Review: White Desert Antarctica — Echo

Why book?

When you feel like you’ve nearly done it all in “bucket list” travel, and you have the financial bandwidth to partake in a one-of-a-kind, ultra-exclusive journey that could potentially outshine most—if not all—of your previous global pursuits. White Desert’s space-themed Echo Camp is one of the world’s most audacious eco-luxury projects, featuring an otherworldly design set in an even more otherworldly landscape in Antarctica’s glacier-lined Henriksen Nunataks. It’s the most luxurious base from which to explore coastal colonies of dawdling emperor penguins and to reach the near-mythic South Pole, while near-camp activities include ice wall climbing, skiing, nunatak summit hikes and abseils, and fat biking through scenic wave-textured ice plains. Echo is also for those seeking an alternative to Antarctica cruises, taking a rare opportunity for on-land immersion as opposed to touch-and-go visits along the coast. 

Set the scene 

The journey to the surreal starts in Cape Town. After guests complete extensive health forms, obtain medical approval and attend a mandatory safety briefing the day prior to the trip, they’re whisked by private chauffeurs to the international airport, where either a massive Airbus A340 or a more cozy Gulfstream G550 jet awaits. The five-hour flight often starts in the evening and, as one approaches the Antarctic Circle, evolves into infinite summer daylight. It’s difficult to fall back asleep once one hovers over the dramatic ice-sheathed coast. 

During the plane’s descent, powdered mountain peaks emerge from the blinding white landscape. Jitters might form prior to landing—White Desert’s “Wolf’s Fang Runway” is made up of thick blue ice which needs constant maintenance for safe arrivals and departures—but guests needn’t worry. After deplaning, guests board an adapted arctic truck for a five-minute drive to a patch of glossy, black bubble pods set at the base of glaciers and towering brown rock formations. This is Echo. 

Straight out of an interstellar sci-fi reverie, the six-suite Echo camp fuses fictional space commander-style architecture with astro-chic interiors for up to 12 guests. The main hub, called The Cosmos, sees British sculptor Anthony James’ trippy Pythagorean centerpiece competing with stirring views of ice-capped nunataks and distant jagged-edged mountain peaks from floor-to-ceiling glass windows. Should one ever want to imagine what a future boutique resort could look like on the Moon, or Mars, a stay at Echo could be the most accurate preview. 

The backstory 

Patrick Whitehead, a pioneering polar explorer, novelist, and White Desert’s CEO, knew he wanted to deviate from his previous two luxury camps’ (Whichaway and Wolf’s Fang, both in Antarctica) “early explorer” look, and do something bold. The main inspiration of Echo’s space age profile? American astronaut Buzz Aldrin, who did a White Desert journey some years ago and shared how Antarctica reminded him of worlds we imagine beyond Earth. Whitehead took this cue and created a retro-futuristic base in freezing, no-man’s-land Antarctica, leaning into the Millennium Falcon spaceship for design cues.  

The rooms 

Staying in one of the six glassy ellipsoid sky pods feels like you’ve teleported to a Star Trek scene, or any other galactic sci-fi thriller you might have in mind. These sort of ambitious, future-forward design ideas run the risk of feeling Disney-fied and gaudy, but here sees a deft balance of space-themed motifs with sprinkles of contemporary glamor. The furnishing is plush, the bed and lounge area decked in deep jewel-toned fabrics; large, comfortable beds point towards the curved glass panels where Queen Maud Land’s icy, lunar-like landscape appears front and center. The sleeper pods are “semi” en suite (showers are located in the communal hub instead), and, most importantly, heated. 

I loved my stay, but had two critiques: During my visit there was no in-camp communication system within the residential pods, so if one needed anything, one had to layer up, brave the outdoor temps, and march to the main hub to liaise with a staff member. (Kudos to the switched-on staff, though, as they improvised and delivered walkie-talkies to each guest for in-pod use after all the guests flagged the issue—but I do hope it becomes a permanent feature.) Also, as a luxury boutique camp with astronomical price points, supplying a bedroom robe would’ve been a great, comfort-enhancing touch. 

Food and drink

There are obvious challenges in planning gourmet meals in the middle of Antarctica. There’s no foraging, no organic garden to pluck basil and chili peppers from, no local butchery next door…and if there isn’t enough food flown in to account for multi-day weather delays? Imminent peril.

Thank goodness for Zach Abrahams, a young Capetonian chef who started in the sister Whichaway Camp, who’s now performing edible wizardry in Echo’s kitchen. Nearly every meal in the main dining room was a hit, with a well-rounded variety of themes and tastes, from Indian thali feasts with lamb and lentil curries to crisp salads with citrusy whole-baked salmon, conjuring visions of balmy seaside lunches in the Mediterranean. Their terse four-bottle wine list comes from South African vineyards (two reds, two whites), and I think it wouldn’t hurt for Echo to add South African rosé and sparkling selections to the list, should logistics permit. Beyond the dining room, there’s a self-serve bar in the main Observatory pod stocked with spirits, including the Antarctica-themed Shackleton Blended Malt Scotch Whiskey. 

The service 

South Africa’s hospitality culture, to many, is par excellence, and Echo’s nearly all-South African front-of-house team feels like a natural extension of this (just in briskier climes). The casual-natured yet sharp staff seem genuinely happy to be working in frigid, off-grid Antarctica, and someone’s always around to fulfill a request, answer questions or engage in organic chit-chat in the main hub.

Who comes here? 

Adventurous types with loaded bank accounts. Trip cohorts can comprise Hollywood stars, Fortune 500 CEOs, international royalty (including British Monarchy members) and astronaut pioneers mingling with low-profile multi-millionaires and billionaires. One great selling point for the more recognizable guests: It’s paparazzi-free.

Eco-effort 

White Desert has been sustainable-minded from the start, having established carbon neutrality with their seasonal flights from 2007, well before it became an industry buzzword. Like the other two White Desert bases, Echo is a modular, “leave no trace” camp that can be packed up and transported after each season’s end; all waste and recyclables return to South Africa. Soaps, detergents, and cleaning products are biodegradable, and solar-powered technology helps generate essential heat in the residential and communal pods. 

Anything else to mention? 

If you can afford it, I suggest going “all the way” and booking the seven-night/eight-day South Pole & Emperors trip. Not only will you enjoy the soul-stirring scene of a 1,000-plus colony of bumbling, chirpy penguins on Akta Bay, but you’ll also get to experience what only about 500 tourists achieve per year: a journey to the geographic nadir of Mother Earth. The combination of the two marquee excursions—both of which require additional intra-Antarctic flights to reach—amplifies the “unforgettable trip” factor.

Is it worth it?

That is the $65,000 per person question (and for the South Pole & Emperors track, $104,000). As a lucky hosted journalist, I deferred this question on the trip to my three paying guest campmates, all of whom replied with a resounding “yes.” For those with the means and the courage to live off-grid without Wi-Fi for a week, the Echo’s Antarctica journey is truly a trip of a lifetime.