Voyage
No place on Earth has more allure than Antarctica for those with an adventurous spirit. And it doesn’t disappoint those who dare to go, reports Peter Lynch.
This is not a vacation – it’s an expedition!
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n a world filled with greenwashing gobbledygook, “travelling with purpose” is a phrase you hear a lot nowadays. But if there is one place that really brings home the perilous state of our planet and the need for change, it is Antarctica. Here, the balance of nature is a matter of life and death for so many species. It’s a vast white wilderness where you truly realise the forces climate change has unleashed – and that we humans aren’t as powerful as we like to think. According to the treaty of 12 nations signed in 1959, Antarctica was forever to be “used for peaceful purposes only”. But today, the White Continent needs our support. Antarctica is a land in peril – superpowers Russia and China are eyeing its minerals and factory ships are stealing its vital stocks of fish and krill. And its ice is melting. But help is at hand in the unlikely guise of travellers like us. We are here to bear witness and take the message home. I am, I hope, doing my bit. We are on board the Viking Polaris, one of a pair of new ships from the leader in river and ocean cruising. Once again, Viking is setting a new benchmark – this time in adventure.
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Sights to behold
Main: Viking cruising in Antarctica. Above left: Wildlife-watching.
Cruise &Travel
24/2/2023 4:48 pm
