Pico Iyer Discovers Antarctica

Pico Iyer is a British-born essayist and novelist whose bestselling works include Aflame: Learning from Silence, Video Night in Kathmandu, The Lady and the Monk and The Global Soul. This count of his maiden voyage around Antarctica originally appeared in the Financial Times.

I travelled to Antarctica aboard Silver Cloud. This trip was meant to be a pot of gold at the end of my seven month-long book tour and it did not disappoint. I’m an urban person by nature, but this part of the world was beyond beautiful, and the 10 days we spent aboard the ship were some of the most memorable of my life.

From Patagonia to Tibet to Tahiti to Zanzibar, I’ve trekked all over the world, but the spaciousness and silence I found in this remote region was incomparable. My wife and I began our journey in Santa Barbara, California, flew to Buenos Aires and on to Tierra del Fuego – a place I’d dreamed about since I was a young boy. Together with 200 other engaging fellow travellers – many of whom had PhDs in ornithology and biology – we set off on an adventure full of huge horizons and endless blue-sky days spent walking amongst penguin colonies and watching whales.

For some, the most feared part of a trip to Antarctica is the iconic Drake Passage – the turbulent body of water that you must pass through to reach your destination. One day of discomfort for 10 days of radiance was completely worth it, and the savvy travellers all came prepared with patches and medications. The A+ medical staff were always on hand if anyone needed anything, and the delicious room service meals made the passage a pleasure. Silversea now offers another way to get to Antarctica, as well; Antarctica Bridge allows travellers to fly from Punta Arenas, Chile (in early January 2026, the flights will go from Puerto Williams to King George Island), thereby saving several days on either end.

My wife and are I were a little apprehensive about clothing, so we packed many layers for various conditions. Upon our arrival, we were presented with everything we could’ve needed – personalized thick red jackets, extra socks and boots – that were all just the right size. The only gear that I highly recommend is a pair of thick-soled boots for hours spent walking on the ice. We ended up leaving our pair behind, as many travellers do, for use future arctic explorers.

With just nine other passengers, our days were spent on Zodiac excursions, sailing amidst celestial ice sculptures and observing the penguins and their swimming rituals. The breaching whales, orcas swimming alongside our boat and the leopard seals basking on icebergs made these daily voyages pure meditative rapture. From the sprawling landscape to the rare wildlife, Antarctica was filled with new sights and sounds every day – there was never a dull moment. This extended to life on the ship, as well: informative lecture series, nightly variety shows, an incredibly robust library and three world-class restaurants to choose from made for a very convivial setting. One of our favourite daily rituals was simply walking around the ship’s deck and savouring the silence – a rarity that we all crave in our accelerated world.

Before this cruise, global warming was an abstraction to me. The majesty of the place really woke me up to the importance of protecting our environment – from the sounds of ice calving to watching the Cormorants nest. Whether you’re a lay explorer or the most sophisticated scientist, a trip here sends you home being more aware of our inexhaustibly huge planet and leaves you eager for the next great adventure.