In Antarctica, the only surprise attack might come from a playful penguin pecking at your ankles. The big difference between north and south is the need for Arctic guides to carry rifles due to the threat of polar bears. Whether you visit the Arctic or Antarctic, shore landings by Zodiac are a highlight of every expedition. The good news is that it's calm seas once you reach Antarctica and I estimate less than half of those who are seasick heading south are seasick on the return voyage вЂ“В most now have their sea legs.' David McGonigal, Expedition Leader for One Ocean Expeditions THE LANDINGS Mostly you just have some rolling and pitching. While it can be rough that's not very often вЂ“В about as often as it's dead calm. 'After 100-plusВ voyages to Antarctica I've spent more than a year of my life in the Drake Passage. Pressure bands, over-the-counter medications and not overeating (or drinking) for the first few days can help.Д®xpedition ship, Orion, pushes gingerly through the pack ice. However, any body of water can be rough, given the right mix of conditions. It takes about two days, but the time passes quickly, with bird watching, scientific lectures and the honing of that most important skill вЂ“В not spilling your G&T.ДЄccessing the Arctic is generally a smoother ride, with charter flights capable of bringing passengers closer to the ice before boarding expedition ships. Rite ofВ passage or water torture? The Drake Passage, that rowdy stretch of water between the tip of South America and the northernmost shores of Antarctica, is perhaps the most feared (or anticipated) crossing in the world. From the comfort of your home this may be hard to visualise, but by coming here you can see it happening before your own eyes.' Dr Andrew Clarke, Emeritus Fellow British Antarctic Survey THE CROSSING 'The Arctic is warming beyond natural trends, sea ice is declining, glaciers are retreating, and polar bear habitats are shrinking. Kayak through an ice slushy among icebergs in Antarctica. On a sobering note, the mean annual air temperature of both the Arctic and Antarctic is continuing to rise, with both poles experiencing record lows in sea ice extent in 2016. Such asВ Antarctica's Iceberg Alley, where an armada of blue bergs stretches to the horizon, or Svalbard's Austfonna ice cap, one of the largest in the world. Under a leaden sky you'll learn a whole new vocabulary вЂ“В bergy bits, growlers, floaters and drifters вЂ“В and see wonders you could only dream about. Kayak through an ice slushy hear the clap of a calving glacier and watch as halos and arcs dance across a frozen sea. A welded wilderness of drama and light, where ice palaces stand as tall as skyscrapers and pack ice floats like fragments of broken china. This is what you travel to the ends of the earth for вЂ“В ice. In the Arctic they go for the polar bears, but often leave remembering the dazzling change of colours and wide open spaces of the tundra.' Sven Lindblad, CEO Lindblad Expeditions THE ICE 'Most people go to the Antarctic for the penguins, but often leave most inspired by the massive ice bergs. New itineraries to the High Arctic including Baffin and Ellesmere islands, Greenland's east coast and a circumnavigation of Iceland, and more fly/cruise options haveВ brought the polar regions tantalisingly closer for more Australians.ДЄ cruise to Arctic Svalbard is one of the best way to see bears on ice. Thawing of military restrictions has also seen sections of the north-eastern Siberian coastline open for expedition passengers. Changes in Arctic sea ice conditions mean that the North-West Passage, connecting the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, is now open, so too Russia's North-East Passage (Northern Sea Route). Today, both regions are more accessible than ever before, with new routes, itineraries and ships providing rare opportunities that the early explorers could only have imagined. While modern-day travellers have it easy вЂ“ no rationing, no snacking on seal blubber вЂ“they are still driven by the same desires as the early polar pioneers: to accumulate knowledge and experience the world's last great wilderness. Cherry-Garrard's book is a riveting account of the heroics and hardships endured by the expedition team on Scott's ill-fated race to the South Pole. 'Polar exploration is at once the cleanest and most isolated way of having a bad time which has been devised,' wrote Apsley Cherry-Garrard in his 1922 memoir, The Worst Journey in the World. The polar regions offer spectacular photo opportunities, but make sure you take a backup device as conditions are challenging for electronics.

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