Tucked into the southern Ellsworth Mountains on the broad expanse of Union Glacier, Three Glaciers Retreat is one of the most remote camps in Antarctica. Mount Vinson—the continent’s highest peak—stands nearby, while the South Pole lies just over 600 miles away. With little wind and uninterrupted views in every direction, it’s an ideal base for exploring the Antarctic interior.
No two days at Three Glaciers are exactly alike. Weather, conditions, and your interests shape each day’s itinerary, allowing guides to tailor activities to make the most of the surrounding landscape.
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Wake Up in the Heart of Antarctica
Your day begins with breakfast in camp before meeting with the guides to discuss the day’s conditions. If you’re combining your stay with a South Pole Overnight, the meteorology team will also be watching for the ideal weather window for your flight to 90° South. Until then, the focus is on exploring one of Antarctica’s most spectacular mountain landscapes.
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Explore the Heritage Range
Adventure begins just outside camp.
One morning may take you by snowmobile beneath the cliffs of Mount Sporli before hiking to Sporli Col and Larson Valley Overlook, where panoramic views stretch across the Heritage Range. Skiers can descend broad open slopes or skin uphill for longer backcountry routes.
Another day might lead across Schneider Glacier toward Larson Valley aboard a Tucker Sno-Cat or snowmobile. Along the way you’ll pass dramatic geological formations before arriving at Hall Peak, an ideal location for photography, a picnic lunch, or simply taking in the scale of the landscape.
For those interested in Antarctica’s remarkable ice formations, a journey to Drake Icefall reveals towering blue-ice ridges sculpted by winds flowing from the South Pole. The polished surfaces and frozen waves make it one of the most striking photographic locations near camp.
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Choose Your Pace
Three Glaciers Retreat is designed to accommodate a wide range of interests and experience levels.
Experienced guides can lead hikes across mountain cols, introduce guests to Antarctic mountaineering, or find fresh powder for downhill skiing. Cross-country skiing, fat biking, snowmobile excursions, and ice climbing at Charles Peak Windscoop are all possible depending on conditions.
If you’d rather slow down, there are secluded viewing platforms overlooking the surrounding glaciers, comfortable lounges for reading, and evening talks covering Antarctic history, exploration, and science.
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Evenings at Camp
After a full day outside, guests return to a relaxed camp atmosphere.
Dinner is served in the heated dining tent before the evening unfolds at an easy pace. Some guests gather over maps and expedition stories, while others settle in with a book before heading back to their private double-walled sleeping tents. Based on expedition designs first developed during Shackleton’s era, the accommodations combine classic polar heritage with modern comfort.
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When the Weather Clears
For many guests, the highlight of the journey begins when the weather allows.
A ski-equipped aircraft departs Three Glaciers for the 4–6 hour flight across the polar plateau to the Geographic South Pole. Along the way you’ll fly over vast fields of sastrugi, crevasse systems, and the Thiel Mountains before landing at 90° South.
After visiting both the Geographic and Ceremonial South Poles and exploring the area around Amundsen–Scott Station, guests spend the night at the private South Pole Camp before returning to Three Glaciers Retreat the following day.
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More Than a Stop on the Way to the Pole
While the South Pole is a remarkable destination, Three Glaciers Retreat is much more than a staging point.
With access to snowmobiling, skiing, hiking, ice climbing, photography, and guided exploration in one of the most remote corners of Antarctica, the camp offers the opportunity to experience the continent at your own pace. Whether you’re carving fresh tracks, photographing blue ice, or simply enjoying the stillness of the Ellsworth Mountains, every day at Three Glaciers is shaped by the landscape—and by the freedom to explore it.
Ready to start your adventure? Contact us at [email protected] to begin your journey today.