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| Our family trip to Antarctica |
| by Brian Kelly |
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Antarctica has been on my travel wish list for many years, but I’ve always put it off due to the time commitment. Usually, it would entail a 10-day cruise crossing the notorious Drake Passage — you never know if you’re going to get the “Drake shake” or the “Drake lake.” Especially since I knew I would be traveling with my whole family this time, I wanted to find an alternative way to visit, and what better way than flying?
A few expedition companies offer a “fly-cruise.” I chose the National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions “Fly the Drake” package that included a two-hour flight from Puerto Natales, Chile, to King George Island on a rare (and spaciously laid-out) Antarctic Airways Avro Jet RJ85. Fun fact: The only other passenger airlines that fly these planes are Mahan Air (Iran), EcoJet (Bolivia) and TezJet (Kyrgyzstan). A unique AvGeek experience and avoiding two days of possible rough seas each way? SIGN ME UP.
Another main reason I chose National Geographic-Linblad Expeditions was that its minimum age to cruise is 1 year old on its Fly the Drake expeditions. It has an Explorers-in-Training program for kids, and there was a handful of other kids from 1 to 16 on the boat, so I never felt like my kids weren’t welcome. Check out my pinned Antarctica story on my Instagram for footage from the trip. The videos will never do it justice, but they will give you a flavor of the magnificence of the landscapes.
We flew Antarctic Airways, which was the best economy flight of my life — so much extra legroom (more than U.S. carriers’ domestic first class), the best livery (the plane actually looks like a penguin) and the smoothest touchdown on King George Island.
Once you land on King George Island, you take a 10-minute Zodiac boat to the ship, and you spend six days cruising on Orion, an expedition vessel. Note: The one major downside of flying is the unpredictability of the weather and the possibility of canceled flights. We had to spend an extra day in Puerto Natales (at the expense of National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions) due to weather conditions, so we only had five nights of sailing, which I still felt was plenty. A majority of flights go out on the scheduled day of departure, but you never know until you actually take off if you’re going.
November was a great time to go, as it’s just coming out of winter — even though penguin eggs haven’t quite hatched yet — the landscapes are breathtaking and the temperatures are around mid 20s-30s Fahrenheit.
A typical day on the cruise would consist of breakfast followed by a morning excursion (weather permitting), usually a 75-minute Zodiac boat tour of the area where we would anchor, such as Enterprise Island. The Zodiac rides allow you to get up close to spectacular icebergs and animals (penguins and seals and whales, oh my!). And each Zodiac is driven by a Nat Geo naturalist who gives you a history of the area and details on the wildlife; each has their own area of expertise. No two excursions are ever the same. Weather permitting, on some expeditions, we would take the Zodiacs and make landings ashore and go on hikes and get even closer to the wildlife (while still abiding by strict rules and biosafety measures), like on Portal Point, which is on the actual continent of Antarctica (versus an island).
I loved the whole experience with National Geographic and Lindblad, with their focus on sustainability and conservation. Lindblad is the gold standard. The conservationists were on board, along with only about a hundred guests, and everyone was split into groups, so you’re never waiting in line or feeling shuttled. The food and drinks were excellent, and the staff was top-notch across the board. I never got seasick, but there were a couple of days when the seas were rough and my mom got seasick, so even though you avoid the notorious Drake Passage, I still recommend consulting your doctor and bringing seasickness patches and other medications to help with nausea.
It took me 42 years to finally visit all seven continents, and I most certainly saved the best for last. Even though it comes with a degree of uncertainty regarding travel, I would still book another Fly the Drake package so I could maximize my time exploring Antarctica rather than spending days in rough seas.
If you want to know more about traveling to Antarctica, check out these posts:
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| Photo Credit: BRIAN KELLY/THE POINTS GUY. |
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