Antarctica is spectacular, a wilderness of landscapes reduced to a pure haiku of ice, rock, water and sky , filled with wildlife still unafraid of humans. A land of extremes, it is described by a bevy of superlatives – the driest, most inhospitable and isolated continent on Earth. Vast ownerless, Antarctica is unique, and a journey here is like no other.

November to February for ‘ summer’ – or in time for a solar eclipse

Bathing in Deception lsland’s thermally heated Pendulum Cove Taking a cruise on an inflatable rubber dinghy among the icebergs

Scuba diving in McMurdo Sound Visiting the historic explorers’ huts in the Ross Sea region for a taste of the Heroic Era

Having postcards stamped at the Dome, South Pole

Read Ernest Shackleton’s Aurora Australis, the only book ever published in Antarctica, and a personal account of Shackleton’s 1907 – 09 Nimrod expedition;Nikki Gemmell’s Shiver, the of story of a young journalist who finds love and tragedy on an Antarctic journey

Listen to Doug Quin’s Antarctica – a collection of nature recordings, including, seals, penguins and creaking glaciers. Lcestock is an annual rock festival held by staff at McMurdo station, and recordings are often availabie online

Watch Koreyoshi Kurahara’s Antarctuca, the story of sled dogs on a 1958 Japanese expedition. David Attenborough’s Life in the Freezer is a BBC documentary series with excellent wildlife footage

Eat an Antarctic barbecue, set up on deck or even on the ice; early explorers had to make do with penguin and seal

Drink an Antarctic Old Fashion, a bend of bourbon, LifeSavers and snow; travelers may prefer to stick to adding a little ice to their whisky

The ‘A – factor’ ( the local term for the unexpected difficulties caused by the Antarctic environment

lcebergs; penguins; freezing cold; geologists; the South Pole; glaciers; seals; 24 – hour sunlight

No polar bears ( that’s the Arctic ); penguins smell terrible; dehydration and sunburn are real risks

One day, it was announced that the temperature was steadying at around – 101ocF ( -73.9oc ) We burst through the door. l wore nothing but socks, tennis and a neck gaiter over my nose and mouth so my lungs wouldn’t get frostbitten while while l ran… l’m glad l did though l did get a touch of frostbite on my thumbs ( of all places ) – nothing serious. Better my thumbs than somewhere more important!