THE CAMP 

Inspired by the seminal age of Space exploration, Echo sits in quiet solitude encircled by pitted rock formations. Echo is as close as you can get to feeling like you’re off the planet without leaving Earth.

The space-age design of the ‘Sky Pods’ makes them look like they’ve been beamed down from Mars. Futuristic and luxurious, the six bedrooms are created from composite fibreglass with floor to ceiling windows allowing guests to soak in the moon-like landscape beyond.

Original photos taken from the International Space Station (ISS) by former Commander, White Desert guest and retired astronaut, colonel Terry Virts will be featured in each pod. Says Virts of the Echo landscape, “The mountains are the most beautiful I have seen across Earth, Venus and Mars.”

Perfect for exclusive use groups and catering for up to 12 people, Echo allows guests to combine an ultra-luxury experience with a once in lifetime adventure on the 7^th Continent. As with all White Desert’s camps, Echo is designed to be dismantled, leaving no trace on the Antarctic landscape.

Original photos were taken from the International Space Station (ISS) by former Commander, White Desert guest, and retired astronaut, Colonel Terry Virts will be featured in each pod. Says Virts of the Echo landscape, “The mountains are the most beautiful I have seen across Earth, Venus and Mars.”

White Desert is the brainchild of  husband and wife team, Patrick and Robyn Woodhead, two polar explorers who sunk their life savings into creating one of the most exclusive luxury camps on the planet.

White Desert is a luxury adventure company that offers a private jet service to the 7th continent departing from Cape Town, South Africa. The super-exclusive service, maxing out at just 12 guests per trip, has attracted some high-profile guests such as astronaut Buzz Aldrin, Bear Grylls and Prince Harry. On each trip, a private jet flies guests 2,400 miles over the Southern Ocean and lands on a blue ice runway where the sun shines for 24 continuous hours. It’s the perfect trip for thrill-seekers who want to travel the globe in luxury and experience an authentic Antarctic adventure.

While more than 30,000 travellers visit the periphery of Antarctica by cruise a year, fewer than 800 tourists a year venture into the interior of this last great wilderness, partly because it’s so difficult to get to, partly because of the cost.  White Desert hosts about 100 visitors a year, giving those lucky few guests a chance to explore neon-blue ice tunnels, get an up-close look at a colony of 28,000 Emperor penguins and a visit to the South Pole to experience the real Antarctica.

For the upcoming season and beyond, White Desert is offering guests a range of private jet trips. Their signature experience “South Pole & Emperors“ is an 8-day trip into the very heart of Antarctica. Starting at White Desert’s Whichaway camp, guests will fly two hours along the dramatic coast to visit a 28,000-strong Emperor penguin colony of adults and chicks – one of the most remote and rarely viewed wildlife spectacles on Earth. Further highlights include a visit to the geographic South Pole, the lowest point on Earth. Also available this season is the 5 day “Early Emperors“ adventure and the “Greatest Day“ trip – a 24-hour trip to Antarctica – perfect for time strapped individuals wishing to experience a taste of the Great White Continent.

Bookings are now open for the upcoming season.