Adventures Antarctic

Travel has recently come into the spotlight, specifically in regards to the perilous environmental tuation in both the Arctic and Antarctica and the role tourism may play, either to its benefit or detriment.

As many rightfully ask: is it even possible to travel responsibly to the two most fragile and important regions of our planet? From the rapid melting of Antarctica’s glaciers to the precarious state of the Arctic’s endemic wildlife, it’s totally fair to question the feasibility of taking tourists to our polar regions.

When trying to determine an answer to this possible conundrum, several factors need to be considered. Luckily, we’re not the only ones who are scrutinizing the situation: scientists have been researching this very topic for years and their arguments are not only sound but also logical.

Firstly, however, it’s important to understand that Antarctica and the Arctic are two very distinct regions. They make look similar to you and I (lots of ice, freezing winds, crazy hardy wildlife) yet every other aspect about the two regions could not make them any more different.

As such, the environmental challenges they face are unique and the solutions, consequently, will probably be distinct as well. vulnerable as well, primarily because there are so many more species of land animals than in Antarctica, where there are none.

If Antarctic wildlife numbers diminish due to unnatural deaths, it’s because of something that happens elsewhere on our planet.

So what can one do?

If you do decide to take a Polar trip then following the strict guidelines set out by your tour operator is your prime objective. In the Arctic, that means being respectful of indigenous communities you visit, buying hand-made artefacts as souvenirs and taking locally-guided excursions, to help provide income to local families. In both regions, you ought to ensure your hiking gear is clean to a fault: introduce foreign soil or bacteria here and you’ll be adding to the problem. You’ll need to keep a respectable distance from the wildlife and keep noises to a minimum; stay on predetermined walking routes and don’t veer off on your own.

Ship-wise, you’ll do well to choose the smallest expedition ship you can afford, the lower pax numbers being not only beneficial to landing sites but also to you, as a passenger. The lower the guest count, the more time each person has to spend ashore.

More importantly, however, you’ll want to trust a company that’s evidently committed to sustainable and responsible tourism, not one that’s using it to greenwash a party cruise. Polar travel is expensive, time-intensive: chances are you’ll be on a much-coveted adventure you’ve been dreamng for years.

At Chimu Adventures, the commitment to sustainable travel has been at the very forefront of operations since our company’s inception. Having travelled and guided extensively through Latin America before starting our company, we were incredibly aware of not only the benefits of tourism – in just about any destination – but also for the potential of doing inadvertent harm, if we did all the wrong things.

After all, there does come a point where we can collectively love a place, a little too much. So forget about behemoth cruise liners taking thousands of guests through the smallest canals of historic European cities: when it comes to responsible polar travels, we believe in small group expeditions that are invaluably educational. If we can turn just one more ‘mere tourist’ into a Polar warrior, then we’ll consider our job done.