Experience the Last Continent: A Day in the Life of an Antarctic Incentive
“The last continent. It’s out there, waiting for you. Experience the adventure of a lifetime in the least visited place on earth.”
Discover the luxury cruising solution to Antarctica travel with Silversea and experience the closest thing on earth to another planet. We catch up with the team behind the scenes to see just what goes into the planning of an Antarctic incentive…
Fly straight into the heart of Antarctica in just 2 hours with Antarctica Bridge or sail the iconic Drake Passage for an unforgettable experience through the world’s least travelled waters. Silversea Cruises has paved the way for luxury travel to Antarctica with their legendary cruise lines that take you “so far off the beaten track, that there is no track”. In fact, they’ve taken luxury cruising to a whole new art form with local experts on board to make your journey as informative as possible, butlers at every suite and pole-to-pole expedition itineraries that “break the ice between expedition and luxury”.
“Silversea takes travellers deep into the Final Continent in unparalleled comfort, unlocking the richest Antarctica experience ever” – Conrad, SVP Expeditions, Destination and Itinerary Management
Your Antarctic Programme:
Zodiac Cruising: Get up close and personal with the wildlife around you – be the first to witness the crack of ice break off a millennial glacier, catch sightings of great humpback whales and get within an arm’s length of crabeater sales in the Galindez Island.
Group Hikes: Roll up your sleeves and explore the picturesque landscapes of Antarctica with local guides as they walk you through the unique fauna that grows there as well as local colonies of Adèlie Penguins, Chinstrap Penguins and Gentoo Penguins
Active Kayaking: Paddle between towering icebergs, and cascading glaciers and experience the spellbinding silence of the world’s most undiscovered continent. Nothing quite beats the feeling of exploring the ocean in your own kayak not to mention the curious leopard seals you might just find gliding next to you!
Advanced Lectures: Learn more about Antarctica from the experts themselves and prepare for your onshore excursions with local naturalists, biologists and geologists who know just how to inspire you and your top clients. A chance to educate your group on the finer points of Antarctic Exploration it’s the perfect accompaniment to a morning of excursions.
“Nothing can prepare you for the first time that you see that iceberg or when you set foot amongst a chinstrap penguin colony of 60,000 birds on a beach. It’s such a special destination”
Facilities & Gastronomy
Enjoy the finest gastronomy with four luxury-appointed restaurants each serving the best tastes and flavours of the high sea, curated by world-renowned chefs and the highest quality ingredients.
Raise a glass among colleagues and take advantage of their in-suite beverages and expansive on-board wine and spirit list for late-night champagne toasts and celebratory dinners.
Every Silversea suite features a butler, so after a day out on the ice you just might find a steaming hot cup of your favourite tea waiting for you back in your suite, or a warm bath already set up for you to soak in. With Silversea you’re safe in the knowledge your key clients are being pampered to the highest degree.
Silversea provide an all-inclusive expedition meaning, all equipment (expedition parka, backpack, water bottle etc.) is provided for you on-board free of charge.
Your questions answered
When’s the best time to go?
Silversea: we operate our voyages starting towards the middle of November to the beginning of March. Before that and after that there’s hardly anything to see in Antarctica – it’s such an intense short summer season. These days there are quite a few companies out there that will advertise fairly inexpensive voyages to Antarctica in October, or end of March and there’s a reason why these voyages are cheap because you’re really not going to see anything. In fact, you have just about 6 weeks between December and the end of February where all the animals congregate in masses to mate, lay their eggs, the babies have to hatch, fledge grow up and leave the nest. After that you’ve missed your chance to see any of the wildlife.”
What can you expect when you’re there? What does a day in the life look like?
Silversea: once we are there we are very busy, we try and get our guests off the ship as often as possible. That’s what we’re there for. We’re very passionate about Antarctica and we’re very passionate about expedition travel. Therefore it’s not uncommon for us to do a landing in South Georgia at 4am in the morning to go watch the sun rise with half a million King Penguins on the beaches of Salisbury plain or to do a very quick zodiac cruise after dinner to see the Iceberg graveyards or just staying up on deck to see the sun set.
These are experiences which I cannot describe. It’s something you have to experience – being right neck to a humpback whale with her head out of the water and slowly nudging her calf towards the zodiac – there’s something so humbling about that.
What other wildlife can you see?
Silversea: There’s so much wildlife out there from leopard seals, humpback whales to all the different kinds of penguin species that we get to see. Chinstrap, Gentoo and Adélie penguins down in Antarctica. Down in South Georgia - the King Penguins, Macaroni Penguins and the Rockhopper Penguins in the Falklands.
What type of group is it suitable for? Do you have to be fit to go there?
Siversea: You do not have to be in top physical shape to go to Antarctica. It’s one of those misconceptions that to travel to Antarctica you have to be very, very fit. You can do as much as you want or as little as you want. Just by going on the zodiac to the landing site you’ll already have a unique experience or just enjoying the view from your suite. You will never ever be bored. Not for one second.
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