The southernmost continent on the planet, Antarctica’s most unique landscape is a haven for natural and historic exploration. As it’s the coldest and windiest yet driest continent on Earth with ninety-eight percent ice coverage, it’s a true once-in-a-lifetime destination abundant with surreal landscapes, endemic species, and historical background. Visitors here can uncover the history of how the continent came to be and the array of scientific discoveries in the landscape that have been so important for decades.
To plan the very best Antarctic adventure, here are six must-visit historic sites worth visiting on the continent.
Port Lockroy
On Goudier Island off the Antarctic Peninsula coast, Port Lockroy is a key site for travelers to discover human development history on the continent. Discovered early on in the twentieth century by the French Antarctic Expedition, the bay became a safe harbor base for whalers utilizing the Southern Ocean to process whale oil and store supplies. Since this discovery, the region has been named after a French politician supporting whaling here and has also become a part of one of the first permanent British outposts on the continent. The base continued to have its role until the early nineteen sixties saw its abandonment. However, since the nineteen nineties, the site was restored by the UK’s Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT) and turned into a museum.
Travelers today can visit the museum that the British Trust transformed the site into. Learn the importance of Antarctic discovery for the rest of the world and why preservation efforts are so crucial to protect local wildlife and keep Antarctica’s key characteristics alive. Send postcards back home from the Southernmost post office and learn how this came to be from local experts.
Ross Island
The island of volcanic origin is home to prominent volcanoes and persistent lava lakes. Ross Island was initially found by a British explorer. James Ross’ team conducted a crucial exploration of Antarctica, including various geological and geography research on the island. Since then, the scientific importance of the island and the preservation efforts needed have only continued to rise. Now owned by New Zealand, Scott Base has become critical in Antarctic research and discovery since the late nineteen fifties and the whole landscape is under the Antarctic Treaty System of Protection.
While this ultimately limits the volume of tourism that can occur, visitors can still obtain exploration via the varied routes available with exclusive luxury cruises to Antarctica. Marvel at the southernmost volcano on the island, Mount Erebus, which has been an exclusive spot for study since the early twentieth century. There are several memorials to commemorate the sacrifices of early Antarctic explorers. which include monuments to those who have lost their lives in Antarctic expeditions. A cruise around the Ross Sea allows you to marvel at the natural wonders and soak in the history.
Mawson’s Huts
Located on the Commonwealth Bay of Antarctica, Mawson’s Huts are a group of historic buildings constructed during the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, serving as a base of operations for scientific research and exploration. Despite abandonment after the expedition, the late twentieth century saw regeneration efforts begin. The Mawson’s Huts Foundation has worked to conserve the huts and prevent further environmental damage and decay, and they now sit under the Antarctic Treaty System.
Travelers can get a glimpse into the early history of Antarctic exploration and connection to the rest of the world. The central ‘Main Hut’ even allows tours inside where visitors can see the living quarters, kitchen, and workshops where explorers stayed during expeditions. With the furniture, scientific equipment, and personal items, a trip here allows tourists to step back in time and connect to the lives of explorers.
Deception Island
Within the South Shetland Islands off the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, Deception Island is one of the most historic and geologically marvelous places in the whole of the Antarctic. En route to the Peninsular itself, head on exciting Antarctica vacations to the isles where huge colonies of chinstrap penguins call home.
The natural harbor phenomenon is formed thanks to the caldera of an active volcano site. The freezing waters meet the hot sands of volcanic hot springs. The most adventurous history buffs can even take a dip! See the remnants of old whaling stations and learn about the industrial past and the importance of the island during the World Wars.
The South Pole
A true bucket-list attraction, the South Pole is one only a handful of travelers can say they’ve been able to tick off. The southernmost point on Earth stands over the Antarctic Ice Sheet at an elevation of over nine thousand feet. It’s challenging yet truly rewarding to get to, through some of the harshest conditions on the planet, and the point displays a memorable plaque to honor one of the most memorable stories in history.
Explorers Amundsen and Scott raced to be the first men to reach the point and the legacy remains poignant and still influences Antarctic exploration today. Since the race, numerous stations of scientific research have been annually upgraded to reach the state-of-the-art condition it stands in today. In a range of sciences, this remains a critical point for the Antarctic Treaty and for scientists and historians alike, from around the world.
Elephant Island
Another of the South Shetland Islands, Elephant Island, is fully ice-covered and stands largely isolated, in the Southern Ocean. It’s infamous in history for its role in the story of survival during Ernest Shackleton’s Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition.
Today, cruising visitors can see where Shackleton’s men managed to take refuge on the island and also appreciate the dramatic beauty of the ice mass. From penguins and seals to an array of seabirds, the island is a key place for wildlife observation in such a remote setting too.
Summary
Alpine enthusiasts can embark on unforgettable trips across the Antarctic landscape. Home to an array of monuments and lands full of stories and history, the continent is the place for the most unworldly historical exploration.