As technology improves and the world becomes smaller, unexplored places in the world become less and less, but conversely, wild places becomes more accessible. Antarctica remains one of the few deserts on Earth, a desolate continent, a landscape of ice and rock, nice to see, hard to make them you are a tourist and you're tired of Bangkok and Jamaica and French Riviera, then a visit to Antarctica could add some spice to your travels.The easiest way to visit Antarctica is to join a cruise ship, which takes you on the edge of the continent, and you can see ice and play on the margin between the Penguins and Antarctica seals.But is a vast continent, and reach inside the only practical way for tourists is to go by plane, and go by plane the only people you can go with the Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions, or FTA. FTA is a descendant of the NNA, Adventure Network International, the company formed in 1984 by Giles Kershaw. Giles was an experienced pilot Antarctica (after traveling for five seasons for the British Antarctic Survey and then with Ranulph Fiennes and Charles Burton R Transglobe Expedition from 1979 to 1982) when he was approached by two climbers rich wanted to scale the highest peak in Antarctica, the Vinson Massif. They succeeded, and when Kershaw was in tourism in Antarctica. They found a place for landing aircraft on wheels, an expanse of blue ice free of snow, soft as a result of a mountain called the Patriot Hills where they could establish a base and where they could reach the rest the continent by ski plane, Giles Kershaw who died in a gyrocopter crash in 1990, but his wife Anne carried on the work until the company was sold to Grand shipments in 2003. Grand Expeditions in their inexperience could not make things work, and they announced that there would be no flights to Antarctica for the 2003-2004 season. It was a disaster for the people who had been planning expeditions. Enter the offense is a group of former employees of the NNA, gaining expertise of Mike Sharp. FTA later bought ANI Grand Expeditions and now run it as subsidiary.ALE tour company can take you to visit the South Pole, or climbing Vinson. I recommend against such visits. Vinson is mostly a three-day, very cold, hiking and climbing most of the time you will wait to clear so you can fly from Patriot Hills back to Vinson.The South Pole is an industrial site the polar plateau. Science is very interesting, but the landscape is very dry, it's mind-numbingly cold, and a place on the polar plateau is much like any other. If you are interested in wildlife, not to visit the Emperor penguin colonies on the Dawson-Lambton Glacier with a professional ornithologist. FTA you at the height of the breeding season. When the sea ice has declined enough for cruise ships to reach the colonies of penguins penguin chicks are half grown, and much of the colony dispersed.The other activity that I can recommend is Antarctic ski touring a week around the Ellsworth Mountains. This gives you a good experience of Antarctica, camping "night" and eat rations cooked Sledge frozen in your tent and ski "day" through spectacular mountain ranges and valleys. If you travel to icy Antarctica with FTA, you'll make from Punta Arenas, the southernmost city of Chile, located on the Strait of Magellan. While you're there, you can visit the penguin colony at Seno Otway, or visit the Torres del Paine, a fantastic series of peaks. You may have to do it, because the weather in Antarctica is not often prone to theft, and it is quite often the wind on the wrong runway, or too much snow, or it is too clear. But people of the FTA maintains a constant eye on the weather, and as soon as conditions are met, the flight will called.At Punta Arenas airport, you will board an Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft operated by a Russian crew. These devices are used for heavy transport operations worldwide, and crews have thousands of hours of experience in the type.You ll be collected by bus from your hotel and you will wear your cold weather gear, because where you get off there will be no shelter from the airport squares and heated on the aircraft is not like a passenger plane. This is a cargo plane, but designed to have accommodation for 50 or so paratroopers. There is a row of benches on each side of the plane, and you'll probably be sitting next to the feet of cargo, which will be attached to the cargo floor. There will be oxygen masks in case of depressurization, and life jackets and seat belts as a normal passenger plane, but the procedures are different, so pay attention to the instructions of the Loadmaster. There is not much to see inside the aircraft hold for the windows are high up on the sides of the plane, but if you have time, ask the loadmaster, if you can visit the browser in the nose of the aircraft. It has windows on the first floor and offers one of the best views of the landscape below an aircraft. However, do not be disappointed if you can not see anything: This part of the world is known for its bad weather and the chances are that you will see a layer of clouds. If you're lucky, you will see the icebergs floating in the Drake Passage and, later, the sparkling pure white ice of Antarctica cap.During theft, FTA staff will prepare a fresh sandwich for you to eat and you will enjoy it, because getting from your hotel to the airport and the plane took a few hours, and all the meals you might be having a memory long forgotten. The flight takes about four hours after you eat, relax, read a book, or trying to get some sleep. You might even find a weak point on the freight for your landing nap.For you're strapped into your seat again, will not be able to see anything. (Sitting in the nose is prohibited and is not recommended because it is only by glass and will be a death trap in an accident.) The aircraft will be landing on the ice, which offers very little friction on wheel landing gear, and that the plane lost speed and can not be controlled by the rudder, the motion could be a bit jerky as pilots steer the aircraft through differential thrust engines. Then there will be a long period of taxiing, the aircraft returns from the end of the runway at the unloading position. Be patient and stay seated. The ice on which you are running is not smooth, and a bump can easily get rid of your feet. After a long wait for the aircraft will be stalled, and the doors open. It will be daylight outside, no matter what time your watch says it is because during the flight as you cross the Antarctic Circle, and you are now in the land of the midnight sun. The weather is good, because if it was not you would not be stolen. You will be greeted by staff FTA, which will guide you to the rear of the aircraft, the loading ramp, and ice. You will breathe the cold, cold air, you squint against the glare of the ice, you will feel the crunch at the feet of snow, and you know you are an adventure.
