Do you love adventures? Is the icy continent on your travel bucket list? Then here is some good news. White Desert, a luxury travel company, has announced the launching of their new camp in Antarctica. Named ‘Echo’, the camp will go operational in November this year. According to the camp owners, Echo will provide ‘exclusive access to the rarely seen interior of the Continent’.
The company White Desert was established by record-breaking polar explorer duo Patrick and Robyn Woodhead in 2005. Carbon neutral since 2007, the company has diversified over the last two years and now also uses its planes to transport scientists to their Antarctic research stations.
The eco-camp will feature six heated, cutting-edge bedroom ‘sky pods’ complete with expansive floor to ceiling windows commanding views of the dramatic landscape beyond. Original photos taken from the International Space Station (ISS) by former Commander, White Desert guest and retired astronaut, colonel Terry Virts will be featured in each pod. Talking of the Echo landscape, said Virts, “The mountains are the most beautiful I have seen across Earth, Venus and Mars.”
Echo caters for up to 12 guests. Crafted from composite fiberglass, each of the space-inspired sky pods are designed for two guests, with interiors featuring retro space-age detailing and luxurious furnishings. The camp will also offer a central lounge area, dining and heated shower pods. An experienced team of chefs, hosts and expert guides allows guests to relax or explore at their leisure.
The exclusive experience begins as soon as guests step out from the plane. They will be escorted to a private lounge where a martini, shaken with 10,000 year old ice, will be waiting. Throughout their stay, guests will have access to all White Desert activities, which include fat biking, skiing, skidooing and 4x4 Arctic Truck driving as well as expertly guided hiking, ice-climbing and mountaineering. Antarctic interior highlights such as visiting Atka Bay to see the 28,000 strong Emperor Penguin colony or a bucket-list journey to the South Pole are also on offer.
Of course, the experience comes for a price. Package rates start from USD 780,000 for an exclusive group of 12 people or USD 65,000 per person for FIT guests for a 5-day tour and includes return flights and transfers from Cape Town to Antarctica, all accommodation, food & beverages, and activities around camp.
To ensure that the ecology of the destination is not disturbed, as with all their camps, White Desert has designed Echo to be dismantled without a trace, leaving no more than a transitory impact on Antarctica. The have also pledged to use USD 1,000 per person per trip on their conservation, community and sustainability initiatives, the company said in a release.
For more information visit www.white-desert.com or email info@white-desert.com.
