Set Foot In The Arctic And Antarctic In One Year
Still to do
Stand among the icebergs at both ends of the Earth in the same year.
The adventure
In the summer you're in the high Arctic: walruses hauled out on a beach in Svalbard, glaciers calving into the sea, the sun circling all night and maybe a polar bear on the sea ice. A few months later you're crossing the Drake Passage to the other end of the world.
In Antarctica, gentoo and Adélie penguins waddle past, humpback whales surface between icebergs the size of buildings and the silence is total. Seeing both poles in one year is about contrasts: polar bears in the north and penguins in the south, Arctic tundra with flowers and Antarctic ice with almost nothing alive inland. Few people ever see one of them. Seeing both in a year is a story you'll tell forever.
Why it’s epic
- Polar bears and walruses in the Arctic.
- Penguins and humpback whales in Antarctica.
- Midnight sun at both ends of the world.
What it is
Standing inside both polar circles within 12 months: the Arctic in its summer and Antarctica in the southern summer.
How to do it
Combine an Arctic expedition cruise to Svalbard or Greenland in summer with an Antarctic Peninsula trip from Ushuaia in the southern summer.
Top tip
Pair Svalbard in July with Antarctica the following January or February to keep it within 12 months.
Need to know
- Expedition cruises sell out; book a year ahead.
- The Drake Passage crossing can be rough.
- Expedition insurance with evacuation cover is essential.
Make it happen
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Why it’s on my list
Not done yet. If you’ve done it and have tips, tell me about it.
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