The Antarctic used to seem as unreachable as the moon. Only few would go, and of those few, even fewer would come back. It seemed like a dark and vast wilderness that wasn’t the kind of wild that could ever be tamed. But now, it still sits and is becoming increasingly more accessible.

Tour to the Antarctic are nowhere near cheap. Starting at $4000 for a couple days, you can say you’ve been and see the impressive glaciers and the untamed wildlife. But for those who actually want to explore and truly say that they’ve been there, there are tours offered that last as long as 15 days. Starting at the southernmost tip of Argentina and take off towards the unclaimed land.

Once there you can see places such as; Tierra del Fuego, the Drake Passage, the Beagle Channel, South Shetland Islands and end with the colorful city of Punta Arenas. What’s most visually stunning is the glaciers that calve into the crystal clear blue waters below, the mountains that are reaching towards the sky as if touching with their fingertips. It’s almost surreal.

For those who love wildlife, the Antarctic is your opportunity to get extremely up close and personal to a few of the world’s cutest animals. On South Georgia Island, there are hundreds of thousands of King Penguins milling about and are completely oblivious to you. Obviously you can’t pick them up and pet them, but you can get as close as physically possible without harming them.There’s also a huge array of baby Sea Lions with their glassy eyes and rotund bellies, they make for one of the cutest animals ever.

They’re not shy either, they’re probably more curious about you than you are of them. Let them investigate but again, don’t harm them.

Depending on your budget, you can see Antarctica and many of the surrounding islands on a 2 week journey or briefly visit the main points that you’re interested in a 5 day journey. Whatever you can afford, the Antarctic will not disappoint.