Antarctica: A Journey to the Seventh Continent

Some trips change the way you see the world. Others change the way you see your place in it. My journey to Antarctica with Quark Expeditions did both. And what made it even more special was sharing the experience with my dad.

Growing up, our living room was often filled with David Attenborough’s voice - Frozen Planet, Blue Planet, Planet Earth, all of it. We’d sit in the living room as a family captivated by the world’s most fascinating places and animals, dreaming about the day we might actually see them for ourselves. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to see much of the world’s beauty in my adult years, but this was the trip that made that dream feel real.

The Journey Begins

Our adventure started in Buenos Aires, where I met my dad who flew in from England. After a night in a hotel to freshen up and meet fellow guests, we boarded a charter flight to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world where Ultramarine, Quark Expeditions’ next-generation polar vessel, waited for us at the pier.

Seeing the ship for the first time we knew we were in the right hands. Ultramarine is sleek, powerful, and built for the polar regions.

Life Aboard Ultramarine

Ultramarine became our floating home for the next 12 days, and it didn’t take long before we fell into a comfortable rhythm of exploring, learning, and just staring out at the endless horizon. On sea days, the spa became my sanctuary, warm, quiet, and framed by giant windows looking out onto icebergs drifting by. There’s something surreal about relaxing in the sauna while the polar world glides past just metres away.

Diego Ramírez: A Rare Stop at the Edge of the World

Before crossing the Drake Passage, we made a rare stop at Diego Ramírez, a remote cluster of islands battered by the Southern Ocean. Wind, waves, seabirds everywhere. It’s one of those places only an expedition ship like Ultramarine can reach, and it set the tone for the wildness to come. We met a local Chilean family who were stationed at the small naval outpost on the island, perhaps one of the most remote places to raise a family in the world.

Crossing the Drake Passage

The Drake Passage has a reputation, equal parts legendary and a little bit thrilling. Known as one of the roughest stretches of ocean on the planet, it’s where the Atlantic, Pacific, and Southern Oceans collide.

Luckily both of us have our sea legs, but to our surprise (and slight relief), our crossing was surprisingly manageable. If the Drake is a scale from “Drake Lake” to “Drake Shake,” ours was a solid 6/10, enough movement to remind you where you are, but nothing that kept us from enjoying meals, lectures, or staring out the windows at albatrosses gliding effortlessly alongside the ship.

There is something special about the Drake, though. It builds anticipation. Every hour brings you closer to the greatest reveal on Earth: the moment you first set eyes on Antarctica.

The Seventh Continent Appears

I’ll never forget the moment the Antarctic peninsula revealed itself. After hours of sailing through fog, and a gradual build up of sea ice, out of the mist suddenly the continent rose ahead of us - jagged mountains, glaciers, and a coastline carved by ice. It was cinematic. My dad and I just looked at each other, completely speechless.

Once we reached the peninsula, every day felt like stepping into a new page of an Antarctic storybook, each landing site more cinematic than the last. These were some of the highlights from our voyage:

Neko Harbour - Neko Harbour was one of those places where silence feels sacred. Surrounded by towering glaciers and perfectly still water, it’s one of the few continental landings where you can actually set foot on the Antarctic mainland. We climbed up the snowy slope for panoramic views that didn’t even look real. Penguins waddled around us as if we were part of the landscape.

Brown Station - Brown Station was unmissable with its bright red buildings popping against a backdrop of ice and deep blue water. This Argentinian research base sits in Paradise Bay, and there’s an almost surreal beauty to seeing such bold colour in a world otherwise painted in whites and blues. We explored the area surrounded by Gentoo penguins, walked up a snowy incline, and took in one of the dreamiest views of the trip, mountains mirrored perfectly in the still water below.

Paradise Bay - The name says it all. Paradise Bay is the kind of place that makes you stop mid-sentence. We zodiac cruised between icebergs sculpted by wind and water, spotting seals lounging on floes and listening to the distant rumble of ice shifting.

Danco Island - Danco Island was peak penguin territory, a whole hillside buzzing with Gentoo penguins going about their very penguin business. The climb to the top rewarded us with sweeping 360-degree views of the Errera Channel: mountains wrapped in cloud, blue-white glaciers, and Ultramarine anchored far below.

Wildlife Encounters of a Lifetime

Antarctica is a paradise for wildlife lovers, which made it the perfect place to share with my dad. We saw countless gentoo penguins, adélie and chinstrap penguins, petrels and skuas along with minke whales, leopard seals and so much more. In fact, you almost become desensitized to penguins after a while because they are everywhere. What never gets old though, is how they are completely unthreatened by humans, and will casually walk past or up to you if you are in their way.

Antarctica From Above

The helicopter flight over the peninsula was the highlight of the entire voyage for me. Every photo and video taken on my phone would fit straight into a National Geographic documentary, it was just completely breathtaking. The perspective from above and seeing endless snowy peaks and rocky valleys is something I will remember forever.

The Polar Plunge & Paddling Excursions

Yes, I did the polar plunge. Yes, it was freezing. And yes, I would absolutely do it again.
We also went paddling in inflatable kayaks one calm morning and somewhere between the briefing and getting into our inflatable kayaks, my dad suddenly became Chief Paddling Officer. Within minutes of pushing off, he was offering me tips, adjusting my “technique,” and explaining (with great authority) how to get the perfect stroke from the back of the kayak. We still joke about this today and he has since bought two kayaks at home to further master his craft.

The Expedition Team

I couldn’t write about my experience in Antarctica without highlighting how exceptional the expedition team were on this voyage. Every day, the team brought Antarctica to life - biologists, geologists, glaciologists and polar experts who somehow made the coldest place on Earth feel warm and familiar. Their passion was infectious, and my dad, a falconer, became besties with the ornithologist within the first few days. Truly the best in the biz.

A Trip We’ll Never Forget

Sharing Antarctica with my dad was something I’ll never be able to fully put into words. It was adventure, nostalgia, and raw beauty all wrapped into one, the culmination of a dream we’d carried since childhood.

If the White Continent is on your list (and it should be), do it with a curious mind, and the right expedition team. Quark Expeditions gave us an experience that felt personal, immersive, and utterly unforgettable.