It's a nice day for a white wedding in Antarctica
IAN STALKER
Britain-based Red Savannah has created a particularly cool way of celebrating newlywed bliss.
The company is inviting couples who are looking to celebrate their big day differently this year to explore parts of Antarctica with its Celebrating a White Wedding in a White Desert experience, a marked contrast to the tropical locales those who have just tied the knot often opt for.
Wedding parties of up to 12 people can fly from Cape Town in the December-March period, traveling over the Southern Ocean to Wolf’s Fang runway in Antarctica. They then begin their celebration with a wedding breakfast on ice, cake-cutting ceremony and champagne in the Snow Lounge upon arrival, along with zip-lining, exploring ice tunnels and fat-biking underneath the continent’s 24-hour summer daylight.
Travellers who spend more than one day can stay at Echo, a new Polar camp comprised of six private pods with a futuristic floor-to-ceiling window design that overlooks a vast expanse of snow and ice and the peaks of a range of nunataks on the horizon. Each pod contains a central communal space and dining area where cuisine using South African produce paired with award-winning wines is served. Couples who want to find a way to unwind can stay at Whichaway Camp, where they can relax inside a wellness space and sauna pod on the shores of the freshwater lake of the Schirmacher Oasis.
Sarah-Leigh Shenton, Red Savannah’s director of marketing, says visiting the area during the December-March summer season means visitors won’t find bone-chilling temperatures.
“It’s not too different from being on the ski slopes in the Alps,” she says, adding the visitors to the area will likely encounter temperatures of around -5 to -7 Celsius.
In contrast, South Pole temperatures at that time may be -25 -and colder if there’s a wind chill.
All activities throughout the experience are bespoke and include different ways travellers can experience the beauty of Antarctica, such as visiting a 28,000-strong Emperor Penguin colony, nunatak walks, ice and mountain climbing, Arctic Truck safaris, Skidoo tours and a trip to the South Pole for a special champagne picnic to celebrate saying “I do.”
Shenton promises the trips will be memorable.
“Antarctica is truly unique and a visit to the 7th continent is an experience to be remembered as long as the wedding itself,” she says. “There is absolutely nowhere else comparable on the planet.”
Prices start from $250,000, and include return flights and transfers from Cape Town to Antarctica, accommodations, food and beverages, and activities. $1,000 per person will be pledged for conservation and sustainability initiatives. Red Savannah can also organize a custom vacation in South Africa either pre- or post-Antarctica.
Meanwhile, Shenton says there are understandably no plans to offer the trips during Antactica’s winter.
“Antarctica winter is too severe and all tourism operations cease (during that season),” she reports. “In the winter, the continent is in darkness, with temperatures regularly dropping to -50 and sometimes -80 in the interior.
“It’s not a time for romance.”
More information can be found at redsavannah.com.
