32 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in Antarctica - Atlas Obscura

Unusual Attractions in Antarctica

Blood Falls

Natural time capsule containing an alien ecosystem.

Deception Island

An abandoned whaling station on an active volcano offers hot springs in Antarctica, surrounded by ruined giants of industry.

Mt. Erebus

Fire meets ice at the southernmost volcano on Earth.

The Bar at Vernadsky Research Base

The world's southernmost bar.

Antarctic Exploration Museum & Post Office

The best place to send your postcards home from Antarctica.

The Ceremonial South Pole

Naked scientists race around the pole in the frigid cold to try to join Antarctica's exclusive 300 Club.

IceCube Research Station

The world's largest neutrino telescope searches for secrets of the universe at the South Pole.

Trinity Church on King George Island

Russian Orthodox church built on an Antarctic island.

See All 32 Things to Do in Antarctica See All 32 Places

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Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Antarctica

The Bar at Vernadsky Research Base

The world's southernmost bar.

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Recent Antarctica Activity

icutyourhair94 wants to go to Deception Island

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icutyourhair94 wants to go to The Ceremonial South Pole

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Stories About Antarctica

Remembering the 'Ice Widows' of a Doomed Antarctic Expedition

For more than a century, their stories were ignored—until now.

September 15, 2022

Podcast: The Loneliest Post Office

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.

by The Podcast Team

September 6, 2022

Podcast: Discovery Hut

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.

by The Podcast Team

August 24, 2022

The team visited an abandoned hut on their way to Bellingshausen Station.

The Art of Eating Well in Antarctica

With resourcefulness and a little help from international neighbors, a volunteer crew thrived in the icy landscape.

by Samuel Lin-Sommer

August 23, 2022

Robert "Robby" Silk—the first and, for now, only competitive chair-sitter—tests his stamina on Antarctica's Cuverville Island.

Meet the Man Who Wants to Make Sitting an Extreme Sport

A day at your desk will not prepare you for this grueling competition.

by Laura Kiniry

The James Caird at Elephant Island, preparing to set off for South Georgia Island.

Remembering a Little-Known Chapter in the Famed Endurance Expedition to Antarctica

The epic survival story of Ernest Shackleton and his crew included a harrowing journey to Elephant Island.

by Ranulph Fiennes

January 18, 2022

In Antarctica, the aptly-named icefish survives extreme cold thanks to an unusual suite of anatomical oddities.

The Evolutionary Quirk That Allows Antarctica's Icefish To Survive Extreme Cold

Unique adaptations allow the ambush predator to thrive in an environment that would kill most other organisms.

November 4, 2021

Podcast: Martian Meteorites and Greek Columns With the AO Places Team

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.

by The Podcast Team

September 21, 2021

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