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| What to see and do in Antarctica |
Antarctic Diving - Since Antarctica has no land life, diving is the only way to see the true habitat of Antarctica's
animals. With the exceptions of birds, the rest of Antarctica's wildlife all live in the sea. This includes penguins,
seals, whales and many other animals. In addition to these large animals, Antarctica also has some surprisingly
colorful invertebrates that litter the ocean floor which adds even more to the already amazing diving experience.
Antarctic Peninsula - The Antarctic Peninsula is like the Amazon of the Antarctic mainland. It is the northern most part of the
Antarctic mainland, and virtually all of Antarctica's animals can be seen in the peninsula. This area also has some
large mountains that almost hit the 10,000 foot mark. The peninsula is also decorated with lots of small science
bases because of it's relatively nice weather.
Dry Valleys - The dry valleys are a very unique place in Antarctica; a 3,250 square mile area that hasn't received snow in millions of
years. Sometimes when animals make it into the dry valleys and die, their remains will stay frozen for centuries. The dry valleys also
feature a lake and a river. Lake Vida is frozen on top with thick ice, but below it remains liquid. The onyx river is only 20 miles in
length, but that's good enough to be Antarctica's longest river. Of course it remains frozen for the majority of the year, but in the
Austral summer it does begin to flow some water. Both the Onyx river and Vida Lake only support microbes and do not have any
animals such as fish or snails. The conditions in the dry valley are considered to be very similar to the surface of Mars.
McMurdo Station - McMurdo Station is a science base located on Ross Island which is connected to mainland Antarctica by the
Ross Ice shelf. It is by far Antarctica's biggest science base, and with it's population of over 1,000 personnel, it is basically
Antarctica's capital and only city. McMurdo has 3 airfields, over 100 buildings including a nuclear power plant, a bowling alley, and
even a golf course.
South Pole - The south pole is Antarctica's most famous place. There are actually several poles of Antarctica that includes the
geographic south pole, magnetic south pole, and the pole of inaccessibility. The geographic south pole is what I consider to be the
real south pole, since its location is along the axis of where the earth rotates. The magnetic poles of the earth are where the lines of
magnetic flux begin and end, and is where your compass points to. Since this isn't true north or south, you need to compensate the
difference, which is called an azimuth error. These poles actually have nothing to do with north or south, they just happen to be there
at this moment. In thousands of years they will eventually move to the equator and then back to the polar regions again and so on.
The pole of inaccessibility is simply the point in Antarctica that is farthest from the coast, making it the most difficult place to reach.
The real south pole has a science base and is nicely decorated with flags of all countries who have signed the Antarctic treaty. You
pretty much need to be very rich to afford a trip here, or just rich and in extremely good shape to join an expedition to the bottom of
the world.
South Shetland Islands - The South Shetland Islands are the most northern part of Antarctica, about 80 miles north of the Antarctic
Peninsula. They were probably the first discovered part of Antarctica, possibly found hundreds of years before it
was even official that there was the continent of Antarctica. These islands are also one of the warmest places in the
continent and are very populated with wildlife.
animals. With the exceptions of birds, the rest of Antarctica's wildlife all live in the sea. This includes penguins,
seals, whales and many other animals. In addition to these large animals, Antarctica also has some surprisingly
colorful invertebrates that litter the ocean floor which adds even more to the already amazing diving experience.
Antarctic Peninsula - The Antarctic Peninsula is like the Amazon of the Antarctic mainland. It is the northern most part of the
Antarctic mainland, and virtually all of Antarctica's animals can be seen in the peninsula. This area also has some
large mountains that almost hit the 10,000 foot mark. The peninsula is also decorated with lots of small science
bases because of it's relatively nice weather.
Dry Valleys - The dry valleys are a very unique place in Antarctica; a 3,250 square mile area that hasn't received snow in millions of
years. Sometimes when animals make it into the dry valleys and die, their remains will stay frozen for centuries. The dry valleys also
feature a lake and a river. Lake Vida is frozen on top with thick ice, but below it remains liquid. The onyx river is only 20 miles in
length, but that's good enough to be Antarctica's longest river. Of course it remains frozen for the majority of the year, but in the
Austral summer it does begin to flow some water. Both the Onyx river and Vida Lake only support microbes and do not have any
animals such as fish or snails. The conditions in the dry valley are considered to be very similar to the surface of Mars.
McMurdo Station - McMurdo Station is a science base located on Ross Island which is connected to mainland Antarctica by the
Ross Ice shelf. It is by far Antarctica's biggest science base, and with it's population of over 1,000 personnel, it is basically
Antarctica's capital and only city. McMurdo has 3 airfields, over 100 buildings including a nuclear power plant, a bowling alley, and
even a golf course.
South Pole - The south pole is Antarctica's most famous place. There are actually several poles of Antarctica that includes the
geographic south pole, magnetic south pole, and the pole of inaccessibility. The geographic south pole is what I consider to be the
real south pole, since its location is along the axis of where the earth rotates. The magnetic poles of the earth are where the lines of
magnetic flux begin and end, and is where your compass points to. Since this isn't true north or south, you need to compensate the
difference, which is called an azimuth error. These poles actually have nothing to do with north or south, they just happen to be there
at this moment. In thousands of years they will eventually move to the equator and then back to the polar regions again and so on.
The pole of inaccessibility is simply the point in Antarctica that is farthest from the coast, making it the most difficult place to reach.
The real south pole has a science base and is nicely decorated with flags of all countries who have signed the Antarctic treaty. You
pretty much need to be very rich to afford a trip here, or just rich and in extremely good shape to join an expedition to the bottom of
the world.
South Shetland Islands - The South Shetland Islands are the most northern part of Antarctica, about 80 miles north of the Antarctic
Peninsula. They were probably the first discovered part of Antarctica, possibly found hundreds of years before it
was even official that there was the continent of Antarctica. These islands are also one of the warmest places in the
continent and are very populated with wildlife.
Click from the list below to see that country's most interesting places. The purpose of this page is to give you a general idea of things you
shouldn't miss out on if you're traveling in Antarctica. Everything below is a guideline, what you do in each city or national park is up to you.
shouldn't miss out on if you're traveling in Antarctica. Everything below is a guideline, what you do in each city or national park is up to you.
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