The Antarctic Passage
From your own rooftop to the ice, in one unbroken journey. Scroll is your throttle.
Photo: Wilfried Bauer, CC BY-SA 3.0
South Pole & Emperor Penguins
From US$115,500 per person, sharing
White Desert's published rate for 2026–27: eight days from Cape Town, weekly departures from 1 December 2026 to 26 January 2027. Source: white-desert.com, read 24 October 2026.
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“It's just you and 20,000 penguins.”
Patrick Woodhead, White Desert founder, on the colony at Atka Bay
- Day 1
Arrival in Antarctica
A 5.5-hour flight from Cape Town, into endless daylight. You land on a blue-ice runway; at camp, cocktails are chilled with 10,000-year-old Antarctic ice.
- Day 2
Journey to Atka Bay
A 2.5-hour flight to Atka Bay, then a walk among emperor penguins, approaching the colony at a respectful distance.
- Day 3
Peaks and panoramas
A hike above the ice sheet, a champagne picnic, and a lookout with your guide.
- Day 4
Journey to the South Pole
By Basler over the mountain ranges, refuelling at Dixie's Camp. You stand at the Pole and stamp your passport, then sleep at Dixie's Camp, 83° south.
- Day 5
South Pole return
Wake under canvas on the plateau, fly back to Echo, and dine on three courses with champagne.
- Day 6
At your leisure
Gentle hikes, abseiling or summiting a nunatak; or the explorer team's tales of Antarctic history.
- Day 7
Wild horizons
A cliff-side trail with panoramic views, led by IFMGA mountain guides. White Desert calls it challenging.
- Day 8
Departure home
An A330 or A340 lands on the blue-ice runway. Wolf's Fang Ice Bar and its ice sculptures, then back to Africa.
White Desert adjusts each week's days to the flying weather, so the order may change on the ice. Plan to arrive in Cape Town at least two days before, and leave two days after. Your advisor shapes the real journey around your dates.