Alcohol is available in Antarctica and you will enjoy it. Having travelled to Antarctica a few years back I outline my tips on how to drink alcohol there and in fact this is now a top 6! Get on that boat and see the penguins, but relax while you're doing it. That beer will be cold and sweet.
1. Drinking in Antarctica: On Antarctic land
OK so strictly speaking this is illegal as you should take only water with you on your treks. But on our last landing in Antarctica, myself and 5 others all took a drink each onto the land to toast to our amazing trip. We chose either wine or beer and burst them open by some rocks near the Henry Arctowski Polish Station at Admiralty Bay on King George Island. It is probably the best place I have ever had a beer. Just there in the wilderness with penguins in behind. A must for drinking in Antarctica!
2. Drinking in Antarctica: Out on Deck!
With snowstorms on board the boat and epic views of the landscape, while cruising down the cold continent I can't think of anything better to do than have a beer and admire the views. A great place to relax - even if it is freezing! At least you won't have to keep your beer cold!
3. Drinking in Antarctica: Onboard Bar at Happy Hour
For the budget travellers this is a great option. Each excursion to Antarctica will of course be different, but ours had a Happy Hour from 5 - 6pm every day in the Lounge Bar. This also coincided with the daily gathering of everyone on board in the lounge to discuss the day's events and plan ahead for tomorrow. Our ship, the MS Expedition had two onboard bars and alcohol was available normally after 4pm on each day. There were 3 places to buy booze onboard, these were the two onboard bars and the restaurant:
- The lounge bar on board the boat is open from 4pm - 7pm normally.
- There's a late night bar which opens from around 8pm until whenever!
Alcohol was also available at dinner, served to you in the onboard restaurant, everything you ordered was added to your bill. There was no payment accepted in cash as far as I remember, they just added everything to your bill and you paid at the end of the trip. Be careful not to get too happy though, as even Happy Hour in Antarctica is more expensive than what you are used to!
4. Having a drink in Antarctica - bring some alcohol on-board
Again the cheapskate option and this is the one I used mostly - even the beer I took onto Antarctic land to drink was bought in Argentina and brought on board. There is no real limit on the amount of alcohol you bring onboard, but if you suffer from sea sickness, please note that the Drake Passage is the roughest stretch of water in the world, so you want to avoid the booze on that part of the trip! I brought my own beer and wine and drank it in the cabin or sneaked it into the bar (hardly a big deal considering you've paid loads for this trip!!).
5. Drinking in Antarctica: The Bar at the Ukranian Vernadskiy Station
A great way to enjoy a drink in Antarctica is to actually drink in a bar on the cold continent. You're in luck! There is a bar at the Ukrainian Vernadskiy Station which even serves its own vodka. They actually make a vodka in Antarctica and you can sample it here.
6. Having a drink in Antarctica - head to the South Pole and celebrate with a drink
Visiting the south pole is one of the best travelling things you can do on planet earth, so what better way to celebrate than by cracking open a beer to celebrate! Congratulations!
Having a beer at the South Pole must be a beer drinker's dream.
If you have managed to do all six of these I salute you!! I was happy with the four I managed to get in on my amazing Antarctica adventure back in 2010.
1. Drinking in Antarctica: On Antarctic land
OK so strictly speaking this is illegal as you should take only water with you on your treks. But on our last landing in Antarctica, myself and 5 others all took a drink each onto the land to toast to our amazing trip. We chose either wine or beer and burst them open by some rocks near the Henry Arctowski Polish Station at Admiralty Bay on King George Island. It is probably the best place I have ever had a beer. Just there in the wilderness with penguins in behind. A must for drinking in Antarctica!
2. Drinking in Antarctica: Out on Deck!
With snowstorms on board the boat and epic views of the landscape, while cruising down the cold continent I can't think of anything better to do than have a beer and admire the views. A great place to relax - even if it is freezing! At least you won't have to keep your beer cold!
3. Drinking in Antarctica: Onboard Bar at Happy Hour
For the budget travellers this is a great option. Each excursion to Antarctica will of course be different, but ours had a Happy Hour from 5 - 6pm every day in the Lounge Bar. This also coincided with the daily gathering of everyone on board in the lounge to discuss the day's events and plan ahead for tomorrow. Our ship, the MS Expedition had two onboard bars and alcohol was available normally after 4pm on each day. There were 3 places to buy booze onboard, these were the two onboard bars and the restaurant:
- The lounge bar on board the boat is open from 4pm - 7pm normally.
- There's a late night bar which opens from around 8pm until whenever!
Alcohol was also available at dinner, served to you in the onboard restaurant, everything you ordered was added to your bill. There was no payment accepted in cash as far as I remember, they just added everything to your bill and you paid at the end of the trip. Be careful not to get too happy though, as even Happy Hour in Antarctica is more expensive than what you are used to!
4. Having a drink in Antarctica - bring some alcohol on-board
Again the cheapskate option and this is the one I used mostly - even the beer I took onto Antarctic land to drink was bought in Argentina and brought on board. There is no real limit on the amount of alcohol you bring onboard, but if you suffer from sea sickness, please note that the Drake Passage is the roughest stretch of water in the world, so you want to avoid the booze on that part of the trip! I brought my own beer and wine and drank it in the cabin or sneaked it into the bar (hardly a big deal considering you've paid loads for this trip!!).
5. Drinking in Antarctica: The Bar at the Ukranian Vernadskiy Station
A great way to enjoy a drink in Antarctica is to actually drink in a bar on the cold continent. You're in luck! There is a bar at the Ukrainian Vernadskiy Station which even serves its own vodka. They actually make a vodka in Antarctica and you can sample it here.
6. Having a drink in Antarctica - head to the South Pole and celebrate with a drink
Visiting the south pole is one of the best travelling things you can do on planet earth, so what better way to celebrate than by cracking open a beer to celebrate! Congratulations!
Having a beer at the South Pole must be a beer drinker's dream.
If you have managed to do all six of these I salute you!! I was happy with the four I managed to get in on my amazing Antarctica adventure back in 2010.
About the Author:
For more stuff like Drinking in Antarctica visit Don't Stop Living, the nomadic website of Jonny Blair for more stories and tips.