Reach The South Pole
Still to do
Fly into Antarctica and stand at 90 degrees south, where every direction is north and the ice is nearly three kilometres thick.
The adventure
The journey alone is extraordinary. A wheeled jet lands on a runway of blue ice at Union Glacier, and from that camp in the Ellsworth Mountains a ski plane carries you on across the endless white of the polar plateau. When the door opens at the Pole, the air is thin, dry and sharp enough to hurt, often colder than minus 25°C even at the height of summer.
There is the ceremonial pole, a mirrored sphere ringed by the flags of the original Antarctic Treaty nations, and a short walk away the true geographic pole, marked by a brass post that is moved every New Year because the ice sheet beneath it slides about ten metres a year. Stand there and every step you take is north. For the toughest, the last degree is skied, hauling a sledge for over 100 kilometres.
Why it’s epic
- Roald Amundsen's team reached the Pole first, on 14 December 1911, beating Robert Falcon Scott's party by about five weeks.
- The Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station has been occupied all year round since 1956.
- The Pole sits at about 2,835 metres, and the thin polar air makes it feel even higher.
- A new survey marker, designed each year by the station's winter crew, is set in place on 1 January.
What it is
The geographic South Pole sits on the Antarctic plateau at around 2,800 metres.
How to do it
Specialist operators fly from Punta Arenas or Cape Town via camps such as Union Glacier, with optional last-degree ski expeditions.
Top tip
This is one of the most expensive trips on Earth, so start saving early.
Need to know
- Only a handful of specialist operators fly visitors to the Pole, mostly via Union Glacier from Punta Arenas in Chile, between late November and January.
- Flights depend on the weather, so build in spare days at both ends.
- You need good health and proper cold-weather kit; last-degree ski expeditions need serious fitness and training beforehand.
- Insurance must cover deep-field Antarctic travel and evacuation, which many standard policies exclude.
Plan this trip
- Rough cost
- £5,000 or more per person, including flights from the UK
- Time needed
- 1 to 3 weeks
- Best time to go
- December to January
- Fly into
- PUQ airport
Specialist flights and remote camp logistics put this among the costliest trips on Earth, and skiing the last degree costs more.
Make it happen
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Why it’s on my list
90°S
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