Quark Expeditions offers $1500 airfare credit for Antarctic travelers

by Kraig Becker on

The Antarctic travel season is now officially in full swing, with cruise ships carrying adventurous travelers across the Southern Ocean and around the Antarctic coastline. For many, a journey to the bottom of the planet is the trip of a lifetime and very high on the list of “must see” places. But a trip to the frozen continent can also be a prohibitively expensive one, which is why Quark Expeditions is currently offering airfare credits to help make the trip a reality for more travelers.

Quark, which is one of the top adventure travel companies in the world, is offering a USD $1500 credit per person for flights to Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world and the launching point for most Antarctic cruises. The offer is good for all Antarctic travel booked with the company between January 16 and February 26, 2011.

Quark offers three unique itineraries for adventure travelers to choose from. They range in length from 12 to 20 days and each gives access to a variety of destinations and experiences on the Antarctic continent. For more details on this great offer, and to review the various itineraries that Quark has to offer, click here.

If Antarctica is high on your list of destinations, then perhaps this is the time to make a New Year’s resolution to visit that place at last. Let Quark Expeditions help make that dream a reality and take advantage of the $1500 credit in the process.

[Photo credit: Quark Expeditions]

Update on Antarctic cruise ship Clelia II

by Kraig Becker on

Yesterday we posted a story about an Antarctic cruise ship, named Clelia II, that ran into trouble when it reportedly lost an engine while crossing the legendary Drake Passage on its way back to Ushuaia, Argentina. To make matters worse, the weather was incredibly bad, with 30 foot waves crashing against the vessel, adding even more of a challenge to completing repairs and continuing the journey. Later in the day, we received an update on the ship courtesy of the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO).

According to the IAATO, the Clelia II is making its way north to Ushuaia under its own power and at regular speed. Contrary to early reports, the ship did not lose an engine, but instead suffered damage when a powerful wave crashed over the bow, smashing a window on the bridge and damaging important electronic equipment. The damage to that equipment caused the vessel to temporally lose communications and engine power, dropping its operational speed dramatically. Once repairs were finalized however, the ship got back underway with just the heavy seas causing issues for the passengers and crew.

The IAATO reiterated that the ship suffered no damage to its hull, nor was there a discharge of any oil or other types of fuel that could have an impact on the environments of the Southern Ocean. Furthermore, the organization confirmed that one crew member did indeed suffer minor injuries in the storm.

If all goes as planned, the Clelia II should arrive back in Ushuaia today, with all passengers safe and sound. I’m sure they’ll all be more than happy to be back on dry land when they reach port, but at least they’ll have a great story to tell their friends back home.


Antarctic cruise ship runs into trouble in Southern Ocean

by Kraig Becker on

Another Antarctic cruise ship ran into trouble yesterday while crossing the treacherous Drake Passage on its return voyage to Ushuaia, Argentina from the Antarctic Peninsula. The Clelia II suffered engine failure that left it adrift in the Southern Ocean for a time while the region’s notoriously bad weather pounded the vessel.

According to this report from Gadling’s very own Jon Bowermaster, the Clelia II has 88 passengers and 77 crew members on board. All of the passengers are reportedly fine and in good health, while one crew member has suffered minor injuries in the line of duty.

The ship was spotted and passed by the National Geographic Explorer, another cruise ship, which was also making the return voyage to Ushuaia. When the crew of the Clelia II failed to respond to hails, the Explorer turned around and returned to the foundering ship to render aid if needed. After establishing communications with Clelia, the Explorer stood by for much of the day, while crew members repaired the engine and managed to get the damaged ship limping back towards South America once again.

There have been a number of high profile accidents involving passenger liners in the waters off Antarctica in the past few years. Back in 2007, the MS Explorer struck an iceberg and sank in the Southern Ocean, while just last year this very same ship, the Clelia II, ran aground and needed to be pulled off the ice by another vessel.

For now, the ship is once again under its own power and hoping to complete its return trip to Argentina where full repairs can be made. The incident just happens to underscore the dangers of traveling in the Antarctic waters, which can be treacherous in the best of times. Fortunately, it seems that the Antarctic tourism community dodged yet another potential disaster. With the poor weather conditions this situation could have been far worse and it is a miracle that no one was seriously injured.

[Photo credit: Stewart/McIntosh]

Blog Your Way To The North Pole

by Kraig Becker on

Travelers with an adventurous side have a great opportunity to score the trip of a lifetime thanks to a new contest from Quark Expeditions, who invite you to Blog Your Way To The North Pole. The contest, which runs until February 15th, 2011, will award one lucky winner a trip for two to the top of the world that is valued at more than $54,000.

Much like Quark’s Blog Your Way To Antarctica contest, which ran last year, contestants are asked to write a short (200-400 word) blog entry explaining why they are the perfect person to be named Quark’s Official Blogger to the North Pole. Entrants are also asked to include interesting travel experiences or places that they’ve been to in the past, as well as a recent photo. Once your blog post has been put on the contest website it will be available for others to read, comment and vote on. Those votes will be a crucial element to winning the contest, as they will help narrow the entries down to five finalists in February. After the deadline for the contest has passed, a panel of judges consisting of a professional travel blogger, Quark’s President, a member of Quark’s Expedition team and a member of the Marketing team, will select the winner from those five finalists to go on the trip.

And what a trip it will be. In June of 2011, the winning blogger, along with their guest, will be flown to Europe for an evening in Helsinki, Finland. From there, it’s on to Murmansk, Russia, where they’ll board the Russian ice-breaker 50 Years of Victory to begin their voyage to the North Pole. That journey can take anywhere from 4 to 8 days depending on the condition of the pack ice, and upon reaching the North Pole itself, they’ll disembark from the ship for a champagne toast and lunch on the ice cap. On the return voyage to port, the ship will swing by Franz Josef Land, a very remote and uninhabited island that is home to polar bears and walruses.

So, if this sounds like your kind of adventure, head on over to the contest website and fill out your entry. Then fire up your Twitter and Facebook accounts, call your friends and family, and start rallying the troops to get the vote out. Who knows, perhaps next summer you’ll be taking an adventurous cruise to the top of the world.

Antarctic tour operators offer tips for independent sailors

by Kraig Becker on

The Antarctic tourism season is just getting underway and travelers the world over are preparing to make the journey to the bottom of the planet where they’ll be treated to one of the most remote and untouched destinations on Earth. The vast majority of those travelers will book their visit with a travel company and will end up cruising the Southern Ocean aboard a ship that is specially designed to safely navigate those waters.

But some of the more adventurous travelers will actually make an independent journey to Antarctica, electing to sail aboard their own private yachts. To help those sailors, the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO) has released a set of guidelines and requirements for those traveling off Antarctica aboard a sailing or motorized vessel that carries 12 or fewer passengers. Those guidelines are designed to not only help keep travelers to the region safe, but also protect the fragile Antarctic environment as well.

Amongst the resources made available for independent travelers sailing below 60ºS are information on the permits and legislative requirements from various countries of origin, as well as guidelines for anticipating some of the potential risks for traveling in the area. The IAATO also spells out etiquette for contact with indigenous wildlife, as well as encounters with other ships, both private and commercial. These resources and much more can be found at IAATO.org/yachts.

The IAATO is an organization that works with its members to promote safe and environmentally friendly travel to Antarctica. Over the past couple of years there have been several high profile incidents in the region, but the IAATO has made some positive recommendations to help its members to avoid future issues while keeping clients safe and preventing environmental disasters. As a result, there are fewer vessels traveling the Antarctic waters and the region is safer to visit than it has been in some time.

For adventure travelers, Antarctica often represents their ultimate destination. Whether the travel their on a commercial tour or as an independent sailor, the IAATO is dedicated to helping them realize their dreams of seeing that place in a safe and responsible manner.

[Photo credit: The IAATO]