Top 5 Reasons to Fly to the South Pole

1. Explore the ends of the Earth

Engage your spirit of adventure and explore the most remote, least travelled continent on earth. Antarctica is a stunningly beautiful, fiercely hostile, immense and untamed wilderness, and the South Pole lies at the heart of it, 2,500 miles (4,000 km) from the nearest continent. Only about 50 visitors fly to the South Pole with ALE each year, less than summit Everest, or sail to the North Pole.

2. Experience authentic, transformative travel

This is REAL adventure travel, in a natural and untamed setting, with raw, authentic experiences that challenge you to step outside your comfort zone and experience life to its fullest. Experience the thrill and sense of rejuvenation of leaving behind day-to-day routine, to take on and overcome challenges in an unfamiliar environment. It can be truly transformative.

3. Walk in the footsteps of heroic explorers &
Rub elbows with modern-day adventurers

The South Pole, the ‘last great geographical prize’, was first achieved just over 100 years ago. The epic race between Roald Amundsen and Robert Falcon Scott is a gripping tale of skill and daring, triumph and tragedy. There is something profound about standing at 90° South, where those heroic explorers once stood, experiencing the world the way that they did, contemplating their ambitions, their challenges, and their relationship to this place.

ALE’s Union Glacier Camp is a crossroads for modern-day explorers, adventurers and scientists. The relaxed atmosphere makes it easy to meet and share stories with like-minded adventurers from around the world and you never know who you might meet. Our staff and guests have included polar record holders, Everest guides, world renowned mountaineers, leading-edge climate change scientists, astronauts, presidents and world leaders.

4. Get back to basics

The Antarctic is one of the few places on earth where you can get unplugged and get back to basics: good food, good company, genuine experiences, awe inspiring surroundings and bucket-list destinations.

There is no cell phone or internet service and only one satellite network operates this far south. So you can immerse yourself in your experience without checking voicemail or replying to emails from Bob in accounting. (We do have an Iridium phone at Union Glacier Camp if you really want to call home – but you don’t have to tell Bob that.)

5. Re-awaken your senses

Antarctica is other-worldly. It challenges conventional ideas about space, time and direction, forcing visitors to look at the world through fresh eyes. In the words of one guest,  “You’re just this little speck on this vast continent, and you have a sense of vastness and isolation…For people like me, that’s exciting.” The sun circles the sky 24-hours a day, time zones are chosen for convenience and schedules respond to natural forces, leaving you to play with time, or forget about it entirely. Even words like north and south become unreliable at the South Pole, where every direction is north, there is no south, and in a few steps you can walk around the world. Best of all, when you return home the night’s darkness, a warm breeze and the lush green of plants feel surprising and new.