Waypoint Journeys Presents
South Pole & Blue Rivers
Antarctica · Whichaway or Echo, and 90° South
8 Days · Late-season departures on request
Cape Town · Wolf's Fang · The Blue Rivers · 90° South — Fly-In Antarctica with White Desert
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Rivers That Exist for a Few Weeks a Year
Summer meltwater reveals vivid blue channels in the Antarctic ice. Exploring this changing landscape on foot is the defining experience of the Blue Rivers programme.
The journey also reaches the Geographic South Pole, travelling via Dixie's Camp and returning there for an overnight stay on the High Polar Plateau.
Stay at Whichaway Camp in the Schirmacher Oasis or Echo Base beneath the mountains. White Desert confirms the camp, departure dates and operating programme before booking.
"Channels of ancient glacial meltwater carve vivid sapphire and aquamarine paths through the ice, and then, a few weeks later, they are gone."
A River Through the Ice, the Geographic Pole, and a Night on the Plateau
Reach the Blue Rivers after approximately half an hour of travel and a two-hour hike. After a picnic, allow another two hours for the return walk. Conditions determine the route.
Fly south by Basler aircraft via Dixie's Camp to the Geographic South Pole. Stand at 90° South, take photographs and stamp your passport, then return to Dixie's for a night under canvas on the High Polar Plateau.
Fly from Cape Town to White Desert's blue-ice runway at Wolf's Fang, then transfer to your Antarctic camp.
Whichaway Camp is the original: heated domes on the shore of a frozen lake in the Schirmacher Oasis, one of the rare ice-free corners of the continent. Echo Base is a line of glass-fronted pods built to feel like a station on another planet, set beneath the mountains. Each takes twelve guests; the rivers, the Pole and the guides are the same from either.
Explore with the camp guides, from walks and viewpoints to more demanding mountain activities. The available terrain and activities differ between Whichaway and Echo.
Cape Town is your gateway. Attend the mandatory safety briefing, check your kit and leave room in your plans for Antarctic weather delays. We can help arrange time in South Africa before or after the expedition.
The Expedition
White Desert's eight-day sample programme. The operator may reorder days for weather and flying conditions; camp and departure details are confirmed at booking.
Fly south to Antarctica and transfer to camp. Settle in after the journey and meet your guides.
A guided hike introduces the surrounding mountains and ice, with viewpoints and a picnic selected for conditions.
Fly south by Basler aircraft via Dixie's Camp to the Geographic South Pole. Stand at 90° South, take photographs and stamp your passport, then return to Dixie's for a night under canvas on the High Polar Plateau.
After breakfast, fly back to the main camp and enjoy a relaxed evening following the South Pole journey.
Choose from guided activities or a quieter day at camp, with time to hear the expedition team’s stories.
Travel to the walking route, then hike approximately two hours to the rivers. Picnic and explore before the two-hour return walk through the Schirmacher Oasis landscape.
Join the mountain guides for a more challenging hike among exposed rock and ice. Discuss the route and its demands with your guide.
Transfer to Wolf's Fang for the return flight to Cape Town. Flight timing depends on conditions; allow two days after the scheduled return before your onward flight.
What's Included
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Common Questions About This Expedition
Original Antarctic destination illustrations.
Expedition Investment
per person sharing, Whichaway Camp or Echo Base
White Desert's published rate includes Antarctic return flights and programme transfers, seven nights in Antarctica including Dixie's Camp, meals and standard drinks, guiding, and selected loan clothing. Departure details are confirmed before booking.
Commercial flights to Cape Town, Cape Town accommodation and meals, insurance, required clothing beyond specified loan items, delay expenses, excess baggage, satellite phone use, purchases and gratuities. Late-season departures on request.
Reserve Your SpotThere is no crime in Antarctica; the risks are weather, cold and remoteness, and this operation is built around all three. White Desert has flown guests to the interior for two decades, runs its own runway, aircraft, field camps and medical cover, and cancels or delays a flight whenever conditions say so, which is why we ask you to keep two days' slack in Cape Town on either side. The plateau is high (Dixie's Camp at about 2,640 metres, the Pole at 2,835) and dry, so guests are briefed on altitude and hydration; the cold is managed with the issued clothing and a guide who watches for it. The Blue Rivers walk is on open ice and rock with a guide leading the line, and the rivers are admired from the bank. Medical clearance within 30 days and specialist insurance are conditions of travel, and we help arrange both.
