the ultimate antarctic adventure

Founded in 2005 by record-breaking polar explorers, White Desert Antarctica is the only company in the world that takes you by private jet into the interior of the Great White Continent. And, they adhere to stringent principles of adventure and environmentally responsible travel.

Departing from Cape Town, you’ll travel in comfort and style to the continent’s only luxury eco-camps where you’ll enjoy incredible environmentally-conscious experiences that include visiting the emperor penguins, the Geographic South Pole, mountain climbing, yoga and exploring ice tunnels. Having won the World Travel Awards seven times, the camp is also designed with a minimal environmental footprint in mind.

With only 12 guests on each departure, White Desert tailors the experience to be as relaxed or as adrenaline-fuelled as you wish.

Whichaway was their first luxury camp in the Antarctic, accommodating up to 12 people in six state-of-the-art, eco-friendly Polar Pods with luxury interiors that hark back to the Golden Age of Exploration. The camp is situated on ice-free rock at the Schirmacher Oasis and is surrounded by freshwater lakes. Each pod is designed to accommodate two guests in first-class comfort in Antarctica’s unique climate. At just over six metres (20ft) in diameter each pod is spacious, and has a writing desk, wash area and toilet; beds may be set up as doubles or two singles. The pods’ exteriors are constructed using cutting-edge materials whilst the interiors have an old-world feel that conjures up images of Antarctica’s rich heritage of exploration through sumptuous textures and thoughtful design. The rest of the camp comprises a shower pod, kitchen and three centralised pods that make up the reception, lounge and dining room, as well as a yoga pod and sauna.

Echo is White Desert’s brand new camp launching in December 2022. Inspired by the seminal age of Space exploration, Echo sits in quiet solitude encircled by pitted rock formations. Echo is as close as you can get to feeling like you’re off the planet without leaving Earth. The space-age design of the ‘Sky Pods’ makes them look like they’ve been beamed down from Mars. Futuristic and luxurious, the six bedrooms are created from composite fibreglass with floor to ceiling windows allowing guests to soak in the moon-like landscape beyond. Perfect for exclusive use groups and catering for up to 12 people, Echo allows guests to combine an ultra-luxury experience with a once in lifetime adventure on the 7th Continent. As with all White Desert’s camps, Echo is designed to be dismantled, leaving no trace on the Antarctic landscape

At the heart of White Desert’s mission is the desire to create a positive impact on Antarctica’s future through its tourism and science logistics programs. Here’s what they have to say about their sustainability efforts:

We recognise that Antarctica is a pristine wilderness and make stringent efforts to ensure that our footprint is absolutely minimal.

Being carbon neutral since 2007, we are the only air operator on the entire continent to be fully carbon neutral and are continually working to improve the ways in which we interact with this incredible environment.

WHITE DESERT is dedicated to introducing guests to the interior of Antarctica, with the mission of encouraging them to support the conservation of this wonderful wilderness by becoming Antarctic Ambassadors.

WHITE DESERT believes that responsible tourism is a genuine force for good and supports Sir David Attenborough’s stance on the transformative power of wilderness travel: "No one will protect what they don't care about, and no one will care about what they have never experienced".

o All solid waste is transported out of Antarctica at the end of the season.

o White Desert is working to remove single-use plastic from its entire operation.

o Only bio-degradable soaps, shampoo and washing up liquids are used in camp.

o During the 21/22 season, WHITE DESERT will run a test programme using a 70:30 blend of Jet A-1 fuel to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to power its Gulfstream G550.

Founder, Robyn Woodhead sits on the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) Executive Committee.

WHITE DESERT is a supporter of and contributor to the scientific community of Antarctica through its science logistics programme.

Obviously, this is the ultimate bucket-list adventure. But because of the harsh weather conditions in Antarctica, White Desert only opens its doors to guests for set departures in November through early February, so be sure to book one of the hotel’s 12 pods early. If you’d like to have the Ultimate Antarctic Adventure, we’re happy to make that happen for you.