Antarctica, fly-in camp · Antarctica

White Desert

Queen Maud Land, Antarctica (flies from Cape Town, South Africa)

The only operator that flies guests into the Antarctic interior by private jetThree intimate camps, each just six pods for a maximum of twelve guestsThe Geographic South Pole and emperor-penguin colonies

Super-deluxe

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Location

Deep in the interior

White Desert's camps sit in Queen Maud Land, deep in the Antarctic interior, reached on a roughly five-hour private jet from Cape Town to a blue-ice runway at Wolf's Fang, among the Drygalski Mountains.

Transfer

A private jet from Cape Town

Guests fly by private jet from Cape Town, South Africa, landing on a blue-ice runway; the flight and all logistics are part of the bespoke programme, with light-aircraft hops between camps and to the Pole.

Villas

Three camps, twelve guests each

Three camps, each just six pods for a maximum of twelve guests: Whichaway in a Shackleton-era leather-and-brass style, the futuristic Echo Sky Pods and Wolf's Fang at the runway and logistics hub, all heated, en-suite, with floor-to-ceiling windows onto the Drygalski Mountains. No published per-pod sizes. The pods are spaced for privacy and silence, the only neighbours the mountains and the endless light of the polar summer.

Best For

Who it suits

Travellers seeking the rarest, most exclusive Antarctic experience — sleeping on the ice in the interior, reaching the South Pole and emperor penguins — on a bespoke, enquiry-led basis, far beyond where any ship can go. There is no comparable way to sleep deep in the Antarctic interior and stand at the Geographic South Pole on the same trip.

Board Basis

Fully bespoke all-inclusive

Programmes are fully bespoke and all-inclusive: the private jet from Cape Town, all meals and drinks, guides and excursions, arranged by enquiry, with a chef-prepared menu and an ice bar deep in the interior.

Overview

The only way to fly into the Antarctic interior in luxury

White Desert is the only operator that flies guests into the Antarctic interior by private jet, landing on a blue-ice runway after a roughly five-hour flight from Cape Town. Three intimate camps take just twelve guests each — Whichaway in a Shackleton-era leather-and-brass style, the futuristic Echo Sky Pods named among the world's best, and Wolf's Fang at the runway and logistics hub — all heated, en-suite, with floor-to-ceiling windows onto the Drygalski Mountains. The camps sit in Queen Maud Land, deep in the interior, a world of blue-ice runways, wind-sculpted nunataks and silence broken only by the wind, where gourmet dining and an ice bar are set far from any settlement. Bespoke all-inclusive programmes reach the Geographic South Pole and the Amundsen-Scott station, the emperor-penguin colonies of Atka Bay few ever see, and blue rivers, ice tunnels and caves carved into the plateau. Carbon-neutral since 2007, with a short season running late November to December. The most exclusive Antarctic experience on Earth, arranged by enquiry.

Accommodation

Three camps, the real room types

Three camps each take just twelve guests across six pods — Whichaway in a Shackleton-era leather-and-brass style, the futuristic Echo Sky Pods named among the world's best, and Wolf's Fang at the runway and logistics hub. All are heated and en-suite, with floor-to-ceiling windows onto the Drygalski Mountains and the polar plateau, the camps set deep in Queen Maud Land where the only sound is the wind and the only light the endless Antarctic day.

Original

Whichaway Camp

Sleeps two per pod. Six en-suite pods, a maximum of twelve guests, in a Shackleton-era leather-and-brass style with glass conservatories, on exposed rock beside freshwater lakes in Queen Maud Land.

Six podsMaximum twelve guests

Futuristic

Echo Camp

Sleeps two per pod. Six futuristic fibreglass Sky Pods, a maximum of twelve guests, with floor-to-ceiling windows, en-suite showers and electric blankets, named among the world's best.

Sky PodsMaximum twelve guests

Hub

Wolf's Fang Camp

Sleeps two per pod. Pods for a maximum of twelve guests at the blue-ice runway and logistics hub, the arrival point for the interior.

At the runwayMaximum twelve guests

Food & Drink

Dining

Gourmet dining and an ice bar are set deep in the interior, the chef-prepared, sustainable menu and the champagne over ancient ice all the more remarkable for being served hundreds of miles from any settlement. Excursion picnics on the ice carry the same care out into the field between expeditions. Wines are flown in with the guests, and the kitchen runs to a standard that would not be out of place in a city, all the more striking for the blue-ice runway and the wind-scoured peaks beyond the window.

Signature

Gourmet camp dining

Gourmet camp dining, a chef-prepared, sustainable menu in the interior.

Bar

The ice bar

The ice bar, champagne over ancient ice.

Field

Excursion picnics

Excursion picnics, on the ice, between expeditions.

Activities & Experiences

Signature Experiences

The South Pole, emperor penguins and the ice itself define a journey — fly to the Geographic South Pole and the Amundsen-Scott station, stand among the emperor-penguin colonies of Atka Bay, and explore blue rivers, ice tunnels and caves carved into the plateau. Glacier rappelling, ice climbing and cross-country skiing across the plateau fill the days, with expert guides at every step. A flight to the South Pole crosses hundreds of miles of untouched plateau, the emperor colonies at Atka Bay number thousands of birds, and the ice caves glow an impossible blue from within.