Company type | Private |
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Industry | |
Founded | 15 December 2005 |
Founder |
|
Headquarters | London, England, United Kingdom[1] |
Number of employees | 80 (2021)[2] |
Website | www |
White Desert Ltd. is a British tour operator conducting expeditions to Antarctica. As of 2021, it is the only company to offer a commercial private jet service to the continent.[2][3] Its Whichaway Camp is described by multiple publications as Antarctica's first and only hotel.[4][5][6]
British couple and polar explorers Robyn and Patrick Woodhead founded White Desert in London, England, in December 2005,[7] setting out to "make [Antarctica] accessible to everyone, not just explorers."[8] Built in 2012 on the Schirmacher Oasis,[7][9] Whichaway Camp consists of several guest "pods" that respectively contain bedrooms, bathrooms, dining rooms, and a library, heated by solar power.[10][11][12] The camp underwent extensive renovations in 2016.[8][13][5] It is intended to be removed entirely from the site at the end of its natural lifespan.[10]
A maximum of 12 guests per group are flown from Cape Town, South Africa, to Whichaway Camp, the primary base camp located in Queen Maud Land, Antarctica,[14] via various private aircraft.[15][4][16] Flights operate into and out of Wolfs Fang Runway, Queen Maud Land.[6] In 2017, British explorer Hamish Harding worked with White Desert to introduce the first regular business jet service to the Antarctic.[17] On 2 November 2021, a HiFly Airbus A340-300 (9H-SOL) landed on Wolfs Fang Runway on a flight from Cape Town, becoming the largest aircraft to ever land there and the first Airbus A340 to land in Antarctica.[18][19]
Apart from amenities, the company offers trips to nearby structures, a guided wildlife tour, and a trip to the Geographic South Pole.[20][21] The company operates only from November to January due to Antarctica's harsh climate during the rest of the year.[7] Several publications have noted the company's luxury status and exclusivity; as of 2017, prices ranged from roughly US$30,000 to almost US$200,000 per customer.[4][12][22] Writing for Vogue, Nick Remsen called the service "wildly expensive".[23] The founders have justified the high prices, citing extraordinarily high logistical expenses associated with transportation and accommodation of guests on Antarctica.[13][21]
White Desert is a member of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators.[2]
White Desert has received the World Travel Award for Leading Polar Expedition Operator five times, first in 2012 and consecutively from 2014 to 2017.[24][25] Elite Traveler included the company in its list of the top 50 adventures of 2017.[7] In 2023, White Desert were nominated for the Conde Nast 2023 Hot List.[26]