Whichaway Camp

a rocky oasis in a desert of ice

Queen Maud Land is the section of Antarctica that lies 4000 km (2400 miles) south of the African continent.

From the outside, Whichaway Camp appears to be a rather ordinary polar research station. It is only once you step inside that the place reveals itself to be such a stylish and cosy hideaway.

The lodge is set on a rare outcrop of terra firma known as the Schirmacher Oasis, surrounded by an entrancing combination of weather-worn mountains and a glacier sea which is ribboned with azure blue streams, both pitted with ravines and caves. It is a magical location, which reveals itself over the days.

The public areas are contained within three connected domes, supported by three further domes with kitchens and other back-of-house functions. The staff accommodation is over the ridge behind.

As you can see from the imagery, the main areas are stylish and comfortable, whilst the hospitality and food service are to a very high standard.

Rooms

Guest accommodation at Whichaway Camp is in seven detached domes, which are all located close to the main area in case of adverse weather.

These 6 metre (20 foot) diameter rooms can be fitted with one large or two small beds and all have private bathrooms (although without showers, those are to be found in a separate building close to the main area).

Whichaway Camp is almost always accessed by shared charter flight from Cape Town, which forms part of a fixed seven night all-inclusive package.

The flights are usually operated in a substantial twelve-seater, twin-engine Gulfstream G550 jet, with a flight time of around five hours, passing over thousands of icebergs on the approach to Antarctica, the land of 24 hour daylight.

The alternative is to fly in on your own private or charter jet, the operators maintain a substantial ice runway, which can be used by suitably experienced pilots.

This main Wolf’s Fang Airstrip is shared between Echo Camp and Wolf’s Fang Camp. It is connected by hopper flight to Novo Airstrip at Whichaway Camp.

Flights within Antarctica (to the penguin colonies, the South Pole etc.) are operated in a pair of specially upgraded Basler BT67 twin-propellor planes, which are better suited to landing on more improvised ice runways. There is usually also a helicopter, which is used to access even more remote locations.

Seasonality

The Queen Maud Land area of Antarctica can only be visited between late November and early February.

Trips in the early part of this season tend to be of a shorter duration and do not include the excursion to the South Pole, which usually remains inaccessible past the end of November.

Activities

All trips usually include a flying day trip to a penguin colony down on the coast and an overnight flying trip to the South Pole (except early season). The remainder of the trip is filled with the following activities …

Fitness level 1

Ice Tunnels
Vehicle safari
Picnic lunches
Polar talks
Zipline : across an ice lake

Fitness level 2

Rope walking
Nunatak Climb : scale a blue ice glacier to reach a rocky summit
Ice climbing : lessons with crampons and ice axes
Abseiling : 100 metres

Fitness level 3

Rock climbing : serious rocks, serious guides

fixed itineraries of seven nights in Nov-Feb