Which location is the most adventurous destination you can possibly imagine?
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For me, it is Antarctica.
This paradoxical land is defined by wilderness yet juxtaposed with the most naïve wildlife I’ve ever experienced.
I’ve spent the last few weeks visiting the giant landmass and I want to share some treats.
Leaving Argentina on a ship with 80 female leaders, a wandering albatross joined us, gliding on the bow winds and swooping down to the decks occasionally.
The wingspan of these giant birds is up to three metres and caused an audible gasp each time they came close.
As we found our way close to the sub-Antarctic islands, we were met with solitary icebergs.
As we found our way close to the sub-Antarctic islands, we were met with solitary icebergs.
The further south we ventured, the denser they became and eventually glaciers appeared. Large palaces of ice, hidden with deadly crevasses and fault lines.
Booms like thunder filled the sky when ice carved off and parts fell to the sea.
An impressive green of moss and lichens coated the rocks.
These Antarctic mosses are old growth forests of this inhospitable land.
Without other plants to outcompete them, they can grow to 400 years old.
Deception Island was the perfect location for a polar plunge as we stripped down to our bathing suits and dived in. It is an active volcano with a collapsed centre holding water and at 3C, it was quite the refreshment.
Penguin highways were mapped out in the snow as they made their way back from foraging trips.
Their colonies were a sensory explosion with the assaulting smell of guano invading my nostrils and the drawn-out calls of adults filling the air.
No trip is without its hiccups.
Like when we were jammed between two storms, when sea sickness got a grip, and when various passages were too icy to access.
But there’s nothing better than a group of caring women to tackle those problems with.
Antarctica has lost 3 trillion tonnes of ice in past 25 years and is disproportionately threatened by climate change.
As a globally owned continent, we all have a responsibility to manage Antarctica and its unique wildlife.
As a citizen, you can help by lobbying your politicians to meet the Paris Agreement on climate change and reducing carbon emissions.
Everyone can write a letter to their local politician, I even sent one to Scott Morrison from Antarctica.
Dr Deborah Bower Lecturer in Ecosystem Rehabilitation School of Environmental and Rural Science University of New England