Expedition team embarks on the 25th Antarctic expedition

China's 25th Antarctic Expedition set off on a six-month scientific research mission from the port of Shanghai. During this period, team members will build China's first research station on Dome A, the highest point on the Antarctic Inland. This accomplishment will signify that the Antarctic expedition of China achieved the leapfrog development from the rim of the Antarctic continent to the key areas of the interior.

On the morning of October 20th, a short and warm farewell ceremony was held at the domestic base of Arctic and Antarctic expeditions in Pudong and 204 members of the expedition team boarded the vessel, Snow Dragon, to embark on the 25th Antarctic expedition.

According to sources, the expedition team is the largest one since China started its first Antarctic expeditions in 1984. The major task is to build Kunlun, the first inland scientific research station, on Dome A, the highest point on the Antarctic inland icecap. This is the third Chinese Antarctic research station after two previous installments named The Great Wall and Zhongshan.

Yang Huigen, chief scientist and captain of the 25th Antarctic expedition of China, said, "We will carry out scientific exploration of the deep ice core at the newly-built base, focusing on recovering meteorological evidence of the earth's history from 700,000 years ago. We believe we will find high-resolution records of the planet dating back one million years."

Find out more about the Antarctica, the great White Continent, and Discover the World's expedition voyages at www.discover-the-world.co.uk/antarctica/

Live Earth Antarctica - Debut from Nunatak

With Live Earth set to storm the musical world this weekend, Nicola- our Polar voyage manager - has taken a sneaky peak at what they have planned for Antarctica. 

Whilst the world's most famous entertainers including Shakira, Duran Duran, The Police will be playing to huge crowds on all seven continents....the band of the moment on the world's most remote, windiest and coldest stage will be none other than the British Antarctic Survey's own Nunatak (aka a group of musical scientists at Rothera Research Station).  You can see them rehearsing for their gig by clicking here on YouTube. They have a lively crowd of 17 to play too in their international debut!

In probably the most unique arena of any of the planned shows, the concert will kick off in temperatures of around 10 degrees C below zero on a stage at Rothera Station's airstrip.  Check out more info on our Antarctica blog - www.antarcticblog.com

Tourism in Antarctica - Discover the World's stance

Nicola Rickett, our Antarctic product manager, has put 'pen to paper' to ouline our stance on Antarctic tourism and how operators such as Discover the World can, without doubt, play their part in the fight to keep this pristine continent exactly that, negating the wider scale problems faced by Antarctica in the face of increased tourism demand.

It's all about making the right choices.

For further insights please visit www.antarcticblog.com or for the specific post please click here

Thanks
Alexis

Antarctica & Latin America extensions - Chile, Patagonia, Argentina, Buenos Aires and more

Here are a few story angles for consideration relating to our Antarctica & Latin America programme. If something inspires and you need some costs or even images then do let me know (01737 214 294).

Tango with the penguins

The Hotel Mansión Dandi Royal in Buenos Aires is very special. Over 100 years old, this themed residence is unique in its artistic presentation of the Tango ambience, built to the eclectic architectural style and filled with art nouveaux pieces, where all public spaces and its 30 rooms are decorated with murals portraying tango scenes and original objets d’art .

It is also home to an “academia del Tango”, a Tango dance school, where accomplished and well known argentine Tango dancers will introduce clients to the fine art of Tango. Later in the evening, a “salon de Tango”, a typical Tango ballroom, with its original 1925 wooden floors will help take you back to the golden times of the  Tango.

With distinctive Tango rhythms running through your head helping you through the Drake Passage’s anger, you’ll then complete a trip of a lifetime by visiting the great white continent and its stunningly silent peninsula on a 12 day Classic Antarctica voyage.

You’ll need a week off just to settle back into the circadian rhythms of UK life!

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Buenos Aires, Iguazu falls and the great white continent
Superb contrasts throughout promise for an incredible experience!

If the thought of sitting for too many painful hours on the flight to the southernmost town in the world (Ushuaia – the embarkation point of most of our voyages), then to split the journey is a must.

Not only will you save your num bum, you will also experience a Latin American capital like no other – fashionable, trendy and sophisticated. As the home of Tango, what else would you expect from Buenos Aires?!

Drinking up the culture and vibrancy of the city then totally contrasts with your next visit. Immersed within sub-tropical rainforest, the Iguazu falls are located just 1.5hrs by plane from Buenos Aires and remain one of the most spectacular in the world. An average of 1,750 cubic metres per second across 275 separate falls plunges down across a face of almost 3 kms.  Wildlife galore awaits, as well as stunning flowers & forna which all makes for an incredible experience.

Onwards then to the place where nothing sub-tropical exists…the land of penguins, more penguins, even more penguins oh…ice and mountains too (and some other wildlife of course!).

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The ultimate in getaway – Torres Del Paine & Antarctica

If wilderness, seclusion and nature are top of your list then combining an Antarctic voyage with a visit to the Torres Del Paine national park in Patagonia is likely to fit the bill in abundance.

The Eco Camp Las Torres is a deluxe camp of a kind never seen before in Chile. The camp itself is set up each year in September and dismantled in May and is ‘sold’ on its minimal environmental impact through the efficient management of resources including encouraging guests to participate in conservation by minimising water & limited solar energy usage as well as employing composting toilets, amongst other measures.

With hiking opportunities and natural wonders abound, Patagonia remains a stunningly remote region of the world that, when combined with an even more remote destination such as Antarctica, will truly leave you flabbergasted and prompt your re-location plans!

Sarpik Ittuk - inaugural Antarctica voyage

With a long awaited inaugural voyage to the Antarctic Peninsula now over, Quark Expeditions' Sales & Client Services executive Dale Woods reports back about how the new vessel - Sarpik Ittuk - performed. Here's his account:

THE DRAKE PASSAGE
The first question everyone has asked on my return has been, "What was she like in the Drake Passage?"  I can say with complete confidence that the new ship handles as well as any ship in our fleet!

I admit that a Force 9 gale, with winds of more than 40 knots, was more of a test than I had anticipated. But it means that I can tell you without reservation that she is an excellent ship, and a welcome addition to our fleet.

How many knots can she do crossing the Drake? 10! That's right . In a Force 9 gale she was able to maintain 10 knots. She can do the crossing in the required amount of time, quite handily. 

THERE ARE MANY OTHER ADVANTAGES TO SARPIK ITTUK
Getting in and out of Zodiacs was simple. You take only 3 steps and you are in the landing craft. The picture to the right shows the gangway lowered and ready for a the boat to run alongside.

The ship has powerful bow and stern thrusters, which made maneuvering in narrow channels and bays very easy.

The vessel's shallow draft - the amount of ship below the waterline - is another advantage when sailing the Peninsula. The ship can be positioned closer to shore, shortening the transfer times during landings.

The Panorama Lounge affords wonderful views of the passing scenery. I enjoyed relaxing in the lounge after a landing, while trading stories about what we had seen. We held the recap sessions in  the Lounge, which converts easily to a presentation room with all the latest audio-visual equipment.

We always had the option of strolling the ample exterior decks, if we wanted a breath of fresh air. They are perfect places for taking pictures of icebergs and wildlife in the water.

Something else that I think your passengers will appreciate is being able to look out the cabin window while lying in bed. That was a comfortable way to watch the sunrise at 2:30 in the morning!



Discover the World offer a number of small-vessel voyages to the stunning Antarctic Peninsula, including voyages aboard the Sarpik Ittuk through 'till February 2008. Please visit our website - www.discover-the-world.co.uk/antarctica - for more information or call/email me on 01737 3663 94 / alexis@discover-the-world.co.uk for some great images. Voyage prices start from £2,137 per person excluding flights which are available through Discover the World from approximately £900.

Thanks.
Alexis

Planet Earth Ice Worlds - Antarctica & the Arctic

The BBC's Planet Earth series kicked off on BBC1 at 9pm yesterday (Sunday 5 November).

Stunning photography combined with insights into the wildlife of the regions not only made for great viewing, it also perfectly reflected our Polar offerings (always nice!!).

So...whether it's polar bears in Canada or Spitsbergen or Humpback whales in Iceland, Antarctica or even Alaska, we offer a great selection of holidays for the wildlife enthusiast or anyone looking for a unique holiday experience.

If you feel that your readership or that of a publication you are writing for would be interested in such unique regions and holidays then do let me know (01737 214 294 / alexis@discovertheworld.co.uk) as I can send through plenty of great images (& information) that will only give a feature more impact. 

Thanks
Alexis

Top tips on surviving Drake passage

With the start of the Antarctic season creeping up, chances are many peoples' thoughts are slowly turning to the dreaded Drake Passage, arguably the roughest stretch of water in the world.  The Drake Passage is located between the most common point of embarkation for Antarctic voyages in South America (Ushuaia) and the white continent itself.  It is the place where not only are there high and strong winds that blow most of the time, but where the "Circumpolar Current" is squeezed through its narrowest gap. This is a Westerly flowing current that flows around Antarctica powered by Antarctic winds. It flows at the rate of around 140 million cubic metres (tonnes) of water per second, or the equivalent of 5000 Amazon rivers!

To reach the Antarctic peninsula it is necessary to traverse this stretch of water at right angles to the current flow. The result is often very rough seas indeed although sometimes it can be surprisingly calm.  Being prepared for the worst and anything else is a bonus and for a lifetime of memories it's worth plucking up the courage, and take heed of some handy tips we'd like to share:

Gingernut biscuits - or indeed any kind of ginger (tea, sweets, crystalised variety).  Ginger is great for settling a queasy stomach, and good for sharing with fellow passengers who don't have them in their own country - an great icebreaker (excuse the pun) and conversation-starter!

Get to bed in good time, Chances are that you'll be high on adrenaline, but if you can be asleep for when you hit the Drake then it's amazing how the body adjusts (without you knowing it!). Most passengers do tend to get their sealegs after the first 24 hours.

Sit up on the bridge, and keep your eye on the horizon - this helps combat sickness.

Stay hydrated and do eat (even though you may not feel like it) - you'll feel better with something in your stomach.

Visit your doctor/GP before you leave - they may have access to stronger medication than across the counter. Your doctor onboard will also be able to offer other medication.

Mind you, what's at the end is ultimately worth it, and we promise that one will never regret it!   Any other handy tips/hints from those proud to have survived the Drake are most welcome....!

thanks. Alexis

Discover Antarctica website gains recognition at Guardian/Observer Travel Awards

Well done Discover the World!  It is great to hear that the website discover-antarctica.co.uk was highly commended for category 'Best Travel Website of the Year' at the Guardian/Observer Travel Awards ceremony held in Cape Town.  Favourite long-haul destination voted by readers was New Zealand and Best European Destination was Sweden - both destinations that we specialise in.

Please visit our website - www.discover-the-world.co.uk - for more destination details and you can check out the full list of winners by clicking here...

East Antarctica Voyage - unique and adventurous

Our East Antarctica Voyage visits various areas of the continent from New Zealand, including those of the Ross Sea and the areas home to some lesser-known Antarctic huts such as (Doug) Mawson's hut and Dumont D'Urville's hut. You'll even visit Terra Adelie where 'March of the Penguins' was filmed.

This is a great opportunity to visit Antarctica's less accessible areas but also remains the perfect trip for anyone who has already visited the Peninsula but can't resist a look at the 'other side'!

Please visit out Antarctic blog - www.antarcticblog.com - to view more details or if you need prices, information and images, then call me on 01737 214 294.

The Queen approves New Zealand Antarctic medal

New Zealanders and other nationals who have made an outstanding contribution to Antarctica could be in line to receive a New Zealand-specific medal, equivalent to the Queen's Service Medal.

With its first recipients to be announced in the 2007 New Year's Honours List, the Queen has approved this medal (equivalent to the British Polar Medal) for New Zealand and other nationals involved in the NZ Antarctic programme who have made a significant contribution to the protection and knowledge of Antarctica.

As award-winning New Zealand news and information website www.stuff.co.nz reports, the "...medal could be awarded to New Zealanders and others who...have made an outstanding contribution to either exploration, scientific research, conservation, environmental protection or knowledge of the Antarctic region"

Please visit the British Antarctic Survey website for a history of the prestigious British Polar Medal medal, instituted in 1904 for members of Captain Scott's first expedition to the Antarctic aboard Discovery.

Please also visit our dedicated Antarctic Voyages website, which includes details of all our small-vessel explorations of the great white continent, upon which Scott and his men undertook one of the greatest - if not the - greatest 'earthly' journeys known to man.

For your chance to visit the historical places that Scott and his fellow explorers first discovered, our Great Explorers' Voyage (departs 12th December 2006) is the perfect option and is the last of its kind planned, at least until 2008 (and even this is not guaranteed due to ice breaker availability). You will visit Cape Evans (Scott's 'Hut Point'), Shackleton's hut at Cape Royds and even attempt the 'farthest south by ship' record by visiting the Bay of Whales, where Amundsen was based for his successful south pole expedition.

With the upcoming International Polar Year 2007/2008, Polar education is once again on the agenda and this initiative will be fundamental in helping today's world community to better understand just how much the cold ends of the sphere we all live on really do influence us. If you need further details on our educational small-vessel expeditions then please call me or visit our Antarctic Voyages website.

Thanks. Alexis - 01737 214 294