How does one get to Antarctica?

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Right now I'm in the process of getting my travel arrangements settled to get to Antarctica in just over 2 months! So many people ask me how I'm going to get there. Here's how.

PC: www.af.mil
Antarctica is usually accessed via two other continents: South America and Australia/New Zealand. South America is closest to the Antarctic Peninsula. There is a science base there, Palmer Station, and participants working at Palmer Station get there via Chile. Most cruises to Antarctica also start in South America. However, I won't be traveling to Palmer, so unfortunately, I will not be traveling through South America. McMurdo is closest to Australia and New Zealand, so that's the route I will take to get there. Christchurch is the Antarctic portal for several countries' Antarctic programs, so many participants from many places will be traveling through this airport.

Antarctica is not all that far from the land down under. I will be flying on a military transport plane The flight from Christchurch, New Zealand to McMurdo will take 5-7 hours depending on what kind of plane I end up on.

But first I need to get to Christchurch. My flight will probably be from Oregon to LAX (3 hrs), LAX to Sydney, Australia (15 hrs), Sydney to Christchurch (3 hrs), and then to McMurdo. Total of about 26-28 hours in the air! I know, I can't really wrap my mind around that either. I'm not the biggest fan of long haul flights, so it will be interesting.

Just because I am either scheduled to board a plane or actually walk on a plane bound for Antarctica doesn't mean I'll make it there that day. As you can imagine, weather can be temperamental surrounding the continent, and sometimes flights are either delayed, or else "boomerang" meaning turn around enroute to avoid bad weather. I may end up being in New Zealand for just a day or so, or many days depending on the weather and ice.

Yes, the ice. McMurdo's landing strip is an ice runway! Does this mean climate change could eventually do away with the landing strip? Who knows, but for now, I'll be landing on ice.

Another interesting tidbit about my time in Antarctica is based on the fact that no country owns any part of Antarctica. The Antarctic treaty agreed that countries can use the land for peaceful scientific research, but no claims of ownership on Antarctica can be made by any country. Therefore, there is no need for a passport to enter Antarctica. But that doesn't mean I'll get there without my passport! I'll need my passport to enter Australia and New Zealand. My passport will be stamped in New Zealand, and then again many months later when I leave for home. It will appear on my passport that I will have spent 5-6 months in New Zealand, but I will have actually been in Antarctica most of that time!


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