Except for tiny beaches visible in summer, the rest of the continent is perpetually covered by a massive sheet of ice. The thickness of this ice sheet varies, from a few hundred feet along the coastline furthest from the South Pole, to thousands of feet over the rest of the Continent. At its maximum the thickness of ice above solid ground is an incredible 16,000 feet. That’s right. Sixteen thousand feet. And in this massive ice-sheet is trapped the worlds largest reservoir of clean water, three times more than all the fresh water in all the glaciers, mountains, lakes, rivers, canals and reservoirs of the rest of the planet put together. The ice creeps slowly in the form of colossal glaciers, pouring into the oceans as enormous ice shelves. Once in the sea the shelves break off and become icebergs. Currents carry icebergs northward, where they melt in the warm waters.

Antarctica with its South Pole is very different to the Arctic, where the North Pole lies. Antarctica is land, completely surrounded by oceans. The Arctic is an ocean, surrounded by North America and Europe. The Arctic Ocean is covered by only a very thin sheet of ice, a few meters at its maximum. That is why submarines can sail under the ice and break through it, permitting the crew to come out of their conning tower and walk around the North Pole.

But getting back to the journey. How does one get there? There are no airports in Antarctica. Nor any ports. Nor jetties. Nor roads. The nearest land is South America, 1000 kms away. Australia is 3000 kms and South Africa 4000 kms. Conventional means of travel do not exist. There are no inhabitants on this massive continent. Indeed, till only a couple of hundred years back when Francis Drake discovered Antarctica no human being had ever set foot on the continent. Till about the middle of the twentieth century only the most hardy and most heroic mariners of the world ventured into Antarctic waters.

A dozen countries have established bases, some small temporary shelters, others all-year camps. They are served by special aircraft which can land and take off on ice. Only in the last fifty years or so advances in maritime technology now enable a handful of ships to venture safely into these extremely dangerous waters during the brief Antarctic summer. They carry commercial passengers on what they call “Expeditions” rather than “Cruises”. From Islamabad one can fly to any major airport in Europe and then on to Argentina. My wife Salma and I flew to Paris (7 hours); then to Buenos Aires (13 hours) and finally on to Usuaia, the world’s southern-most city (3-1/2 hours). From Usuaia we boarded a ship called the EXPLORER II for an 11-day magical adventure.

The ship is one of a couple of dozen specially equipped for operating in the icy waters, negotiating towering glaciers and skirting massive ice bergs in a display of superb seamanship. It is operated by the world-famous British tour company Abercrombie and Kent. At 436 feet and 13,000 tons it is one of the largest and most luxurious ships operating in the region. It is a floating 5-star hotel, with a crew of 200, carrying only 200 passengers. Once it sails from Usuaia it has to cross the Drake Passage, which takes 2 days to cover. During the passage a team of highly qualified scientists of international repute deliver lectures on climatology, geology, biology, marine biology, the environment, global warming and other scientific subjects.

The ship then spends one week cruising the Antarctic landmass. Every morning, while passengers settle down for a sumptuous breakfast, the ships crew lower a fleet of Zodiac boats and land guides on a sliver of exposed beach, where the ice has melted. In groups of ten, heavily bundled passengers loaded down with layers of clothing, ski-ing trousers and knee-high rubber gum-boots get into Zodiac boats and wade ashore through freezing water to spend a couple of hours taking in the wonders of nature. They return to the ship for a leisurely five-course lunch, while the ship steams to another location. In the afternoon there is a second landing. It is easy enough, because close to the Poles in summer the days are very long. The sun sets after midnight and rises again after only a couple of hours. The two landings are repeated every day.

Landings ashore are essentially to see the spectacular scenery and the wildlife. Antarctica being a solid block of ice, there is no vegetation, no trees, no plants, no flowers. Separated from other continents by over a thousand kilometers of ocean, there are no human beings nor any form of animal life whatsoever; not even arctic animals like polar bears, reindeer and wolves.

But it is the scenery that is mind-boggling. Mammoth and tiny icebergs, ranging from pure white to light blue, litter the waters. Narrow channels surrounded by massive glaciers are navigated with extreme caution to view the magestic landscape and its extraordinary beauty.

Aquatic life is plentiful. There are millions of penguins. We saw Gentoos, Adelles, Chinstraps and Rockhoppers. This being their nesting season males and females alternate in sitting on their eggs, in very crowded colonies on narrow beaches. Paulet Island one mile square has over a hundred thousand pairs of penguins. With so many birds around, one gets to see them sitting on eggs, sitting on chicks and even chicks actually hatching as eggs crack open all around. It is an incredible sight. The penguins are fearless, waddling up close and following folks around.

Whales are also abundant in these waters. The ships Captain, a highly experienced Englishman, would maneuver our ship to get into the center of any school of whales he sighted, giving passengers a fantastic opportunity to view the whales at close quarters. Minkes, Humpbecks and Killer whales were the most frequent sightings.

Seals basking on the shore or on iceflows are another delightful sight, with Leopard seals most common. The ones we saw included Leopards, Crabtrees and Wendells. Under water they swim very fast. On land they can barely slither around , as they have no hands or feet. And whereas penguins are their main food, on small ice flows it is not unusual to sight penguins surrounding a seal from only a few feet away. Whenever the seal rolls over the penguins swifty scamper away, safely out of reach, a veritable dance on the ice.

Birds are plentiful as well, with the albatross the most prominent predator, swooping down to pluck untended chicks and eggs. Other birds include petrels, sheathbills, skuas, gulls and terns. In this pristine land of pure snow there is no dust, no pollution, only the bio-degradable droppings of the wildlife.

How much does this journey of a lifetime cost? Usaia is just about the farthest airport from Islamabad and therefore the most expensive to get to. Air fares vary a lot. The minimum business class fare is over three and half lakhs while economy fares are just under half as much. The ships are also quite expensive. An inside cabin below decks would be about three lakhs per person, while an upper deck cabin with a window costs more than six lakhs per person. This includes all meals and drinks. So one could be out of pocket for a minimum of five lakhs to over ten lakhs per person. Not counting expenses at transit cities. But there is no doubt. Every penny is worth this lifetime experience.

Antarctica is “ administered” by 26 countries which have an interest in scientific research and hold Consultative Status under the Antarctic Treaty of 1961. None of the 57 Muslim member states of the OIC are amongst them. For unknown reasons Pakistan has so far not signed the Antarctic Treaty. With climate change and global warming threatening the planet, hundreds of scientists are working in Antarctica, over which there is a growing hole in the Ozone layer, already bigger than North America. In fact a British research team discovered the Ozone hole in 1982. This alerted the world to global warming and climate change, with potentially disastrous consequences for all of mankind. Another recent incredible scientific discovery has been of lakes and rivers under 3000 feet of ice. These have been formed by heat from volcanic activity which melts the bottom of the icecap. The possibility of life surviving for thousands of years under the icecap could further mankind’s knowledge of possible life forms under icecaps of other planets and stars. None of these scientists at the cutting edge of research is from any Muslim country.

About 17 years back Pakistan spent millions of dollars to set up the Jinnah Base in Antarctica. The base has since disappeared, there having been no follow-up. It is time for Pakistan to take a lead in the Muslim world and join responsible states in Antarctic research for the good of mankind. Judiciously handled, the cost is only a fraction of that spent on the abandoned Jinnah Base. In the meantime, we can still enjoy the wonderland that is Antarctica.