White Desert Announces A Once In A Lifetime Trip To All 7 Continents

White Desert has already established its reputation as a luxury specialist in Antarctica with its jet transfers in, landing on an ice runway, its well-appointed, gourmet chef equipped base camps and high adventure excursions going deep into the White Continent. So now not content to just explore the 7^th continent, the company’s leaders have decided to do a trip exploring them all. White Desert World is set to take off on January 10, 2024 and explore 10 destinations in 21 days that they consider the best in each continent. The cost starts at $178,000 per person.

Starting in Mexico City, the maximum 50 guests will travel on a specially configured, lie flat seat 757-200 onward to Colombia, Easter Island, Fiji, Borneo, India, Turkey, Namibia, South Africa and will finish the journey with White Desert’s signature trip into Antarctica. There are two choices for the ending: either the company’s “Greatest Day” trip in which guests spend just a few hours there or a five-day extension for a longer exploration and then a return to Cape Town. Supplemental fees for the Antarctica stretch start at $32,000.

“These countries have been chosen because they are unusual, many are hard to reach destinations and they all epitomize the height of adventure without sacrificing a luxurious experience,” explains Patrick Woodhead, the company’s Co-Founder and CEO. The idea of doing a worldwide sweep came about amid the travel boom that followed the shutdowns of the early onset of the pandemic: guests who traveled with the company to Antarctica communicated that they wanted to be taken farther afield with the same degree of authenticity, uniqueness and exploration. This itinerary is the first offering, other lineups are expected to follow.

In each destination, the activities will be chosen to reflect the local culture in the most authentic, bespoke way and will represent a range of interests. Not all details are available yet but previews indicate that among the activities to be explored include searching for tigers in India’s Ranthambhore National Park with guides from the luxury tented camp SUJAN Sher Bagh where the group will stay, salsa at the private yacht club Club de Pesca in Cartagena, a private hammam experience at the Hurrem Sultan Hammam and dinner in an underground centuries old cistern in Istanbul and hot air ballooning over the Kwessi dunes in Namibia.

Given the company’s elevated cuisine offerings in the base camps in Antarctica, not the easiest place to achieve that, the culinary emphasis will continue in all stops, particularly in destinations such as Turkey, Mexico and India that have rich, diverse culinary traditions. Off the beaten track city tours, immersion in local traditions, collaborations with artisans and musicians and intensive, guided visits to local markets will also be part of the visits. And even though the experiences will be upper level, sustainability will definitely play a part. The company has been carbon neutral in their journeys since 2007 and will maintain that on this voyage through the use of sustainable aviation fuel where available and other conservation methods. The promise is to make this journey thrilling but completely offset.