31 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.

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Explore Antarctica

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Stories About Antarctica

Members of Ernest Shackleton's crew grooved to a gramophone.

Lessons on Enduring a Lonely Winter From Antarctic Voyagers

They whiled away the dark months with poetry, banjos, and Russian grammar—and you can, too.

by Daniella McCahey

January 6, 2021

A crew tackling the massive of task of dissecting a whale in Antarctica circa 1935.

Over 200 Years, Humans Have Hunted Some of Antarctica's Animals Almost to Extinction

"We left the dead things, raw and meaty, lying on the beach," one sealer recalled.

by Daniella McCahey and Alessandro Antonello

December 8, 2020

A South Pole portrait of Robert Schwarz in June 2018.

The Power of a South Pole Sunrise After Six Months of Darkness

Astrophysicist Robert Schwarz has spent more winters at the southern tip of the world than any human in history.

by Marissa Grunes

November 16, 2020

Robert Falcon Scott’s 1902 Discovery Hut, at Hut Point, with Observation Hill in the background.

Preserved Antarctic Huts Reveal the Isolated Existence of Early Explorers

They "were essentially stuck in their bunks for the whole winter."

U.K. researcher Andrew Gray geotags snow algae blooms on Anchorage Island, Antarctica.

In Antarctica, It's Not Easy Being Green

Yet vegetation persists there. And as the first large-scale algae map reveals, "green snow" acts as a carbon sink.

Scientists and soldiers were evacuated from two Antarctic research bases to a Spanish Navy vessel.

The Great Antarctic Escape

How Spanish scientists and soldiers made an epic journey home as the world locked down around them.

by Robin George Andrews

Isolated places such as Antarctica offer working labs for languages.

Prolonged Isolation Can Lead to the Creation of New Accents

Social distancing might not entirely change the way we talk, but a Mars expedition might do the trick.

by Isaac Schultz

A new study suggests that when orcas and other whales swim to warm waters, they're taking a spa vacation—sloughing their skin and shedding the algae they accumulate in cold water.

The Real Reason Whales Take Tropical Trips Each Year

No migration is too far for healthy skin.

by Jennifer S. Holland

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