TOP
Exploring Tourism in Chile
Chile
icon Worldwideicon
Places to Visit Details

Chilean Antartic Territory

Antartic, Chile

 

The Chilean Antarctic Province is the biggest province in the country, considering it includes the Navarino Island, the Chilean Antarctica and two national parks, Alberto de Agostini and Cape Horne. In total, this territory is about 1.250.000 km². It is located on the South Pole, and its capital is Puerto Williams, in the Navarino Island.
The Antarctic Continent, and the bases installed there, are natural reserves dedicated to peace and scientific investigation. For this very reason, all activities that take place in the so called 'white continent', tourist activity included, is done under very strict reglamentations, to maintain the cleanliness and decontamination. All 45 countries which are part of the Antarctic Treaty look after the following of these reglamentations. Chile is one of them. The treaty is an agreement between 45 countries, signed in 1959 by twelve nations; the rest was added after that date. On it, it is written that Antarctica must be used with pacific and scientific ends only, activities planned and informed with anticipation to avoid any sort of conflict.
The ecosystems in Antarctica are very fragile, so it is needed to have extra and special care when it comes to receiving touritst and installing people to live there. All of them must obey the 150 recommendations especified in the Antarctic treaty.
Antarctica is an isolated continent, distant from the rest of civilization in South America, the closest to the white continent, but still thousand of miles away. In spite of its distance, tourist activity has increased in the last decade, considerably, receiving people from all over the globe, who are looking to go places completely different from their own countries and homes. The access is only possible in summer, because the rest of the year the way to get there is covered in ice, which makes it impossible to get to Antarctica.
 
When to go
December - February
 
Location
Antarctica, 614 miles from Punta Arenas.
 
Attractions
Being on the white continent, on the only inhabited base, they're all part of the appeal of Antarctica. Even though the bases are small and constitute even smaller 'towns', you can get a real glimpse of what it means to live on Antarctica all year, with temperatures that sometimes don't go over the 35C below zero. The flora and fauna of the place, even when they?re escarse, are a real sight.
 
How to get there
You can take a flight in Punta Arenas, which takes four hours to get to Antarctica. By water, from Punta Arenas and Puerto Williams, on a trip which takes three and two days, respectively.

Check out more Places to Visit