ELORA – If a visit to Antarctica is on your bucket list, 2023 might be the year to make the trek.
Elora adventurer Ian Evans has a connection with a tour company that is offering reduced prices in January and February for a limited number of travellers.
Evans, who walked in an expedition to the South Pole in 2014 and visited Antarctica twice in 2019, intends to take the trip as well to act as tour guide and historian for the group.
And this tour company is offering a fly and sail expedition, with direct flights from South America to Antarctica, where travellers spend a week on a ship sailing and exploring the coast.
The direct flight to Antarctica option is rare, Evans said.
Most tour companies sail from South America to Antarctica – a two-day trip on its own. And sailing takes you through the Drake Passage, reputed to be the world’s roughest waters.
The direct-flight option means it’s possible to do the trip in 12 days – and seven of them are on the ship in Antarctica.
For those on a tight timeline, this could be the plus that tips the scales.
“It’s a very cool opportunity for people who are really busy, they don’t have much time, but they may have the money to go to Antarctica, but ‘gee, how do we do it?’ Well, here’s an opportunity,” Evans said.
“But also, this is a unique opportunity because the expeditions are usually booked up a year ahead. However, there are places available in Jan. and Feb. 2023.”
The economy, COVID-induced travel reluctance – there are many reasons why spots are available.
The vessel can accommodate 67 passengers in total, but Evans can’t guarantee any spots. It’s first come, first served.
This photo was taken by Evans on a previous trip to Antarctica. Submitted photo
And he’s not revealing the cost of the trip or the name of the tour company, other than to say it is environmentally conscious and leaves a small carbon footprint.
He’ll share those details with anyone interested in going though. He can be reached by email at ianevans@sentex.net.
Evans said he fell in love with Antarctica when he learned about it as a kid – particularly the explorers, whose stories are laced with nostalgia, heroism and adventure.
It’s a passion he has carried with him for years, and it has only grown since being there.
“I was fascinated by this country at the end of the world,” he said. “And then in 2014, to walk in the explorers’ footsteps, to stand where they stood – it was very spiritual experience for me.”
On one of his trips in 2019, the group went out on a Zodiac boat so see the whales.
“A whale embraced us for an hour. It went under the Zodiac, it came up, it was doing pirouettes. He was making sounds under water.
“He did it for about an hour. We eventually had to leave,” Evans exclaimed.
Travellers are also likely to see penguins, icebergs, and will travel the route of the explorers.
“For people that want to go, it really is the most remarkable place,” he said.
The trip includes two or three excursions every day as well as evening lectures.
“To lecture about Antarctica while being there is very cool,” he said.
“For me it’s an important passion. I love it. I would go back every year if I could.
“And to share it with like-minded people from this area would be a very interesting dynamic.”
To learn more, contact Evans at ianevans@sentex.net or phone him at 519-591-0104.
