Why You Need to Travel to Antarctica | MojoTravels

A trip to one of the world's most extreme environments is one you'll never forget.

Welcome to MojoTravels and today we're discussing why you need to travel to Antarctica are you a fan of our videos be sure to subscribe to mojo travels and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos for this list we'll be looking at some of the most compelling arguments as to why you should be adding the frozen continent to your bucket list by highlighting what makes this such a unique experience start to finish your point of departure is the end of the world in adventure movies and novels the intrepid traveler is always looking to reach the horizon to explore beyond the known end of the world now modern mapping technology means that we've done a pretty thorough job exploring the globe but due to its harsh climate and it's extremely a remote location Antarctica remains the next best thing and while there are a few different routes you can take to get there including departures from South Africa New Zealand and Chile most agree that the Argentinian port city of this way is the way to go generally considered to be the southernmost city in the world it's been dubbed el fin del mundo which translates to the end of the world to those for whom the word Argentina brings to mind images of sunny weather and rainforest you're in for a surprise while Argentina's north is indeed subtropical sy as climate is that of a mild tundra it never gets particularly cold or hot the landscape is rugged distinctly northern anesthetic and breathtakingly beautiful the small town of Californian forests and soaring snow-capped mountains it's a perfect stepping stone before you embark on your great adventure into the relative unknown the voyage itself once not so long ago a trip to Antarctica was reserved for the most daring seasoned and adventurous of travelers it was a domain of the explorer not just the outdoor enthusiast though modern technology and dedicated travel companies have made the southernmost continent far more accessible in recent years you're still sailing the same path taken by early pioneers you're a lot more comfortable safe and well equipped than these pioneers were but it's nonetheless an epic experience you're reaching back through time and connecting with these brave pioneers and you can really feel that history as you cross these forgiving waters gaining a whole new appreciation for the endeavor they undertook nowadays crossing the Drake Passage takes about two days an experience typically falls into two categories smooth sailing on the Drake lake or the Drake shake which is a nickname for extremely rough seas but honestly it's all part of the adventure crossing the Drake Passage comes with serious bragging rights and makes for a once-in-a-lifetime experience during the trip you're also apt to see all manner of wildlife and some pretty incredible sunsets how many destinations can you name for it getting there is a trip unto itself the landscape this is perhaps the single biggest draw to the frozen continent though it is a land of sky rock ice snow and frigid cold water those elements come together in a way that utterly captivates imagine heading out in a kayak and navigating your way through icebergs impossibly white ice giants jagged monoliths that slice through sea and sky the experience is none like exploring a massive outdoor museum except here the hour consists exclusively of sculptures crafted by the hands of time and the elements both the size and shapes of the icebergs inspire or if you're going out exploring that means the weather is good and so you'll be slowly make your way through calm water it's an almost meditative experience of course now that high-resolution digital cameras are reasonably affordable and given that the picture quality on smartphones has come as far as it has Photography is another big reason to consider making the trip Antarctica is utterly unique you won't find comparable photo ops anywhere else in the world the landscape that stretches before you is unreal and begs to be captured oh and we haven't even mentioned the night sky free from light pollution after dark the Antarctic sky comes to life in magnificent fashion depending on where you visit you may even get to see the elusive aurora australis Antarctica's own Southern Lights wildlife animal lovers this one's for you Antarctica might not be home to many humans but it's by no means uninhabited here in this inhospitable land a wide array of annum have adapted to not only survive in the harsh conditions but thrive and with so little human influence on meddling they live in relative peace this is their land due to the extreme climate and permanent ice Antarctica isn't known for its abundance of greenery as such with the exception of krill and phytoplankton herbivores are essentially non-existent birds are among the most common animal sightings in Antarctica highlights being the beautiful snow petrels and the wandering albatross which boasts the longest wingspan on the planet the continent is also home to orcas and blue whales the former can be spotted across the globe but Antarctica is among the places where killer whales are found in the largest number of course two of the biggest draws at least in terms of Wildlife are the penguins and seals here in Antarctica both are abundant you all but guaranteed to get plenty of time with each in terms of penguins Antarctica is home to an assortment of species including a Delhi's Emperor's chinstraps Kings gentoos macaronis and rockhoppers as for seals those commonly seen in Antarctica include Weddell seals southern fur seals crabeater seals leopard seals and southern elephant seals that's a lot of seals you get a continent to yourself by escaping the modern world our planet is massive and full of or inspiring sites both natural and human-made realistically one could spend their entire life traveling the globe and still not see it all with the world population quickly approaching a billion however it can be hard to find destinations that don't bear the distinct mark of human activity even in national parks and other such popular nature type destinations their popularity is apt to make them relatively crowded that's the beauty of Antarctica for starters the continent has only one thousand to five thousand residents depending on the season with none of them permanent the human footprint here is very minor being limited to a few dozen scientific outposts and basis even though travel to Antarctica has increased nearly tenfold since the early 1990s the total number of visitors remains under fee thousand and that's for the entire continent for contacts consider that the Grand Canyon National Park receives over six million guests over the same time period the lack of humans and human activity in Antarctica translates to a land of incomparable peace and quiet it's wild in a way that's extremely rare in this day and age it feels special like your own little secret its vast emptiness mammoth glaciers and barren landscape overwhelm in the best possible way visiting Antarctica is not only an opportunity to immerse yourself in one of the world's most extreme environments but also offers an incredibly cleansing and cathodic dose of perspective do you agree with our picks check out this other recent clip for mojo travels and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos [Music] [Music].