Travel Guide

Travel Essentials: Antarctica

Before finalising your next big adventure devote some time to pre-planning to ensure you are as best prepared as possible. Included here you'll find useful 'Essential Info' with links through to the experts in Travel Health Advice, Visa Regulations, Government Travel Advice, Books and Maps.

To get the most out of your next adventure it makes sense to consider some of the very local factors that combine to make up what you feel is the best time to travel to a destination. Many of these factors are very personal - some people prefer to travel when the weather is not too hot, or sites too crowded - others prefer to travel when a traditional local event is taking place. Taking into account the dates of public holidays can also make sense as these may have an impact on opening times of attractions, shops and restaurants, or might affect public transport or other services. Conversely public holidays can be a time of great local festivities and celebrations providing a feast of local expressionism and culture.

Climate	Climatically, Antarctica is the highest, driest, coldest & windiest of all the continents on the planet. Accessible only during its Austral summer, the Antarctic may not be as inhospitable as you first think. During the dark winters when only science & support staff endure the drops in temperature in well facilitated & heated stations, the summer sees relatively warm temperatures of –15 to –25 degrees C on the plateau rising to 0 to +5 degrees C on the peninsula. Precipitation is minimal during the summer and the Antarctic interior is officially classed as a desert due to the continents dry atmosphere.
Seasonality	From November through to the end of February is Antarctica’s summer & the only time one can visit unless you are planning to work there on a science program!
National Holidays
National Events