An up-and-coming trend in America today for the traveler who’s seen it all involves trekking to exotic locations. Mexico and Monte Carlo have become passe to the American vacation traveler. A majority of well-seasoned vacationers have taken too many cruises of the Caribbean. They are looking for something completely different from the usual. If you’re looking for a truly out-of-the-ordinary vacation experience that will make you the envy of your neighborhood, consider the real “land down under,” Antartica. Visit this site for further information on antarctica cruises.
In this day and age it’s not so hard to travel to the frozen continent. You’ll take a twenty-four hour flight from New York to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, and then you sail for three days. The US Navy presence in Antarctica makes tourists feel protected. The US, and several other countries, has had active bases on Antarctica since 1957. There’s no need to worry if the cruise ship gets caught in the ice or an adventurous tourist tumbles down an icy chasm; the U.S. Navy is always prepared to tackle any emergency, despite rumors that American sailors often groan when they see a tourist boat docking.
What can a person do in Antarctica? Penguins, seabirds, seals and whales abound in Antartica, waiting to have their pictures snapped by vacationers looking for the perfect photos. There is also some spectacular and unique scenery, including a twelve thousand foot active volcano, whose ice cone spews forth picturesque and photogenic white smoke plumes. This sight alone easily trumps other volcanoes as tourist fare.
Who is your typical Antarctic traveler, who can afford $5,000 in travel fare to the continent? In general, it is mostly doctors and scientists. However, your basic tourists — husbands and wives and the like — also make up the growing tourist base. Even Grandmothers take the trip. Travel agency spokespersons claim that the interest in Antarctica has really peaked as of late. He went on to say that the travel to Antarctica has been so improved that almost anyone could enjoy the splendor now, as opposed to the past, when few explorers could actually experience the continent. When you would like to get more information on antarctica trip check out this site.
The spokesperson for the US Navy is quoted as saying that the only restriction placed on tourists wishing to visit Antarctica is that they can meet certain safety standards, can take care of themselves and that they agree to follow the conservation and preservation agreements that have been put in place for the well-being of the Antarctic continent. This worries both the conservationists and the scientists. Their fear is that the ships will disgorge legions of tourists and keepsake seekers to stream over the icecap, upset the penguins, litter and possibly vandalize or steal Antarctica’s historic monuments.
A hut in Camp Royds shows this. The members of a famous expedition wintered-over here and then left it in 1907. There is canned food on the shelves and clothing in the closet, in the exact condition it was in when they left over 100 years ago. Still open on the table lays a copy of a big city European newspaper.
One often sees tourists scrambling up the side of the small promontory to snap photos of the arresting Antartic Mountain Range, an enduring sentinel of the South Pole, 900 miles in the distance. The first explorers and other pioneers were met with flat, crusty ice when they reached the pole. An eight foot tall pole now marks the location of the South Pole. It is painted with orange and blue barber stripes and has a silver reflective ball on the top.
