The spectacular beauty and intense brutality of Antarctica is unparalleled. Man’s wars have never bloodied this very continent. Yet on this continent, bigger than Europe and America combined, more men have died violent deaths than natural, for its perpetual cold renders it almost germ free. This white continent today has also achieved the title of being a contrast ridden land, fusing people of extremely different and antagonistic political faiths to create a concert of harmony, not worried about the risk of their blood freezing in seconds, for they are amazingly able to keep warm while staying 100 below zero temperatures.

This frozen continent has become famous, too, among those with hearty appetites as its biting cold devours calories faster than any forms of diet such that people here don’t gain weight no matter how much they eat.Such is also the continent known to be the home of an extraordinary affliction of mass insomnia called the big eye, due mainly to the never ceasing daylight of the summer season, where more residents can rarely sleep due to the sunshine glaring at the people at 3 in the morning. Further resources about affordable antarctica tours are located there.

The strictest environmental laws are found in Antarctica.Regulations are so stringent that field parties of scientists need to be only in sealed barrels and burn their feces at once.Special licenses are now required to kill the animal life that was slaughtered a century ago by the whalers and sealers. We can thank the Americans who keep spending around 45 million dollars every year through the National Science Foundation to get into the matters of science from the evolution of mesozoic and cenozoic depositional basins of the northern Antarctic Peninsula and the South Orkney Islands, the origin of ice crystals in polar precipitaions as well as the ecological adaptation of pygoscelid penguins.

From November to mid February, a steady flow of women are coming to the work stations and this very apparent in the place called Vostok, located in close proximity to the geomagnetic pole. But as the Navy brass swears that no lady will ever spend wintertime in this continent, no female from the navy has ever really stayed there come winter. But more females should be included in the wintering-over parties especially in McMurdo and the South Pole, which is 728 miles farther South so the Pentagon is feeling pressure in carrying out this mission.

We really have no objection to the idea, explained one senior naval officer, except for one problem. Would you happen to have an idea on how the spouses of the men assigned here react, upon learning the possibility of other ladies spending time with their husbands during the longest night on Earth, so that for wintering over duties, we can green light the ladies already.A deeper insight relating to antarctica vacations is found there.

The main difference between the Arctic and the Antarctic is its wildlife, for the Arctic has a teeming bird life, a vast population of furred animals ranging from the Arctic hare to polar bears, countless caribou herds while the Antarctic, on the other hand, is mainly devoid of life except maybe for the seals which are only sometimes residents at this area, and the only fur bearing animals. Penguins which are contrary to nature are the biggest known bird population, who cannot sing not fly but are amazingly able to hatch and lay their young in the dead of winter and even during the coldest time of the year in Antarctica.

Throughout the world, no marine life is as rich as what this desolate land has. These hunters were drawn by the immense number of seals and whales in the White Continent. They came not for the scenery. Oil from whales and skin of seals is what drove them here and what caused New England to become very wealthy. Not too many know that among them was a sealer captain named Nathaniel Brown Palmer who is given credit for locating the Antarctic Peninsula by having this land, in 1920, named after him.

In these waters live an estimated 1 and a half billion metric tons of a four inch long crustacean called krill which nutritionists say is the world’s largest source of protein. The continental shelf’s waters which amasses all four seas and more, trawlers hunting from the bottoms of such can give in more protein in one year than what is currently being harvested every year by all the fishermen on Earth.

The immense krill population, according to most ichthyologists, is due to the greed and the butchery of the many sealers and whalers today. The slaughter of the baleen whales along with the krill-eating seals may have allowed the krill population to increase by the billions following the near elimination of their biggest enemies.

An ever-increasing enterprise in the U.S., is arranging vacations to off the beaten path places, for disenchanted travelers. For a growing proportion of travelers, the usual trips south of the border or to Europe are no longer attractive. Even the sparkling Caribbean waters and lush, green isles make these experienced explorers yawn.So they are seeking a vacation trip which is more unusual and inspiring. The trips that are the most off the beaten path are those to Antarctica.

The travel itself is actually not as hard as you might think. You need several days’ travel time — a day-long plane trip from New York followed by a three-day boat trip from the tip of South America, embarking from the small port of Ushuala. You will feel confident and secure, while in Antarctica, thanks to the United States Navy’s occupation here. The U.S. naval base is one of a number established in the Antarctic by various nations starting in the late 1950s. While the sailors of the US navy may have misgivings about the growth of Antarctic tourism is can be quite reassuring to know that they are there should a traveler fall into a crevasse in the ice or if a tour ship becomes icebound. Detailed adventure antarctica tours resources can be found there.

What does Antarctica offer visitors? Antarctica offers wonderful photography and wildlife study opportunities. You?ll see whales, penguins, seals and many sea birds. Visit an active volcano and see the smoke escape the 12,000 foot ice cone. This is better than two other well-known volcanoes, hands down.

Who wants to pay up to $5,000 for travel fares to Antarctica? In general, it is mostly doctors and scientists. They are accompanied by regular married folks as well. There have even been a few adventurous grandmothers on some trips. Those in the know say that Antarctica is becoming more interesting to more tourists. Experiencing the continent is now possible for almost anyone, he went on to say, as opposed to times past, when only a few brave and daring explorers could actually see the continent.

According to a U.S. Navy representative,Navy is quoted as saying that the only restriction placed on tourists wishing to visit Antarctica is that they can meet certain safety standards, can take care of themselves and that they agree to follow the conservation and preservation agreements that have been put in place for the well-being of the Antarctic continent. Conservationists and scientists alike are particularly concerned about the negative impact tourism may have on this pristine environment.They see worst-case scenarios where tourists leave trash and bug the wildlife. They see crass visitors who could deface the national monuments and destroy the history. Expert resources on antarctica vacations are located on that site.

among these historic places is a the hut at Cape Royds that was the 1907 winter home of one famous explorer and his group which remains just as it was left by them. There are still canned goods in fine shape on the shelves, clothing hanging in the closets and portraits of Queen Alexandra and King Edward VII hanging on the walls. An open edition of a notable European city newspaper can yet be found on the table.

Tourists climb a small hill to take better photos of the Antarctic Mountains, the keepers of the South Pole. They are 900 miles away, but can be clearly seen. Early explorers who reached the south pole were greeted by miles of trackless icy crust. Today you will find a shiny silver ball, atop an eight foot tall pole striped in blue and orange, which truly is a South Pole.

If you want to be in hundred-degree weather in the middle of summer, you go two places - Dallas, Texas, or the South Pole.Granted, at the South Pole the 100 degrees is below zero.This means you could freeze your skin off in mere seconds.

Even with these conditions, twenty-eight people commit six months to living at the South Pole. They have to deal with no sunlight, very little contact with the world, and no way to escape.These people are responsible for maintaining the U.S. polar base and to operate telescopes and other types of scientific equipment at the research station.As communications and technology see advancements, their job is changing.

In the past, astronomers located in North America used satellites to operate the telescope at the South Pole observatory.This was the first time a South Pole telescope was controlled from a warmer continent.Astronomers are wishing that someday they will have the ability of observing the universe from the South Pole while being physically located in a warm office somewhere else.Antarctic Cruising Tours

But the crew at the South Pole will experience the coldest, driest and windiest weather to be found on the planet.Its elevation is the highest of the continents, making breathing sometimes difficult.Therefore, only plants and animals that have adapted to the cold can survive there, such as various algaes, tundra vegetation, seals, and penguins.

Those who accept the risk of working during the Antarctic winter are called “winter-overs.”For entertainment, they have to rely on a large variety of videos, a small exercise room, a pool table, great food, and traditions.Normally, winter-overs do not speak much about what occurs during their winter months of isolation at the South Pole, from February to October.antarctic tours

Due to the huge growth of the research program at the South Pole, there are still continuous problems with insufficient electrical power.The station has three oil-burning generators but they have not been able to generate enough power to stay abreast of the increasing demands of computers, telescopes, lasers and other power intensive devices.Winter-overs have to deal with the power outages that occur as a result of this, which doesn’t help the cold.

Several traditions have been developed to help the crew better endure their assignment.One is the “300 Club”, which requires a day when the outside temperature will be at least 100 degrees below zero.This is when winter-overs get the sauna temperatures up to 200 degrees.Then the run from the 200 degree sauna, out into the dangerous 100 degree air, and then back into the steaming water.

Winter-overs also look forward to airdrops.In June, a National Guard plane from the U.S. military flies over the South Pole, bringing welcome supplies, food, and mail.The winter-overs quickly go outside, utilize heavy equipment, and bring the supplies inside.This is the closest winter-overs are able to come to physical contact with the outside world during the six month winter.

During their stay in Antarctica, they will not travel over a mile from the pole or even see a tree.Each crew member gets a one week vacation to the United States’ main Antarctic base, McMurdo Station.There, the weather’s only 25 degrees, and they’re able to wear less restrictive and heavy clothing, giving them a peaceful respite from their troubles.