How to get to Antarctica without using a travel company
I have a dream of skiing across the Antarctica continent. After some research it seems there is no scheduled flight to Antarctica, and the tours out there just reach the entrance of Antarctica and come back.
The question is how do the people who cross Antarctica get there?
Best Answer
Couldn't be easier.
You just hire a plane (I mean "a private plane charter") to fly you there, and another one to fly you back from the other side.
Any jet charter in NZ will do it, and any number of companies do it enough they actually have Google-Ad-Words web sites for the function.
Simply google "private jet charter, NZ to Antartica".
Or phone any major jet charter company in NZ (or perhaps Tasmania, or just Melbourne - I mean what the hell is the odd thousand miles one way or the other here?) and ask for a price for the two legs.
My guess is it would actually cost less to hire a jet than to have a boat/ship of some type take you on both legs.
I'd guess the cost of two such jet rentals would be perhaps around $150,000 all-up.
(The tiny figures mentioned elsewhere, 20 grand etc, are almost certainly for a tour of some 10-30 I'd guess people, and it seems OP does not want a tour-bus approach - and fair enough!)
It's very easy to get to Antartica, you just rent a jet - in answer to your question.
Has anyone ever crossed Antartica solo ?
It looks like yes, a couple different blokes have arguably done this:
https://explorersweb.com/2018/12/27/obradys-antarctic-crossing-was-it-really-unassisted/
It takes two months.
Interesting, there is a HUGE difference and debate between unsupported and unassisted in the Exploration Thrills world.
Has anyone actually "crossed" Antartica anyway ?
NOTE that these dudes took the shortest imaginable route "across" (ROFL) Antartica:
OP, the field is wide open to be the first to actually go "across" Antartica.
Godspeed.
Actually it looks like a Norwegian bloke, Borge Ousland, actually did it properly without using roads back in the 90s.
Random photo of impossibly rugged Norwegian Borge Ousland who did what OP asks about.
Seems he ingeniously used a kite where possible, like ski-kiteing.
Pictures about "How to get to Antarctica without using a travel company"
Can I independently go to Antarctica?
Since no country owns Antarctica, no visa is required to travel there. If you are a citizen of a country that is a signatory of the Antarctic Treaty, you do need to get permission to travel to Antarctica. This is nearly always done through tour operators.What is the easiest way to get to Antarctica?
The easiest way to get to Antarctica is to fly to Ushuaia, Argentina and take an Antarctica cruise. Indeed 90% of all visitors to Antarctica get there this way. You can also fly to Antarctica as part of a tour or cruise.What is the cheapest way to get to Antarctica?
For the cheapest trips, look for shorter cruises. A 9-day cruise may not hit all the destinations in Antarctica or may not make long stops, but it will be cheaper than a 23-day trip by a long haul. Depending on the size, boats can accommodate between 80 to 500 people at a time.How do tourists get to Antarctica?
The best way to get to Antarctica is either by ship or plane from the southern tip of South America. Tourist ships depart all summer from Ushuaia, Argentina, and take roughly 48 hours to reach Antarctica. The second option is a 2 hour flight from Punta Arenas, Chile, to King George Island where you board a ship.Tips to book BUDGET Antarctica
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Thirdman, Andrea Piacquadio, Alexander Suhorucov, Andrea Piacquadio