Experience Antarctica your own pace and enjoy all that Mother Nature has held captive from the rest of the world. The Antarctic Odyssey program is designed to offer a smorgasbord of Antarctic experiences in one package, including x-country skiing, hiking, light climbing, snowmachine assisted tours, and camping trips as well as a breathtaking sightseeing flight where you are able to wonder at this vast continent and it’s unending landscape from above.

Today with the support of Adventure Network International you can live and breathe this huge continent - it’s changeable climate, its wondrous sights and have an appreciation of why it has drawn explorers, adventurers and mountaineers to uncover her secrets over the years.

Countries visited

• Antarctic Interior

Places visited

• Punta Arenas
• Patriot Hills

Transportation

Round trip flights from Punta Arenas, Chile to Antarctica and scenic flight in the Ellsworth Range.

Included In Price

• Briefing followed by refreshments in Punta Arenas, Chile one day prior to departure.
• Transfers to and from airport for Antarctic flights.
• Round trip flights from Punta Arenas, Chile to Antarctica and scenic flight in the Ellsworth Range.
• Meals and accommodations while in Antarctica.
• Daily program of activities including guided trekking and snowmachine assisted tours around Patriot Hills.
• Support of field guides and staff physician throughout your journey.
• A Baggage allowance of up to 55lbs (25kg) on Punta Arenas-Patriot Hills flight.

Meals Included

This tour includes 9 meals; 3 breakfasts 3 lunches 3 dinners

Not Included In Price

• Commercial flights to and from Punta Arenas, Chile. Meals and accommodation other than while in Antarctica.
• Airport transfers other than those for Antarctic flights.
• Personal equipment and clothing (polar clothing is available for rent from ANI).
• Additional expenses incurred in Punta Arenas due to delays.
• Any baggage costs over the confirmed program allowance.
• Cost for the use of telephone whilst in Antarctica.
• Insurance Coverage - personal, medical, evacuation, or otherwise.

Day Pre tour: Arrival and preparation in Punta Arenas

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Arrival in Punta Arenas
Arrive in Punta Arenas, Chile 2 days prior to your scheduled departure date for Antarctica and make your own way to your hotel to settle in. Contact ANI staff to arrange a convenient time to meet you and give you information on Punta Arenas and surroundings.

Flight Preparations
The following day is busy with flight preparations. In the morning, you are invited to join us for an Antarctic presentation followed by refreshments. The presentation will include information on your flight south, the current weather situation and what to expect on your arrival in Antarctica. This will be the trip of a lifetime and we want to ensure that you are well prepared to enjoy it to the fullest. There will be time to ask any questions you may have and get to know your fellow travellers.

After the presentation we will agree a time to check your Antarctic clothing to ensure nothing has been inadvertently forgotten, issue you with any rental clothing you have requested, and then collect your checked baggage for loading on to the aircraft ready for departure the following day. Please ensure that your baggage complies with international air transport regulations. No hazardous goods such as fuels may be packed in your checked bags.

You are going to the interior of Antarctica, one of the most difficult places in the world to fly to. Every effort will be made to keep to the scheduled departure date, but please note that all flights are dependent on weather, aircraft serviceability, and local conditions. Days of delay are part of the Antarctic travel experience and should be expected. Our Punta Arenas staff will keep you informed of any schedule changes. Please also note that in exceptional circumstances, if logistics permit and weather is exceptional, we may depart the evening PRIOR to our scheduled departure date.

No two Antarctic adventures are exactly the same. This is part of the magic and excitement of Antarctic travel. The itinerary below is intended to outline general program objectives and highlight typical activities and experiences. Exact timeline, activities, and program details will vary from trip to trip.

Accommodation

Hotel in Punta Arenas (not included)

Meals Included

none

Day 1: Departure for Antarctica

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In the morning, we will call you at your hotel to advise you of current conditions in Antarctica. If the weather is suitable for our flight to Patriot Hills, you will be given just under an hour to prepare before being picked up at your hotel by bus.

At the airport we will pass through security, including x-ray of all hand luggage. As on regular scheduled flights, no sharp objects may be carried on board in your hand luggage or on your person. We then complete immigration formalities and proceed to the aircraft, allowing time for photos before climbing on board. After a safety briefing by the flight crew we will fly south.

The flight time from Punta Arenas to Patriot Hills is approximately 4.5 hours. The initial part of our flight passes over Tierra Del Fuego, or “ Land of Fire”, so named by Portuguese explorer Fernão de Magalhães (Ferdinand Magellan), for the native Yahgan people’s campfires that illuminated its shores. The ocean south of Tierra del Fuego, the Drake Passage, has been notorious throughout modern history for its wild storms, violent winds and heavy seas.

At approximately 60° south we reach the winter limits of frozen seas. This area of ocean is called the Antarctic Convergence and is rich in plankton and other tiny creatures that form the base of the food chain for Antarctica’s rich bird and wildlife colonies. We are now entering the area governed by the Antarctic Treaty.

At 66° south we cross the Antarctic Circle. Along this circle the sun never sets at the austral summer solstice and never rises at the austral winter solstice. Further south Antarctic days and nights lengthen until at the South Pole the sun rises and sets only once a year.

Continuing our flight south and if cloud conditions co-operate, below us we may see tabular icebergs and the ice shelves from which they calve.

Our first sight of the icy continent is Charcot Island close to Alexander Island, at 71° south. These islands lie in the Bellingshausen Sea, west of the Antarctic Peninsula.

The ice sheet continues to stretch inland until in the distance appear the spectacular Ellsworth Mountains, the highest range in Antarctica. We fly south along the Ellsworths to their southernmost extension, the Patriot Hills, where our runway comes into sight. The wheeled aircraft lands on an area of blue ice that is approximately 2600 ft (800 m) above sea level. The blue ice remains clear of snow due to katabatic winds that funnel down from the mountains with great force. On arrival you will be warmly welcomed and directed to our camp approximately 1/2 mile (1 km) away. Transportation is readily available, but most travellers enjoy walking up to camp as it provides an opportunity to stretch their legs and take photos. Be sure to stay away from the active loading zone at the back of the aircraft, as well as off the ice runway.

At camp you will meet our friendly staff who will show you to your accommodation and settle you down to a welcoming meal.

Accommodation

Patriot Hills camp

Meals Included

1 x Lunches
1 x Dinners

Day 2: Orientation to Patriot Hills Camp, Antarctica

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The Antarctic Odyssey group will meet in the morning for an orientation to Patriot Hills. Your guide will brief you on logistics as well as environmental and safety considerations for your stay and you will tour camp to discover the intricacies of daily life in Antarctica. Your guide will let you know the range of activities that are available and will want to hear about your interests in order to tailor the daily program to you. Bring a pen, paper and any questions you may have to the meeting. The afternoon will include optional, easy activities to allow you to settle in and acclimatize to your new environment.

Accommodation

Patriot Hills camp

Meals Included

1 x Breakfasts
1 x Lunches
1 x Dinners

Day 3 - onwards: Exploring Patriot Hills

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During your stay at Patriot Hills you can be as active or as relaxed as you wish, just let us know. Some outside activities are weather dependent but we are accustomed to changes in the weather and so have learned to be flexible and weather resilient. Your guide will organize a daily program of activities, based on group interests and weather conditions. Some of the active pursuits you can enjoy include:

An ascent of the Patriot Hills with panoramic views of the Ellsworth Mountain Range; snow machine assisted tours to the local mountains; excursions to view unusual ice and rock formations nearby; short walking trips across the vast polar landscape; opportunities to learn and practice crosscountry skiing; and navigation lessons.

For those who are interested we will organize an overnight camping trip, so that you can experience first hand the remoteness of this continent and the thoughts and feelings of both early explorers and modern day expeditioners.

Photographers will enjoy the unusual windsculpted snow features, ice pools, dramatic peaks, spectacular open skies and cloud formations, as well as the golden light cast by the midnight sun.

In camp, our experienced staff will share their knowledge of the icy continent, giving talks on diverse themes. You can join the meteorologist for weather observations; learn rope handling skills, track expeditions as they make their way southward; carve snow sculptures, play indoor games and exchange stories with some of the other adventure travellers you meet on your journey. The variety of activities available is only limited by your enthusiasm and imagination. Whatever activities you choose, take time to enjoy the solitude, space and silence that is unique to Antarctica.

Providing conditions allow, we will take a flight by ski equipped aircraft over the spectacular Ellsworth Mountains for about one hour. During the flight, we will pass over vast ice streams and glaciers sweeping out from the mountains and look down on nunatuks – the rocky summits of peaks buried under thousands of feet of ice.

Accommodation

Patriot Hills camp

Meals Included

1 x Breakfasts
1 x Lunches
1 x Dinners

Day Return: Return to Punta Arenas

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Weather permitting, the aircraft from Punta Arenas will arrive in Patriot Hills on the scheduled departure day with a new collection of avid explorers and will take off with your group for the final leg of your Antarctic journey. Once the flight is confirmed, our client service staff in Punta Arenas will make hotel reservations on your behalf.

In Punta Arenas you will be met at the airport by ANI staff who will arrange for transfer to your hotel. We will assist wherever possible with any questions you may have.

Please note that you are travelling to an expedition base camp situated in the interior of Antarctica, the most isolated and windiest continent on earth. Every effort will be made to follow the above itinerary but it is offered subject to change at the discretion of ANI staff based on weather, aircraft serviceability, and local conditions. You will be accommodated and looked after in Patriot Hills during any flight delays to Punta Arenas.

Days of delay are a normal part of Antarctic travel. DO NOT plan anything important for a minimum of two weeks after your scheduled return. Give yourself time to enjoy this unique experience without the stress of pending commitments.

Accommodation

Hotel in Punta Arenas

Meals Included

1 x Breakfasts