Lowes Travels

We all have dreams and long bucket lists to tick off during our lifetime. One of ours has been to step onto our 7th and final continent, Antarctica. Lucky for us, we snagged the last stateroom aboard Viking Octantis, an expedition ship, for their December sailing. There are several cruise lines that offer expeditions to Antarctica, but having cruised with Viking before and picking them as our favorite cruise line, it was an easy choice. Unlike regular ocean cruise ships, Viking Octantis and her sister Polaris are state-of-the-art expedition vessels equipped with cutting-edge technology. Both of them are the largest, most powerful, and most advanced expedition vessels today.

Before we started our grand adventure, we had several things to consider and requirements to meet besides paying the $$$$$.

• Medical Screening – Viking requires all passengers participating in an Expedition Cruise to complete a medical assessment form and obtain clearance from their personal doctor prior to sailing. Thankfully we both passed that requirement, yeah!
• Travel insurance that covers medical evacuation is strongly suggested. Expedition cruises take passengers and crew to locations where there are limited or no medical facilities. And the locations visited are often remote, where medical evacuation is difficult or impossible. If available, medical evacuation is very expensive, hence a travel insurance policy that will reimburse the costs is strongly recommended. We typically do not get travel insurance but this time we did simply because it is such a remote continent.
• Coming from the desert, we had to pack essential gear for complete comfort and warmth. While Viking provided us with boots, waterproof pants, a jacket with liner, and a life vest, we needed layers underneath all that gear, – some things we wouldn’t wear again in the desert 🙁

• Prepare for the worst (and hope for the best) when traversing the Drake Passage, a crucial part of the Antarctic experience. It takes two days to sail between Ushuaia, Argentina and Antarctica. The waters are known for being rough where the Pacific, Atlantic, and Southern Oceans converge. So I packed ginger crystals, ginger tea, ginger candy, Dramamine, and ear patches for motion sickness.

• We received communications to read beforehand regarding the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO) and Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO)of which Viking is an active member. So Viking is committed to following safety precautions and protocols for responsible visits to Antarctica, ensuring minimal impact on the environment. The rules are governed by the Antarctic Treaty of 1959, indicating that no single country controls Antarctica, making the industry self-regulated. Key rules include no peeing on land and no hugging of penguins! This was a new lesson for us.

• Lastly, as part of our package Viking chartered flights from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia (the embarkation point) and from Ushuaia back to Buenos Aires at the end of the trip.

And with that we were prepared by Dec 13, our departure date for Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Buenos Aires

We arrived in Buenos Aires a day early, so we were able to check it out. We boarded one of those Hop-on Hop-Off buses and cruised around the city. We found it to be a lively place, mixing cool old colonial buildings with that Latin vibe, wide boulevards, and landmarks that showcase its amazing culture. Here is a glimpse of the city:

Ushuaia

The following day we boarded the chartered plane for a 3-hr flight to the end of the world, Ushuaia, Argentina. Its the southernmost city on the planet. Ushuaia serves as the base for expeditions into the icy waters of Antarctica and as a key access point to the Falkland Islands and to South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.

Our schedule wouldn’t allow us to explore the city in person, but these pictures from the ship are great. It’s a beautiful city of 100,000 residents. For them, it must be nice to say they live in the place called “El Fin del Mundo” (the end of the world), and the gateway to Antarctica.

With all of the preparations completed, we were finally here and giddy to begin the ultimate adventure that we have been dreaming of!

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Next Up:

Briefings/Training and the Falkland Islands