I was thinking about my Antarctica trip recently, and how I managed to drink in 4 different places on the trip (OK I'm cheating as three of them were onboard the boat!!!). But I thought I'd give all you Antarctic bound travellers some tips on how you can drink in Antarctica, yes there is even a bar there, there is even a Happy Hour and drinking in Antarctica is part of the experience to the world's southern most continent. Here's my Top 6 places to drink in Antarctica (of which I drank in only 4 of them, as sadly 2 of them we didn't visit)! One of my favourite Thirsty Thursdays to date.
1. Alcohol in Antarctica - drinking on Antarctic land
OK so strictly speaking this is illegal as you should take only water with you on your treks. But on our last landing in Antarctica, myself and 5 others all took a drink each onto the land to toast to our amazing trip. We chose either wine or beer and burst them open by some rocks near the Henry Arctowski Polish Station at Admiralty Bay on King George Island. It is probably the best place I have ever had a beer. Just there in the wilderness with penguins in behind. A must for drinking in Antarctica!
2. Alcohol in Antarctica - a drink on the deck of the boat!
Having an ice cold beer out on deck while sailing down Antarctica was a dream of mine and I did it. It's a great way to relax and admire the epic views out of the window of the ship. As you cruise through blizzards, snowstorms and icebergs, get out on deck and admire the scenery over a cold pint of beer, at least the beer will be the perfect temperature!
3. Drinking in Antarctica: Onboard Bar at Happy Hour
If you're on a tight budget, have no fear, happy hour is here! On board your boat you should be able to take full advantage of the Happy Hour meaning you can enjoy your backpacker lifestyle while sailing down the world's epic cold continent.
- There's a lounge bar on the boat which is usually open from 4pm - 7pm everyday.
- There's a late night bar which opens from around 8pm until whenever!
Alcohol was also available at dinner, served to you in the onboard restaurant, everything you ordered was added to your bill. There was no payment accepted in cash as far as I remember, they just added everything to your bill and you paid at the end of the trip. Be careful not to get too happy though, as even Happy Hour in Antarctica is more expensive than what you are used to!
4. Drinking in Antarctica: Bring Your Own Alcohol
This is also a backpacker style option and where the real money saving is - buy some beer in Argentina and bring it on board to enjoy with your travel buddies!
5. Drinking in Antarctica: The Bar at the Ukranian Vernadskiy Station
OK this could well be a regret in life, but on our trip we just didn't make it to the bar or even to the actual Ukrainian Vernadskiy Station, which not only has a cool bar but even makes its own hot pepper Vodka (I'm not even kidding). The Vernadskiy Research Station is the longest continually running one on the entire continent. It was the British that put the pub there when they owned it!!! We were caught up in a crazy snowstorm off the coast of Petermann Island, and seeing an Argentine Research Station from the boat was the closest we got to the set of Argentine Islands where the Vernadskiy Station sits.
6. Having a drink in Antarctica - head to the South Pole and celebrate with a drink
This would be the ultimate planet earth beer, and we didn't go that far, but it can be done. It's costly to get to the South Pole and if you do make it and manage to acclimatise, you will be pleased to know you can have a celebratory tipple, or if you really want to be a cheapskate, bring your own! There was a beer shipped out there last year called Pole Axed!
Imagine having a beer at the South Pole!
If you have managed to do all six of these I salute you!! I was happy with the four I managed to get in on my amazing Antarctica adventure back in 2010.
1. Alcohol in Antarctica - drinking on Antarctic land
OK so strictly speaking this is illegal as you should take only water with you on your treks. But on our last landing in Antarctica, myself and 5 others all took a drink each onto the land to toast to our amazing trip. We chose either wine or beer and burst them open by some rocks near the Henry Arctowski Polish Station at Admiralty Bay on King George Island. It is probably the best place I have ever had a beer. Just there in the wilderness with penguins in behind. A must for drinking in Antarctica!
2. Alcohol in Antarctica - a drink on the deck of the boat!
Having an ice cold beer out on deck while sailing down Antarctica was a dream of mine and I did it. It's a great way to relax and admire the epic views out of the window of the ship. As you cruise through blizzards, snowstorms and icebergs, get out on deck and admire the scenery over a cold pint of beer, at least the beer will be the perfect temperature!
3. Drinking in Antarctica: Onboard Bar at Happy Hour
If you're on a tight budget, have no fear, happy hour is here! On board your boat you should be able to take full advantage of the Happy Hour meaning you can enjoy your backpacker lifestyle while sailing down the world's epic cold continent.
- There's a lounge bar on the boat which is usually open from 4pm - 7pm everyday.
- There's a late night bar which opens from around 8pm until whenever!
Alcohol was also available at dinner, served to you in the onboard restaurant, everything you ordered was added to your bill. There was no payment accepted in cash as far as I remember, they just added everything to your bill and you paid at the end of the trip. Be careful not to get too happy though, as even Happy Hour in Antarctica is more expensive than what you are used to!
4. Drinking in Antarctica: Bring Your Own Alcohol
This is also a backpacker style option and where the real money saving is - buy some beer in Argentina and bring it on board to enjoy with your travel buddies!
5. Drinking in Antarctica: The Bar at the Ukranian Vernadskiy Station
OK this could well be a regret in life, but on our trip we just didn't make it to the bar or even to the actual Ukrainian Vernadskiy Station, which not only has a cool bar but even makes its own hot pepper Vodka (I'm not even kidding). The Vernadskiy Research Station is the longest continually running one on the entire continent. It was the British that put the pub there when they owned it!!! We were caught up in a crazy snowstorm off the coast of Petermann Island, and seeing an Argentine Research Station from the boat was the closest we got to the set of Argentine Islands where the Vernadskiy Station sits.
6. Having a drink in Antarctica - head to the South Pole and celebrate with a drink
This would be the ultimate planet earth beer, and we didn't go that far, but it can be done. It's costly to get to the South Pole and if you do make it and manage to acclimatise, you will be pleased to know you can have a celebratory tipple, or if you really want to be a cheapskate, bring your own! There was a beer shipped out there last year called Pole Axed!
Imagine having a beer at the South Pole!
If you have managed to do all six of these I salute you!! I was happy with the four I managed to get in on my amazing Antarctica adventure back in 2010.
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For more articles like Drinking in Antarctica visit Don't Stop Living, the nomadic website from Jonny Blair for more tales and tips.
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