Journey to the Edge of the World
Whether you are an expert traveller with only a few places that you have not seen yet, or just looking to tick something off your bucket list, Execujet and White Desert now offer adventurers the opportunity to visit one of the few last frontiers left on Earth. Combining their strengths to bring this truly unique travel destination to an exclusive market, Execujet and White Desert will help you set foot on Antarctica and experience a genuinely new horizon. The partnership offers Antarctic explorers the opportunity to pay a one-, four- or eight-day extended visit to the Antarctic, taking in the unspoilt scenery in a way that few travellers have done before.
Getting There
With a global fleet of 160 aircraft and 42 bases around the globe, Execujet’s Antarctica packages start in Cape Town, home to award-winning vineyards and stunning ocean vistas and often tipped as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Here, White Desert hosts a safety briefing on the day before your flight out. Staff will explain all kit requirements, assist with lastminute preparations, and update travellers on the latest weather conditions in Antarctica. The five-hour flight to Antarctica crosses thousands of icebergs, spread across the Southern Ocean. Halfway into the flight, the jet crosses the border of the polar circle and 24 hours of continuous daylight, eventually landing on a special runway surrounded by the Wolf ’s Fang mountain range.
Greatest Day
Known as the “Greatest Day” package, explorers who are short on time can enjoy a one-day breakaway to the majestic landscape of the Antarctic. On the big day, a fivehour flight will show you the breath-taking scenery, and kilometre-high rock cliffs that rise vertically from the ice ¬¬– it is a landscape that is one of the most unforgettable on the planet.
Escorted by polar guides from the jet to the nearby Nunatak, a small mountain of rock protruding from the ice, explorers take an easy walk to the top, where a champagne picnic in one of the planet’s remotest destinations awaits you.
Ice & Mountains
If your inner adventurer demands to see more of the earth’s southern pole, the “Ice & Mountains” package may be the one for you. The four-day trip takes in the dramatic Wolf’s Fang peak and then meanders down to a luxury camp at the bottom of a 60-m icefall.
On day one, you will explore the extraordinary Drygalski Mountains that sit only a few kilometres away. In the evening, a 25-minute flight in a DC3 Basler will take you to the luxury Whichaway Camp.
Whichaway offers an exclusive base from where to explore the different regions near the camp. There are six state-of-theart heated sleeping pods that have been designed for two people, and offer a 36 m2 living space complete with a writing desk and en-suite washing facilities. The rest of Whichaway Camp comprises of a shower pod and kitchen, and three centralised pods that make up the reception, lounge, and dining areas. Designed to withstand the harshest weather conditions on the outside, interiors in this high-tech camp reflect an old-world feel, featuring rich textures and sumptuous finishes. Here you can enjoy meals and local delicacies prepared by the camp’s awardwinning chef.
Emperors & South Pole
The ultimate Antarctic experience begins at Wolf’s Fang and on to Whichaway luxury camp, where one can do as much, or as little as you desire each day. Activities range from
gently trekking to the incredible ice waves, to kite skiing, ice climbing, and even abseiling. A two-hour additional flight will take you across the polar plateau to the colony of Emperor penguins where you’ll meet the real-life stars of March of the Penguins. While spectacular, the movie cannot convey the breath-taking experience of seeing this very special colony in their natural habitat. Over 6,000 penguins and their chicks are as yet unafraid of humans, and so are willing to venture within metres of you as you experience the noise and commotion of this great wildlife event.
Another highlight is to visit the South Pole itself. To this day it remains a place that few people have ever visited. After a sevenhour flight to the lowest point on Earth, you will land on the polar plateau, where you will have the opportunity to walk around this vast, foreboding landscape. After refuelling, the journey continues onward to the South Pole, landing at the Amundsen Scott South Pole Station. At the designated marker you will have finally arrived at the lowest point on the planet, where you will be able to walk around the Pole in just a few steps, at a place where there is no more east, west, or south, only north.
On day six of the expedition, the flight back to Whichaway Camp offers another opportunity to take in the immensity of this place, before returning to camp where a sumptuous three-course dinner – and a glass of bubbly – await you to celebrate your achievement.
Your Antarctic adventure may be drawing to an end, but there is no going back to the hustle and heat of Africa before a final day of kite-skiing, or an abseil experience down the Nunatak Mountain. Should you prefer to take it slightly more relaxed, experienced polar staff offer guided walks and talks about some of the lesser-known areas and the history of Antarctica, and the record-breaking expeditions that have been undertaken there.
The flight out of Antarctica will be the last of your unforgettable Antarctic memories, but the celebration isn’t over just yet. Before you depart the Wolf’s Fang runway, a farewell champagne send-off salutes your remarkable trip to the last great wilderness on Earth.