Antarctica Bucket List
Antarctica Bucket List Ideas:
13 Amazing Things To Do On The White Continent
If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve probably seen me share just how many activities we were able to do on my recent Antarctica trip!
When I first told people I was going to Antarctica on the 11 day expedition with Intrepid Travel (onboard the MS Ocean Endeavor) I got a lot of skeptical questions.
“But what will you do there..?”
“Is anything even there…?”
My answer is a resounding YES! There is so much to see and do on an Antarctica expedition. Here are 13 of my favorite things we did on the White Continent.
You can watch a recap of my Antarctica bucket list here:
1. Kayaking
Kayaking in the perfectly clear water of Antarctica while penguins swim and leap around you is unlike kayaking anywhere else in the world.
Pro tip: If your boat offers a kayaking program, I would suggest opting out of the full program and just booking a separate day paddle. If you do the program, it’s a lot of money but you have the option to kayak on every landing. However there is a lot happening during the landings so I wouldn’t suggest kayaking every time- you’ll want to get out on land!
2. Whale watching
Keep your eyes peeled when out on the boat deck or during a zodiac cruise! We saw many humpback whales during our expedition.
3. Snowshoe with penguins
This was a favorite experience of mine! It was so beautiful to snowshoe while white fluffy snow fell all around us. At one point, a little penguin joined in with us!
4. Observe penguins jumping in the water
Penguins on land provide endless entertainment but have you ever seen penguins leap through the water? Equally as fun and fascinating!
5. Brave the cold water and polar plunge!
This entire experience was a blast!
We didn’t have much time to prepare, the announcement suddenly came over the loudspeakers that it was time to come down for the polar plunge.
Everyone gathered at the opening of the ship as music played and shots were poured for any jumpers brave enough to dive in!
6. Visit the “penguin post office” on Port Lockroy & mail postcards
Did you know there is a post office on Antarctica?
This is the beautiful Port Lockroy. Home of the “Penguin Post Office”, the only gift shop on the continent, a tiny museum & generally, one of my favorite places on earth. There are penguins literally everywhere here.
Four women from the UK were selected to run the site & live amongst the dozens of penguins who call Port Lockroy their home.
Your postcard might not arrive for a while but how fun to have mailed something from the 7th continent!
You can see video clips of the penguin post office here.
7. Shop at the only gift shop on the continent
Proceeds from the small souvenir shop fund the maintenance of the site and other historic sites and monuments in Antarctica. Soooo naturally I did my part by doing plenty of shopping here!
8. Ice camp overnight on the continent in just a sleeping bag
This was an absolutely wild adventure!!
What started as a beautiful clear day suddenly turned into a winter storm overnight. This is not an activity for the faint of heart!
9. Visit the penguin colonies
There are a whopping 20 million breeding pairs of penguins in Antarctica.
And watching them interact in the colonies is a huge highlight! There are hundreds of penguins everywhere when you arrive on land.
10. Observe wildlife and glaciers on zodiac cruises
To get from the ship where you sleep to land, everyone boards small zodiacs with about 10 passengers.
But there are also times where you have the option to go out on scenic zodiac cruises to take in the stunning landscapes and wildlife.
11. Jacuzzi with a view
Easily my favorite spot on the Ocean Endeavor! I spent many hours while sailing past ice bergs soaking in the jacuzzi and observing the changing landscapes. It was absolutely spectacular.
12. Rent or invest in a zoom lens to photograph wildlife
There is no shortage of wildlife in Antarctica. And it sure is fun to photograph the lazy seals, playful penguins and slightly more elusive whales.
Don’t want to invest in a big zoom lens? You can rent tech gear with companies like Grover for just the duration of the trip.
You can find all my camera gear in my Amazon shop here.
13. Learn the difference between penguin breeds like gentoo vs chinstrap
Our Antarctica team was incredibly knowledgeable and led wonderful educational classes and workshops onboard during our days at sea. It was so fun learning about the different types of penguins and how to recognize them.
Below you can see two little Chinstrap Penguins holding flippers, how sweet. Especially once you learn most penguins mate for life!
Shop my Amazon storefront for all my travel gear and photography equipment!
Antarctica Bucket List
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