Learning from Shackleton: How to Prepare for Voyage to Antarctica?

December 3, 2009 8:42 PM

Next week I'm going to Antarctica via smallish boat (about 40 passengers) after a brief stop in Buenos Aires. The trip is 12 days long. What do I need to know?

I'm interested in every aspect of your experience on both ship and shore, as I know next to nothing. Do you have any tips for packing and for being comfortable while travelling light? Mitten clips, for example, were recommended as a way to avoid losing gloves/hat or getting them wet.

The trip sponsors provided a packing list but following it to the letter would mean lugging ten trunks. Plus, the list includes items like "retractable walking stick," which I really don't want to buy, and "dressy outfit for dining with the Captain," which makes me feel like Lovey Howell. I'm obtained some scopolamine patches, plan to rely on ski clothes for warmth and I've been going for 2-3 mile walks to get used to maneuvering my gigantic boots. Yesterday I bought sun-screen and some chemical hand-warmer packets I saw on sale. Other than that, I've got nothing.

I can't tell from the materials how arduous the hiking will be because they use adjectives instead of numbers to describe it (and their target audience is 20+ years older than me). What's the terrain tourists typically experience like? How tough is getting in and out of the RIB?

Your help answering these and other questions I didn't know enough to ask is greatly appreciated!

posted by carmicha to Travel & Transportation around Antarctica, Antarctica (17 answers total)

First of all, you should think about reading the Cortazar novel "the winners", just to give the boat ride the right creepy feel as you leave BA. Second, and IHNBTAB4, take more layers than you think, and consider treking poles (I guess they're "retractable walking sticks") as potential knee and ass savers. Have fun. I'm jealous.
posted by Mngo at 8:57 PM on December 3, 2009

I live in a climate that is cold half+ the year and can be really fucking cold 2 - 3 months of that, It really is hard to say exactly what you will need without seeing their description, but in general good warm clothes are not conducive to traveling light, and being cold while outside sucks, so don't skimp on that. Wool socks, excellent head coverings and mittens instead of gloves. Honestly the walking poles are a good idea even if you don't want them, even just having one would be of benefit. Something like one or two GU Energy Gels wouldn't be amiss.

As to dress for the captain's table, black pants, white shirt tie (if male), or something equally simple for gal.
posted by edgeways at 10:49 PM on December 3, 2009

Cleats for your boots are handy- they sell various ones, I have the stretchy rubber kind with little metal nubs. A small thermos will be nice. I agree with edgeways about not skimping on the cold weather gear- though you might want to come up with some kind of glove/ mitten combo that allows you to take pictures easily. Hobo gloves (fingerless with a flip over mitten) and warmers are good for this.

If you take the scopolamine tell someone you are taking it beforehand and follow the instructions. Don't take it off early or use too much. It makes some people pretty goofy.
posted by fshgrl at 11:10 PM on December 3, 2009

I've recently been to Ushuaia, and from observing the groups coming back from Antarctica, I think bringing something against hangovers wouldn't be completely wrong. Also prepare psychologically to pledges of eternal friendship from your fellow travellers.
posted by dhoe at 11:23 PM on December 3, 2009

I know you want to pack light, but male sure to bring a good, heavy coat, and other warm clothes; don't skimp. This can male the difference between, "Yeah, it was cold, but it was amazing!" and "I froze on the first day and was so cold I don't remember half the trip."

And I would absolutely love to see penguin photos if you're lucky enough to be able go take some! Have a great trip; I so want to do this someday.
posted by azpenguin at 11:24 PM on December 3, 2009

Grr... Make, not male. I gotta learn to read when I preview.
posted by azpenguin at 11:26 PM on December 3, 2009

Best answer: look at this post mathowie made a while back. photo journal of a trip to antarctica
posted by Glibpaxman at 11:46 PM on December 3, 2009

From the boyfriend, who spent a few weeks there as a doc on one of the boats:

*Nice shirt + tie + slacks for "dressy" is fine, probably no need for a jacket.

*Get a copy of Frank Todd's book for wildlife

*Physically, most middle-aged people in reasonable shape should be fine- the terrain is fairly crappy but not steep, and the hardest thing is getting in and out of the boat.

*If you're healthy and active, you don't probably don't need poles- but if you bring them (maybe if you have bad knees?) the retractable ones are, indeed, much safer on and around the Zodiac. Most people on the two trips he went on 5 years ago didn't have them and seemed fine.

*Bring the best camera you can afford to bring with the biggest telephoto lens you can have- and practice using it before you get there- he was surprised by how many people showed up with brand new cameras they didn't know how to use.

*There's a lot of downtime on the boat- bring some entertainment for yourself for quiet times
The most important thing to bring is your flexible attitude


If you think of any more specific questions, I'll throw them at him. He *loved* it, and you'll probably have an amazing trip.

for azpenguin: If you're just interested in penguin pics in general, you can see a lot of boyfriend's pictures at this link, and they're pretty cool (friend-link alert: he also has them for sale, but looking is free)
posted by charmedimsure at 12:56 AM on December 4, 2009

Best answer: Sorry for the long post. I went on a similar trip a couple of years ago. Here are some random thoughts:

1. You will be flying from BA to Ushuaia. The flights are not from the international airport but from the local one. They are typically delayed by several hours. In my case, the departure from Ushuaia was delayed by 12 hours. Seems to be normal there.

2. If you're in Ushuaia, it's worth visiting their national park that is close by. Otherwise, the place is simply a gateway for the tourist trade to Antarctica. They have many shops selling pretty much everything but it's quite expensive.

3. A small boat as you describe it might have a rocky time crossing the Drake Passage. Even on the better days, the waters are choppy. If you encounter a storm, it will be nasty. No worries - it's part of the fun.

4. Don't leave your camera on a table or sofa on the ship because as the boat rocks violently the camera will fly off and hit either someone or the first wall available. It happened to me. My camera was damaged and I could not use it throughout the trip - fortunately, I had a second one. The lens attached was also damaged.

5. If you can, get a room above water level. As you enter Antarctic waters, the hull of the ship becomes very very cold and you will feel it.

6. Be on the lookout for your first iceberg – it will be a sight you’re unlikely to forget. Same applies to the first whale / penguin / albatross.

7. Photography – if you’re into that, research online tips and tricks especially about correctly exposing for snow. Take spare batteries and a charger. In the cold weather the batteries drain much faster. Search Flickr for other people's shots and tips.

8. Equipment – as you are coming into a heated area from your trips onshore you will be getting condensation on your equipment. As you search online for tips you will find a lot on this subject – it’s important to prevent / minimise the risk of condensation inside your cameras / lenses. Also – don’t take the camera out again before it dried out – you risk having ice forming inside your lens, which needless to say it’s not a good thing.

9. Temperature – it’s early summer there now. Depending of how much south you go you are unlikely to experience temperatures much below -15 Celsius. This is really not that bad. You are likely to sail around the Antarctic Peninsula – this is the part that the true Antarctic ‘residents’ call “Banana country” on the account of its relative warmth.

10. Clothes - You need lots of layers, several pairs of good gloves (outers and inners), wool socks, waterproof boots and gaiters. The Gaiters are essential because you as you landfall you will basically be in a few inches of water getting off the boat. No big problem unless you have forgotten your gaiters. In addition, the rules that any tourist operator there must obey are that boots must be cleaned with chemical solutions and water before going on shore and as you return. There will be a lot of water around your boots and gaiters. Make sure they are waterproof.

11. Photography, the sequel – penguins are cute, unafraid and will come very close to you. Skuaas (big predatory birds) can also be approached but at your own risk (they are know to dive-bomb people that get too close to their nests). You should not approach seals because they are truly dangerous despite their cuddly appearance. All this to say you will want to have lenses for both close-ups and long distance. A minimum for a telephoto would be a 200mm – that’s what I had and I felt the need for a 300mm+. Rent or borrow it if you don’t have one. Longer focal length works better with whales, too.

12. Unrelated but worth it – if you’re in BA you might want to take about 3 days and visit the Iguaçu waterfalls. The flight from BA to Iguaçu is cheap and the views are absolutely worth it. Send me a message if you are interested – I have another long list of tips for that one as well :)

A trip with only 40 people on the boat is a dream – I was on a 65-people boat and it was OK but the usual tourist boats have hundreds of people which means that you have to wait your turn to make landfall and by the time you did it, 200 other people have already been there and spooked away the wildlife. Enjoy the experience. If you can spend a night or two in a tent on the continent you should - it's another once in a lifetime experience!

Oh – another thing – wake up before sunrise a few times: you will be tired and it will be difficult but trust me, a sunrise in Antarctica is magical.
posted by Parsnip at 1:32 AM on December 4, 2009 [5 favorites]

Clothing-wise, here's some things I found useful when I was working around McMurdo Sound in the late winter. You'll be traveling in summer, and probably won't go quite as far south, so this may be more than you need; however, if the wind picks up, I suspect you'll be glad of as many layers as you can get. And since this is mostly in layers, you can adjust as necessary, which is useful when you're going on brisk hikes.

- Two pairs of thick wool socks. With chemical toe warmers on particularly cold days.
- One Smartwool base layer and one fleece base layer on top of that.
- Glove liners underneath mittens. This is a good combination because the mittens will keep your hands very warm (especially if you tuck a chemical hand warmer into them), but when you want to take photos you can remove them and the glove liners will still keep your fingers from freezing. Mitten clips do sound like a good idea, and maybe a spare pair of glove liners.
- A balaclava is very nice to keep your face warm. Can be combined with a neck gaiter/scarf and a hat if it's particularly cold.
- Don't forget sunglasses!

None of that is particularly bulky--you should be able to pack it all in a suitcase with room to spare for your dinner-with-the-Captain dress shirt. You may want an extra set of your base layer gear, so you can wash one and wear one.

On top of all that, I wore heavy-duty USAP-issue cold weather gear. Anything reasonably warm that keeps the wind out ought to be fine for you, though, as long as you have the layers for underneath.

As far as wildlife goes, I've been told that penguins will come right up to you if you lie down flat so that you are at or below their height. I have not had many chances to try this, but it is probably worth a shot.
posted by fermion at 1:52 AM on December 4, 2009

Parsnip, sounds like the OP is going to be there right around the equinox; there may not be a sunrise to see.
posted by fermion at 1:56 AM on December 4, 2009

Er, I mean summer solstice, obviously.
posted by fermion at 1:56 AM on December 4, 2009

Response by poster: This is all great! I'm getting even more psyched up! My husband has really good camera equipment [decides to lobby to bring even more lenses].
posted by carmicha at 2:10 AM on December 4, 2009

For packing I used those plastic bags that you can suck the air out with a vacuum cleaner. This reduced the size of my luggage quite a lot.

After you unpack them on the boat and have to re-pack, you can simply roll the bag tightly and (most of) the air comes out of it.

This works very well with fluffy fleece-type clothes, less so with dense fabrics. Your clothes will be wrinkly but who gives a damn over there?
posted by Parsnip at 2:40 AM on December 4, 2009

Not been on an Antarctic cruise, but I lived in the Falkland Islands for a few years, which is usually a stopover on these cruises, and worked as a tour guide for their passengers, doing “city” (!) tours of Stanley.

One thing to note is that most of the cruises give their passengers huge red warm coats as part of the package - they do have the drawback of making you look the same as everyone else, but everyone’s used to that, and most people seem to wear them, so I’m guessing they are as warm as they look (I was given one once, but it reached down to my knees so had to give it away!). Check with your operator if they’ll give you one, because that’d save you packing space on taking your own winter coat.

Seconding a good book on wildlife, and especially birds, relevant to the area, also some binoculars.

The level of formality of the ships differs - the smaller expedition ones are more appear to be at the less formal, everyone-wearing-Goretex-and-walking-boots end of the market, so you might get away with slightly less glam evening wear than if you’re on a bigger ship. But I’d still take something to dress up a wee bit, because formal dining with the Captain is a staple part of cruising.

Also, if you’re relying on memory sticks for your camera, get as many as you think you need, then double or triple it.
posted by penguin pie at 6:27 AM on December 4, 2009

I went once when I was much younger. I remember being too hot most of the time while walking around - wear layers, breathable clothing.

Penguins are more awesome then you would imagine.

As said by others, bring things to entertain yourself with on the boat. And if your boat is small, Drake Passage is probably going to be exciting (nauseating).
posted by notnathan at 10:07 AM on December 4, 2009

I would read this book, at least the parts about sailing in Drake's Passage.

But I suspect you'll get hooked, if you are into going to Antarctica at all.
posted by Danf at 1:32 PM on December 4, 2009