How to explore Antarctica whatever your budget

Bucket list destinations don’t come any more spectacular than this. Nowhere on Earth can compare to the white wilderness of Antarctica, the seventh continent, where snow-covered mountaintops give way to huge ice shelves, giant glaciers and the raw, wild beauty of the polar ice cap.

What could be better than following in the footsteps of history’s greatest explorers Captain James Cook to Roald Amundsen and Captain Robert Falcon Scott – you can still see their huts literally frozen in time – or watching Emperor or Rockhopper penguins snuggle up and sleep next to curious human visitors?

From visiting the world’s most southerly bar at Vernadsky Research base, where they distil their own vodka, to watching the Southern Lights dancing in the skies high above the frozen landscape, or plunging into the ocean at Deception Bay, where a volcano warms the waters, there’s a grandeur and majesty on an epic scale here.

Whether it’s your own Antarctic adventure you want to star in – how about flying over the craggy crevices of a glacier or miles and miles of pristine snow in a helicopter or dancing on ice in a ballgown for the epitome of style? – or to simply get up close to some of the most incredible wildlife and nature on the planet, there’s an extraordinary way to do it: on a cruise.

Even better, Paramount Cruises, an independent cruise specialist in London, can create the perfect trip, combining myriad destinations, and taking into account all your wants and desires to create great value packages.

We like to call them the ultimate cruise genies as they can magically put together dream vacations which involve cruise-only trips or cruise and stay.

These tailor-made trips from the family-owned company are called ‘Paramount Packages’ and the boutique travel agency can offer impartial advice, highly personal service and work with all the major cruise lines to offer a cruise vacation to remember.

They even have long-standing links with all the airlines, including Virgin, British Airways and Emirates, so you can fly to your dream destination in style. No wonder they’re the best-rated cruise specialist agency on Trustpilot.

That means you could combine a trip to Buenos Aires, the South American city that never sleeps, and take a visit to La Boca, the birthplace of the Tango, during a pre-cruise hotel stay in the Argentinian hotspot.

After exploring for three days, it’s then time to embarking the Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Star, your new floating home away from home, and head to Puerto Madryn, the gateway to remote wildlife preserves and Argentine Patagonia.

Next stop is Punta Arenas in Chile, which was originally a sparse penal colony, followed by Ushuaia, Argentina, famous for its rugged beauty of lakes, mountains, sea and forests.

Cameras at the ready as you cruise the horseshoe-shaped Deception Island, in the South Shetland Islands, where you can see the largest group of penguins in the Antarctica Peninsula – and possibly the world.

Snap the waddling chinstrap penguins before braving the water with a polar plunge off the island’s black sandy beach which has been warmed by the active volcano there – the only hot spot in this frozen dessert of a landscape.

There are more penguins on Elephant Island, which was named after the giant elephant seals that line its shores, and because it’s shaped like an elephant’s head. Step ashore at Port Stanley, the capital of the Falkland Islands, and discover a tiny coastal town with a jail that can only hold 13 inmates.

Visit the Anglican Christ Church Cathedral – the most southern cathedral in the world, before cruising to Punta del Este, Uruguay, the Saint-Tropez of Latin America.

Watch giant waves crashing at la Brava or soak up the sun on a beach along the 20-mile shoreline in this summer playground before returning to Buenos Aires at the end of trip that’s truly a blend of fire and ice.

As a member of CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association), Paramount Cruises’ highly experienced team can offer unique great value cruise and stay vacations, with no hidden costs.

You can even contact them through Facebook, online chat, email, phone and call back with no hold times. All packages are available with regional flights (supplements may apply) so you can sit back, relax, and let them do all the hard work to make your next vacation truly amazing.

In association with: Paramount Cruises