The other major way to tour Antarctica is through an overflight.  These flights usually leave from Australia with 8-10 flights per season (AAD).  These planes do not land, they just fly over.  The cost can range between $800 and $2,500, again not including the travel cost to Australia.

Tourists can also fly to Antarctica, but the costs are usually very high and this is not a popular method.  The other option is to charter a private vessel or yacht.

Things to do in Antarctica:

• View wildlife
• Ski
• Mountains Climb
• Photography
• Kayak
• Camping
• Scuba diving
• Explore

Potential Impacts of Tourism in Antarctica (aad)

• Littering
• Taking biological or historically significant items
• Pollution (oil spills or sewage)
• Introduction of disease
• Disturbance to breeding wildlife
• Impact to landing sites

For the most part, our sources state that there has not been much impact from tourism to Antarctica.  This is because of two reason.  First, the number of tourists is relatively low, and so the impacts are low.  Secondly, the environment in Antarctica is not yet fully understood, and so impacts could be going undetected.  The International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators states that its tour operators will continue to take a “precautionary approach” in planning their tours while they wait for more scientific information.  This means they will plan their tours with care and try not to cause any environmental damage, obvious or not.