Cruises to the Ends of the World
As the globe warms, the world of ice and snow becomes rarer and harder for travelers to find. You literally have to go to the ends of the earth to find them - either pole to be exact. And even in the Antarctic and Arctic, ice caps are melting fast. The time to go is now!
Adventure travel companies are heeding the call and adding newer and more extreme adventures in the Antarctic and in places like Greenland where global warming is changing the topography. Recently, a group of geographers in Greenland mapped out islands that have never been seen before. The melting ice is revealing aspects of the landscape no one ever knew existed.
At either pole, the experience for most travelers is addictive.
"Traveling to Antarctica was like leaving the earth for the first time," says Matt Link, editor-at-large of OutTraveler magazine.
"It's like looking back at the earth in some primordial state. I went kayaking for three days from our expedition ship - gliding past Windex-blue glaciers and leopard seals curiously bobbing their heads, their mouths full of sharp teeth. We had to watch out for the whales that may surface right next to you. The ship itself was a Russian ice breaker, complete with Russian crew. It was surprisingly comfy and roomy, but you got the feeling that the rest of the world outside was a dangerous and fascinating place, to be tred upon very carefully. It's a trip of a lifetime that everyone should attempt - it can change your life."
Mountain Travel Sobek is one well-established adventure travel company that regularly runs Arctic and Antarctic expeditions, like their Baffin Island expedition in the Arctic or "In the Realm of Shackleton" expedition in the Antarctic, offered in conjunction with the expedition's creators, Peregrine Adventures. Shackleton's "realms" include areas of South Georgia and the Falkland Islands associated with the wreck and amazing rescue of the expedition team of British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton just before the First World War.
Up at the top of the world, Norwegian Coastal Voyage is inaugurating a new group of journeys to places like Disko Bay in Greenland. Flights take passengers to Iceland for a day or two of relaxation in Reykjavik, then it's on to Greenland where travelers can spend up to two weeks cruising the coasts and islands of this little known part of the world and learning about the local Inuit culture - one of the world's oldest shamanic traditions. Dog sledding, hiking and helicopter rides are all part of the truly once-in-a-lifetime experience.
As winters become warmer and snow harder to find, more luxury travel firms will likely put pole cruises on their itineraries as the ultimate in rare travel experiences. Prices are bound to go up as demand gets higher. So, like all things of snow and ice, travelers are urged to make plans soon before it all melts away.
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