NEW FRONTIER IN ANTARCTIC CRUISING Camping Out with the Penguins

Posted on 08/12/2016 | About Antarctica

Tonight, you sleep with the penguins. It’s not a joke. It’s becoming a very real option on cruises to Antarctic. Until recently you had to be an explorer or researcher willing to hunker down for months at a time to be able to stay overnight on the elusive seventh continent. But now an international regulatory agency permits limited numbers of cruise visitors to camp overnight—with strict guidelines.

Where in the past, cruise guests only got a couple of hours ashore on day tours, overnight adventurers are outfitted with tents and sleeping bags and there are even porta potties brought ashore.The Cruisington Times asked Paul Murphy, marine operations co-ordinator for G Adventures, a long-standing member of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators, to describe the experience and trends in active vacations in the Antarctic.