as the five orca formed a line and took a calculated dive up out the water and down into the water for a final blow. Luckily they did not succeed and the calf lived to see another day but OMG. I could not have asked for anything better.

CC: Jasmine Nears Biesinger. Please credit if used.

Glaciers are Earth’s artwork.

I did not go to Antarctica for the glaciers. I went for the icebergs, those mesmerizing deadly hunks of former glaciers that feel as if they are alive. They roll around the water and support all kinds of life. Like the Sirens they are mesmerizing. I could understand why so many have just floated toward them in egregious error. But what I came to love were the glaciers, living & moving blue ice covering almost every square mile of the volcanic Antarctica continent. I can’t describe to you what it feels like to watch one of these beauties jump into the ocean with a roar that rivals that of a lion. Or what it feels like to hear it thunder and move as you camp outside by the water’s edge. But It’s so beautiful and so massive that you realize you have a place in this world and that place is so small compared to the glamour of just one glacier. I fell in love with glaciers so much that I ugly cried while watching Chasing Ice about the receding glaciers around the world. I totally recommend the movie, by the way.

CC: Jasmine Nears Biesinger. Glaciers in Antarctica. Dec, 2017

You learn a lot about the environment

During your downtime, at least with Quark Explorers, there were many opportunities to learn. I learned about ice, about why we study Antarctica, about the birds, seals, and whales that inhabit Antarctica. I learned about Antarctica’s lifeline: It’s Sea Ice. Antarctica’s Sea Ice, Glaciers, and Icebergs are what keep sea ice algae, phytoplankton, and zooplankton alive. Krill eat phytoplankton, which can’t survive without Antarctica’s ice, and in turn, pretty much everything else, with the exception of some seals, survive off A. And I mean everything. Whale directly eat the Krill. Birds eat the Krill, Certain Penguins only eat Krill. Then Fish and other Squid eat the Krill. The fish are a life source to Leopard Seals, one type of Penguin, Whales, and more.  So, in essence, Krill support Antarctica’s entire ecosystem. But Krill can’t survive without the Phytoplankton, which can’t survive without ice. Scientists see that when there’s less ice, there are fewer whales, fewer penguins, fewer seals. You will leave Antarctica with a better understanding of the environment and why Antarctica is so essential to science and the world. You may even become a bit of an environmentalist. Or at the very least, you’ll be able to convincingly explain to someone why if they love the penguins, then they should care about krill and ice.

Did my seven reasons convince you? Have you been to Antarctica? Would you add any reasons to my seven? Comment below!

Want more? Watch this epic video of my time in Antarctica!

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