The ends of the Earth
Holiday guide

The ends of the Earth

The Arctic and Antarctic are otherworldly places of furious extremes,where unfamiliar rhythms and patterns will keep you in a perpetual state of wonder. Both offer glimpses of life lived on the edge,where there is little room for second chances. Both will strip you bare,turning you into a wiser and more humble version of yourself. - Kerry van der Jagt

The bulk of foreign visitors stay in or near the capital,Reykjavik.

See this spectacular destination before the tourist crowds arrive

This remote region will welcome more tourists than ever this year. Here’s why you should beat the rush of visitors (and Donald Trump).

  • byBen Ross
Ice landings are among the rarest things you can experience in Antarctica.

Fleeting and surreal,this might be Antarctica’s rarest experience

You’ve heard of a dry landing and a wet landing. But what about an ice landing?

  • byJenny Hewett
Polar snorkelling is one of the most unique ways to experience Antarctica.

I broke one of the first rules of visiting the Antarctic

Polar snorkelling is a unique way to experience the White Continent. But something doesn’t feel right this morning.

  • byJenny Hewett
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Nothing quite prepares you for Antarctica.

The one destination no traveller can ever be fully prepared for

There’s an astonishing prep list before you can even set foot on the White Continent. But,in this harsh environment,even the most prepared can expect the unexpected.

  • byKatrina Lobley
Ushuaia is the southernmost city in Argentina.

Turns out,the ‘end of the world’ is a great place to visit

This far-flung chilly city will warm your heart with crab feasts,colourful murals and some of the best baked goods around.

  • byKatrina Lobley
Gentoo penguins at Port Lockroy,Antractica.

Antarctica’s most popular (and adorable) man-made attraction is back

Last summer,the famous Penguin Post Office was off-limits due to the threat of avian flu,so its workers got creative.

  • byKatrina Lobley
Flight over Antarctica.

The window-view surprise that took my breath away

Sightseeing flights over the coldest,windiest and driest continent give you an insight into its huge mountains – and get you back in the same day.

  • byLiam Phelan
Ponant’s Le Commandant Charcot can go where other ships cannot.

This cruise ship can go where other ships cannot

As Antarctica becomes crowded with ships,the Le Commandant Charcot can push through pack ice and into regions of seas typically only reached by military or scientific vessels.

  • byJamie Lafferty
The Southern Fuegian Railway,more aptly called the End of the World Train.

The cute little train at the end of the world with a brutal history

Tourists are curious creatures,ever ready to make an entertainment out of the most terrible tales of the past.

  • byBrian Johnston
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European destinations don’t get much more far-flung than the Faroe Islands,between Britain and Iceland.

Europe doesn’t get more far-flung,or magical,than this breathtaking place

Created by volcanic eruptions and subsequently eroded by glaciers,winds and waves,this dreamlike archipelago sits halfway between Iceland and Britain.

  • bySteve McKenna
“Off the beaten cruise track”:the Hanse Explorer in Antarctica

How the ultra-rich cruise:On board the world’s most-travelled superyacht

Last year the Hanse Explorer clocked up a staggering 65,555 kilometres,many of which were racked up during charters for the rich and famous.

  • byRachel Ingram
Svalbard might be the most beautiful place on Earth,but its environment and wildlife are under threat.

See ‘the most beautiful place on Earth’ while you still can

Everything on an Arctic trip is delivered with a degree of melancholy since all the beauty we see comes with a disclaimer:best you see it now.

  • byCraig Tansley
The Ross Sea and its jigsaw of ice.

New ice age:10 unbelievable Antarctica experiences

From polar camping to exploring in a luxury sub,there’s no time like the present to super-size your visit to the White Continent.

  • byKatrina Lobley
Jumping into the freezing waters of Antarctica or the Arctic is a rite of passage many travellers can't resist.

Polar plunge:What it's like to take a dip in Antarctica's freezing waters

Blue skies and placid waters notwithstanding,it's counterintuitive to swim in the inhumanely cold waters of Antarctica.

  • byCatherine Marshall
Puerto Williams,the world’s southernmost city.

The world’s southernmost town becomes expedition cruise hub

A new departure hub designed to take pressure off Antarctic launch ports is behind one cruise line’s aim to help preserve this pristine environment.

  • byCatherine Marshall
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Longyearbyen,Svalbard.

Nine must-do highlights of Longyearbyen,Norway

Huskies,breweries,fine-dining and glaciers:there’s a lot to warm to in this icy destination.

  • byCraig Tansley
We’re far enough north in the summer that the sun never sets.

A place where the sun never sets (though you still might not see it)

Tourism is still a rarity when exploring this part of the Arctic.

  • byJamie Lafferty
Expeditioners on foot.

Surprises come thick and fast in this remote,fragile land

A circumnavigation of Spitsbergen delivers exceptional Arctic wildlife in one of the world’s most remote and fragile environments.

  • byAndrew Conway
It may be tired and sometimes crowded,but the airport does offer spectacular mountain and Beagle Channel views.
★★

Inside the (shabby) airport at the end of the world

This a magnificently located airport,but any sense of wide-open space and adventure is abandoned at the entrance.

  • byBrian Johnston
Langjokull

See this magnificent place before it’s gone forever

I’ve read a lot about global warming,but seeing it so starkly in action is shocking,and it makes me wonder if I should be here at all.

  • byBrian Johnston
Aurora Expeditions’ MV Sylvia Earle.

Short on time? This Australian ship can do Antarctica at express speed

I’m doing what is surely the shortest journey you can have while cruising this remote corner of the world. But there’s still time to be overwhelmed.

  • byBen Groundwater
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