Antarctica specialist White Desert has welcomed the first guests to its Echo eco-camp, which offers six heated, bedroom sky pods. Echo is located close to White Desert’s Wolf’s Fang camp in Queen Maud Land.
The pods are made from composite fibreglass and are designed for two guests, with interiors featuring retro space-age detailing. They feature floor to ceiling windows looking out across the Antarctic landscape and guests can use a central lounge area, a dining space and heated shower pods.
A spokesperson said: “Futuristic in design, Echo has been created especially for clients who’ve travelled the globe in style and understand the privilege of effecting positive change through travel. Perfect for exclusive use groups, Echo caters for up to 12 guests and allows guests to combine an ultra-luxury experience with a once in lifetime adventure.”
The on-site team includes chefs, hosts and guides. Guests will arrive by plane and be escorted to a private lounge, where a martini – shaken with 10,000 year old ice – will be waiting.
Activities include fat biking, skiing, skidooing (which is similar to a snowmobile) and 4x4 Arctic truck driving, as well as guided hiking, ice-climbing and mountaineering. Guests can also visit Atka Bay to see the 28,000 strong Emperor Penguin colony and take a journey to the South Pole.
Original photos taken from the International Space Station by former commander, White Desert guest and retired astronaut, colonel Terry Virts will be featured in each pod. Describing the landscape around Echo, Virts said: “The mountains are the most beautiful I have seen across Earth, Venus and Mars.”
A sculpture from British-American artist Anthony James is also being displayed at the camp. It’s part of a series of nine pieces costing $320,000 each, and 20% of the proceeds of subsequent sales from the sculptures will be donated to White Desert’s sustainability projects. In 2023/24 White Desert will also offer an Art Expedition journey, led by James.
As with all its camps, White Desert has designed Echo to be dismantled without leaving a trace. The specialist will also use $1,000 per person per trip on its conservation, community and sustainability initiatives.
Prices start from $780,000 for an exclusive group of 12 passengers, or from $65,000pp for a five-day tour, including return flights and transfers from Cape Town to Antarctica, all accommodation, food and drink and activities around the camp.
