When it comes to deep Antarctica travel, the Explorations Company has pedigree. We have successfully organised and delivered projects ranging from a western Antarctic crossing for a private client following in the footsteps of Sir Edmund Hillary’s Commonwealth Transantarctic Expedition to Royal Enfield’s groundbreaking South Pole expedition–over two years in the planning and completed despite the significant challenges of Covid.
Together with our trusted partners Arctic Trucks, we are thrilled to bring you an opportunity to participate in a full East-to-West Transantarctic Crossing. The month-long expedition is operated in conjunction with the demands of scientific teams working in Antarctica, and in fact, supports their work. It can only be done during the short Antarctic summer, from mid-November to the end of January. Designed for up to six participants, it is open to anyone with a sense of adventure and reasonable fitness.
"Along the way, there will be opportunities to set foot where no human has ever gone before and include activities from your own personal wish list."
Flying out from Cape Town to the blue-ice airstrip at Novo, you’ll be met by the team and equipped with specialist winter clothing that will allow you to withstand the low temperatures which, even in summer, can drop to minus 40 degrees on the Antarctic Plateau. The route officially begins at the Nivlisen ice shelf on the very edge of eastern continental Antarctica and climbs up through the magnificent Humboldt Mountains to the Antarctic plateau and on to the South Pole.
You’ll have a chance to celebrate your achievement of reaching the Bottom of the World before striking out for western Antarctica, gradually descending to the Thiels Mountains–the first bare rock you’ll see since arriving on the plateau–and continuing down to the expedition’s official end, Ronne ice shelf at the foot of the Antarctic Peninsula. You will then drive to Union Glacier Camp in the Ellsworth Mountains to enjoy hot showers and the first outside company in weeks before flying home via Punta Arenas in Chile.
The crossing will be made in a convoy of two or three ultra-low-emission vehicles modified for travel across Antarctic terrain. Everyone taking part in the crossing is welcome to share the driving, a unique experience that requires a specific set of skills. If you wish, we can help you become familiar with the vehicles by arranging a short pre-expedition trip to the glaciers of Iceland.
Throughout the expedition, you will be surrounded by stunning vistas and immersed in rich history. Along the way, there will be opportunities to set foot where no human has ever gone before and include activities from your own personal wish list such as skiing, mountain trekking and man-hauling a pulk for the last degree to the Pole. At all times, you’ll be looked after by a superb and vastly experienced team whose safety-first policy is paramount throughout its operations.
This is undoubtedly an undertaking that will separate you from the crowd. While most visitors to Antarctica are content to nibble away at the edges from the comfort of a cruise ship, you will get to join a very select band who have travelled through the deep interior of the White Continent. It offers something almost impossible to find elsewhere today – authentic exploration among the planet’s last true wilderness.
