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Antakya

Antakya, also known as Antioch, or more specifically Antioch-on-the-Orontes, is the capital of Hatay Province, which was annexed by Turkey after almost two decades of French rule in 1939.

Understand
After the Battle of Ipsus in 301 BC, Seleucus I Nicator won the territory of Syria, and he proceeded to found four "sister cities" in northwestern Syria, one of which was Antioch, a city named in honor of his father Antiochus (very passionate about founding cities, he is reputed to have built in all nine Seleucias, sixteen Antiochs, and six Laodiceas). This particular Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the Near East. The city was the capital of the Seleucid Empire until 63 BC, when the Roman Empire took control. Under the Romans it was the 4th largest city in the empire and the seat of the governor of the province of Syria Palæstina.

This city is famous since forever, and a point of pilgrimage, as an important centre of early Christianity, with some of the first non-hidden churches. Today it takes pride in being a truly multicultural place, where you can hear prayers in many different tongues. Many sects of Christianity (Greek Orthodoxy, Syriac Christianity, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism to name a few) and Islam (Sunni and Alawi), as well as Judaism, are all represented with their dedicated temples in Antakya.

Ethnically, Arabs constitute almost half of the population and most of the rest are Turks. Arabs in the city speak the Levantine (Shami) dialect of Arabic, which is also prevalent in Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan.

Antakya rests in the hammock-like valley of the Asi River, also known as the Orontes, with mountains rising rather steeply and pine-covered immediately to its southeast, and more distantly and barren in the northern outskirts. At summer nights, the river valley brings over a much-appreciated breeze from the not very far but invisible sea.

An administrative reform in 2014 divided the southern neighbourhoods and suburbs of the city into a separate Defne municipality, limiting Antakya municipality to the city centre and the north. However, for all intents and purposes they form a single city, which is covered in its entirety in this article.

By plane
The 'Havas' bus runs from the airport hourly to the city centre for 9 TL, and takes around 20–30 minutes. If you need to get back to the airport, the Havas leaves from the front of the 'Buyuk Antakya Hotel' (on the river, close to the central square; it is a huge resort style hotel, you can't miss it) every half hour most days, but check the Havas website for specific departure times. This is a lot cheaper than a taxi! You will have to flag the Havas bus down from the front of the hotel, as not many people use this service, so make your presence known as it drives past.

You can also use dolmuş taxis in order to get to the city center. Many dolmuş taxis wait just in front of the airport and as soon as any four customers are gathered, the taxi heads towards the city. The taxis charge approximately 10 TL per person. All in all, if you accept to share the taxi with other passengers, taking a cab is TL Havaş as the taxi drops you off in whichever part of the city you want to get out while Havaş only stops at specific points.

The nearest international airport is located in Adana, a couple of hundred kilometres to the north.

By train
The nearest station is in Iskenderun, which has several daily train connections with Adana and Mersin.

By bus
Locally based Has Turizm operates comfortable buses from all major cities in Turkey. From Istanbul, there are three services daily, leaving at evening and night, taking about 16h 30min (although there are many online reports of delays, particularly after the earthquakes) and costing 850 TL as of Jul 2023. (When booking online, their list of destinations doesn't include 'Antakya', select 'Hatay' instead.)

The (Antakya Otobüs Terminali or Yeni Otogar) is about 5 km northwest from the city center. It got extensively battered during the earthquakes, although not completely destroyed, and as of Jun 2023 all ticketing is done on the platforms just outside the building. Once you arrive look for minibuses to take you within walking distance of the center.

Before the Syrian Civil War, there used to be direct bus connections with Aleppo, Syria. It was also possible to take a taxi there, with the cost shared between passengers, as was to cross the border step by step in an extremely time-consuming trip by catching a bus to the Turkish border control, hitchhiking to the Syrian border (which is about 5 km away, and you are not allowed to walk) and then taking a taxi from there to Aleppo.

By car
From İskenderun, take D817 south and join D825 past Belen. (The entirety of this route is also marked as E91 in signage and maps.) This is a good divided highway, if somewhat winding while crossing the Belen Pass (the ancient Syrian Gates) through the Amanos Mountains. Another approach from that direction, particularly if you have time, is to follow the scenic coastal road down from Arsuz via Çevlik to Samandağ and then to take D420 east to Antakya.

From north of İskenderun (e.g., Adana), don't waste any time on slow and congested D817; take toll motorway O-53 instead.

From Gaziantep in the northeast, you can either head south on D850 to Kilis, then follow D410 along the Syrian border to join D825, or take one of D400 or O-52/E90 (toll motorway) west to Nurdağı to join D825 there. D825 runs across the dusty plains in the inland-facing side of the Amanos Mountains.

D825/E91 continues south to Yayladağı border post, to eventually reach Latakia (signposted Lazkiye), and D420 heads east to Cilvegözü border post near Reyhanlı on the road to Aleppo (Halep), but both approaches are unfeasible as of 2022 due to the ongoing Syrian Civil War.

Get around
The centre is walkable and all points of interest are close to each other. For the sights in the east, you will need transportation — they aren't very far from the centre and the route is flat, but the walk is dreary amidst industrial areas and lacking shade. For the sites further in the outlying areas, a car at your disposal is the best (and often the only) choice.

Parking space is hard to come by in the centre, and when you do, it's charged 9 TL (Oct 2022) an hour. The sites in the east all have adjacent car parks, free of charge.

Public bus line 401 is a frequent service along D420 to Samandağ, all the way to its seaside suburb Deniz.

Eastern suburbs
You can buy a pass covering all of the sites in this part of the city for 550 TL (Sep 2023; about €19). Otherwise, each requires a different ticket, prices of which are provided in the listings below.

North

 * Belen northwest is described at İskenderun.
 * Belen northwest is described at İskenderun.
 * Belen northwest is described at İskenderun.

Do

 * Football: Hatayspor play soccer in Süper Lig, the top tier. Their New Hatay Stadium was badly damaged by the earthquake so for the time being they play at Mersin Stadium.

Buy

 * Thanks to the groves of bay laurel (Laurus nobilis) in the surrounding countryside (see the myth of Daphne below), laurel soaps (defne sabunu, also garlı sabun locally) are unique to Antakya within Turkey, although the area they are traditionally manufactured extends beyond the border and these soaps are better known as "Aleppo soap" in English. They are made of local olive oil mixed with laurel berry oil, and are said to have benefits on skin and hair. The laurel berry oil, even in the saponified form, is known to result in an allergic reaction in some people, though, so it's worth skin-testing in a small area before investing in a large amount.

Eat
Thanks to the Middle Eastern influences, the local cuisine is among the most delicious in Turkey. Even a single plate of plain old tavuk pilav (chicken & rice), exactly what is implied by its name in the rest of the country, can develop into a feast here, with all the spices and sauces going into any dish.

There are many restaurants in the city centre, but most of them serve döner and other fast food. In order to seek local cuisine, try Anadolu Restaurant (in Saray Cd), Sultan Sofrası Restaurant (in Köprübaşı) or Sveyka Restaurant (in Kurtuluş Cd). As for döner restaurants, Restaurant Nuri and Restaurant Abdo (both in Saray Cd) are the most famous ones for et döner (beef döner) whereas Kebo, a tiny place located in Atatürk Cd, is the most famous place for tavuk döner (chicken döner).

 * , a pedestrianized historic street south of the bridge and a block east of the river in Old Antakya, is a strip of restaurants with tables lining the sidewalks. Exclamationdiamond_blue.svg Post-2023 earthquake status: completely destroyed.

 * , ancient Daphne, is a pretty area with waterfalls and dense forests about 10 km south of Antakya. In Greek mythology, this is where Daphe, fleeing a lustful Apollo, transformed to the first bay laurel tree of the world to become invisible to him. The area has many restaurants and locals frequently go there for long dinners.

One of the must eats in Antakya is a dessert called künefe — Hatay's take on the Middle Eastern knafeh. This is a shredded pastry with cheese melted inside; the contrast between sweet syrup and lightly salty cheese accounts for a great relish. There are many künefe houses scattered in the city, but they are especially concentrated in the main square of Old Antakya, Köprübaşı. Hatay Künefe and Kral Künefe, both in Köprübaşı, are among the most famous künefe houses in the city.

Connect
Telephone code of Antakya is 326.

Go next

 * With extensive transportation links to the Syrian city of Aleppo, Antakya was the jumping off point of most overland travellers into the Middle East before the conflict in Syria. From Istanbul to Cairo describes one of the popular routes.
 * Gaziantep to the northeast features a museum with another fascinating collection of mosaics.

title: Antakya


text:
Antalya

 * ''Not to be confused with Alanya, a resort 130 km further east, or with Antakya a historic city in Hatay province of eastern Turkey

Antalya is a city in Pamphylia on the Turkish Mediterranean coast, and the chief resort of the "Turkish Riviera". It's a metropolis with a population of 2.7 million in 2022, the fifth largest city in the country.

Understand
The city was named for its first documented ruler Attalos II (220-138 BC), king of Pergamon, though it was obviously settled much earlier. Attalos' life and wife resembles soap opera, and his epiphet Philadelphos - "brother-loving" - hints at insecurity over how his relationship with back-from-the-dead brother and co-ruler Eumenes II might be portrayed. He based his fleet here - there were few alternatives along this exposed coast, and Attaleia (Ἀττάλεια) grew up around what's now called the Roman harbour. It never grew large as it lacked a hinterland - it's hemmed in by mountains with difficult routes to get inland, although a fertile coastal plain extends up to the east. Early visitors included St Paul the Apostle (Acts 14: 25-26) and Ibn Battuta, who in 1331 AD recorded how Christians, Greeks, Jews, and royal court each inhabited their own walled enclave, while the Muslims lived in the main body of town all within an enclosing wall.

This relative isolation meant little fighting here, but Antalya was the prize to be handed over after conquests elsewhere: to the Seljuks in 1207 and the Ottomans in 1391. After Turkey's defeat in World War I, the harsh 1920 Treaty of Sèvres handed over tracts of the country to the Allies, and Italy gained Antalya. This was reversed, and Turkey gained its present borders, by the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne.

Access was improved by road building in the 20th century, but the game-changer was in the 1970s when commercial airliners could jet tourists non-stop from northern Europe, and the political environment boosted tourist infrastructure. The city burgeoned, with development either side of Kaleiçi the old town centre, but especially east along the sandy Lara beach. Effectively this strip extends 150 km until the mountains terminate the coastal plain: it's all called "Antalya area" in tourist literature, but in this guide the easterly towns of Belek, Manavgat, Side and Alanya are described separately.

Climate is of course Mediterranean. Summers are hot, sunny and humid yet rainless. Days average 30-35°C and may surpass 40°C; nights may be muggy and sticky so you want air-con.

Winters are mostly mild, punctuated by storms, downpours and strong winds. April-May and Oct-Nov are optimum conditions for sight-seeing, and the sea remains warm late into Autumn.

By plane
Onward transport:
 * Antalyakart is the transport card you need for the tram or bus, see Get Around. Buy it at the airport.

 * By tram: AntRay Tram 1A runs downtown from two T1 stops (domestic and international) every 15 min 06:00-00:00; it doesn't serve T2. Get off at İsmetpaşa (taking 50 min) for the old town or to transfer to Tram 2. Stay aboard another 30 min for Otogar the bus station. Coming out to the airport take Tram 1A badged "Havalimanı". Tram 1B follows the same route until Yonca Kavşak then branches off to Expo.
 * Bus 600 runs from T1 (domestic) and T2 to Otogar - so this could serve as an inter-terminal shuttle and spare you a taxi. It runs every 30 min 07:00 to 00:00 with night runs around 01:30, 03:30 and 06:00. It runs via Mevlana Cd and Adnan Menderes Blv, taking about an hour to Otogar. At T1 the stop is by the blue "D" sign next to a fig tree, usually with a scrummage of other waiting passengers. Ignore the "D" outside T1 (international), which stands for "decoy" or "dupe me". Taxi touts will converge on you, saying truthfully "No bus leaving here!" and steering you towards a taxi.
 * Bus 800 runs from T1 (domestic) and T2 every two hours 06:15 to 22:15 via Barınaklar Blv in Lara (for east resort strip), cross-town to Sarısu on the west resort strip.
 * Havaş buses don't serve Antalya Airport, so for other towns such as Alanya travel via Otogar.

 * By taxi: this is the best option for Lara resort strip, which is east of the city near the airport. Official rates were last set in 2022, see Get around. A ride to city centre might be 500 TL.

By bus
Buses from Istanbul run hourly and take 12 hours via Gebze, Izmit, Eskişehir, Kütahya, Afyon, Sandikli and Burdur, for a fare in 2023 of 600-800 TL. From Ankara is 9 hours, from Izmir 6, from Adana 11 and from Konya 6. A faster route from Istanbul or Ankara is to take the YHT train to Konya, which connects with buses to Antalya.

Bus lines include Metro Turizm, Pamukkale, Flixbus (who've taken over Kamil Koç) and Varan.

Frequent buses run along the coast from Alanya, Manavgat (for Side) and Belek. Operators include Alanyalilar and Güney Akdeniz, the long-distance bus lines don't serve this short route. You could also take a dolmuş.

the bus terminal is 6 km northwest of city centre. Your inter-city ticket may include a downtown transfer, check when purchasing. Otherwise take the tram from Dumlupınar Blv 10 minutes walk east. The station is large, modern and reasonably clean, with ticket kiosks, cafes and toilets.

By road
From Istanbul follow O7 / O5 / O22 (toll) south past Bursa to pick up D200 east, then D650 south via Kütahya and Afyon, reckon 8 hr 30 min.

Hitchhiking outbound, the dilemma is to be far enough out to pick up inter-city vehicles, but not so far out that they can't stop. One spot northbound is the roundabout where D330 branches from D650. City buses 506 and 509 run to D330, for Denizli, Pamukkale, Aydin and Izmir. Ten buses run along D650 Akdeniz Blv, for Isparta, Afyon and Ankara.

Get around
Antalyakart is the plastic transport card you need for the tram or public bus. Buy it or reload it at kiosks along the tramway, at the airport and at the bus terminal; you probably need banknotes for this. The upfront cost is 35 TL in 2023, and single rides thereafter are 15 TL. A transfer within one hour of boarding is 5.50 TL.

You can also buy disposable paper cards for 6 TL, and pay 17 TL per ride. These don't allow transfers, nor can they be re-loaded, but you can load a suitable amount on purchase.

Or use contactless payment at the card-reader or turnstile: no upfront charge, pay 18 TL per ride, no transfers.

Discount cards are only available for citizens with Turkish ID, who pay a little more upfront but get cheaper rides.

By tram
AntRay Tram 1 runs from Fatih in the north of the city to the Otogar (transfer to Tram 3), Ismetpaşa downtown (transfer to Tram 2) and Meydan then northeast to Yonca Kavşak. Tram 1A there forks for Airport Terminal 1, Tram 1B continues out to Aksu and Expo. Trams run every 15 min 06:00-00:00.

Tram 2 is a heritage line, with 1950s/60s tramcars donated by the city of Nuremberg in 1999 in gratitude for all those kebabs and factory workers. It runs near the coast from the Museum (transfer to Tram 3) east to Cumhuriyet downtown (transfer to Tram 1) then south through Old Town to Zerdalilik. It's mostly single track with passing loops, and the project to double-track it has stalled.

Tram 3, opened in 2021, starts north of the city at Varsak and runs to Kepez, swinging west to Batigar (for Otogar and transfer to Tram 1), Akdeniz University Hospital and the Museum (transfer to Tram 2).

By bus
Buses go everywhere in the city, with over a dozen lines plying to the otogar (bus station). See above for Bus 600 to the airport.

Good luck finding any practical info on the city transport website. Try peering at bus stops on Google Map close to your start point and destination to find lines that run all the way.

Dolmuş minibuses ply fixed routes. In theory they're supposed to run to a schedule, not wait to fill up as in other Turkish cities. In practice an empty dolmuş will move so slowly in hope of more passengers that it may be overtaken by elderly pedestrians with zimmers.

By taxi
There are taxi stands all over the city where the drivers have their base and teapot, or you can order through online BiTaksi or iTaksi. The official rates since 2022 are flagfall 10 TL then 14 TL per km, with no separate night rate. Popular visitor destinations have price lists in euro. You can also negotiate with any taxi driver to be your private tour guide, or at least take you on an excursion: this might be a good option for Perge but pricey for Aspendos.

Walk
City centre is walkable, and using a car or bicycle here is tiresome at best.

See

 * (Turkish Üçkapılar, "three gates") is a good starting point for exploring Kaleiçi the old quarter. Built in 130 AD for the visit of Emperor Hadrian, it may have been ceremonial rather than a practical thoroughfare, as it became bricked up within the city walls. This preserved it, and it was only rediscovered when the walls crumbled in the 1950s.
 * Dervish Lodge Museum opposite the mosque used to be the home of the Mevlevihane, the "Whirling Dervishes". It's open Tu-Su 08:30-17:30, free.
 * The Clocktower (Saat Kulesi) just east of the Fluted Minaret Mosque is from the 9th century AD.
 * Tekeli Mehmet Paşa Mosque facing the clocktower was built in the 17th century. It's named for a military commander who was appointed Grand Vizier - prime minister - in 1595 but died ten days later.
 * Karatay Medresi 100 m southwest of the clocktower was a religious school built in 1250. It's become populated by cafes and shops so it's only worth a brief look.
 * Toy Museum (Oyuncak Müzesi) is by the harbour, open Tu-Su 09:00-18:00, free.
 * Iskele Mosque by the harbour is compact, almost a kiosk.
 * have pleasant views over Old Town and the sunset.
 * Müsellim Mosque, 200 m north of Fluted Minaret Mosque, was built in 1796.
 * at the corner of Ismet Paşa Cd and 403rd Sk was built in 1485.
 * on Milli Egemenlik Cd was commissioned in 1570. It has a high dome and beautiful Seljuk calligraphy within.
 * at the end of Değirmenönü Cd ("windmill street") was built in 1590 AD.
 * Müsellim Mosque, 200 m north of Fluted Minaret Mosque, was built in 1796.
 * at the corner of Ismet Paşa Cd and 403rd Sk was built in 1485.
 * on Milli Egemenlik Cd was commissioned in 1570. It has a high dome and beautiful Seljuk calligraphy within.
 * at the end of Değirmenönü Cd ("windmill street") was built in 1590 AD.
 * at the end of Değirmenönü Cd ("windmill street") was built in 1590 AD.
 * on Lara Cd are where the Düden River plunges 40 m into the sea.

Further out

 * are where the Düden River emerges from karstic tunnels to fall 20 m.
 * was a fortified city that had its heyday in the Byzantine era from about 680 to 820 AD. The ruins are scrappy and tumbling down the hillside.
 * is a small show-cave near Akbaş in the mountains above Aspendos, visited by guided tour.
 * was a fortified city that had its heyday in the Byzantine era from about 680 to 820 AD. The ruins are scrappy and tumbling down the hillside.
 * is a small show-cave near Akbaş in the mountains above Aspendos, visited by guided tour.
 * was a fortified city that had its heyday in the Byzantine era from about 680 to 820 AD. The ruins are scrappy and tumbling down the hillside.
 * is a small show-cave near Akbaş in the mountains above Aspendos, visited by guided tour.
 * is a small show-cave near Akbaş in the mountains above Aspendos, visited by guided tour.
 * is a small show-cave near Akbaş in the mountains above Aspendos, visited by guided tour.

Do

 * Boat trips leave from the harbour. Never believe their first price offer and departure time.
 * Aqua parks are Waterhill opposite the Aquarium, and Park Aqua, Wet & Wild and Trendy Lara all east along Lara beach strip.
 * Funfair: Akturpark is next to the Aquarium, open daily 18:00-02:00. You pay per ride, no overall admission charge.
 * Football: Antalyaspor play in Süper Lig, the top tier. Their home ground Antalya Stadium (capacity 32,500) is west of the city, 1 km from the museum off İsmail Baha Sürelsan Cd. The stadium is named Corendon Airlines Park, after their sponsor.
 * Golf: head east to the next resort of Belek, which is pitching to be the Algarve of the East Med.
 * Golden Orange Film Festival is held in October, with the next 7-14 Oct 2023.

Buy

 * Useful to know: AVM means shopping centre, alışveriş merkezi, and pazarı means bazaar or market.

 * MarkAntalya AVM is the main shopping centre, 200 m east of Murat Paşa Mosque, open daily 10:00-23:00.
 * Migros stores are dotted around town, but the big one is 5M on Atatürk Blv 200 m north of the aquarium, open daily 10:00-22:00. It's also a transport hub for the west (Konyaalti) side of town.
 * Farmers Markets are on Tuesday and Saturday along 538th Sk south of the Hilton Hotel.
 * Agora and Deepo Outlet Center / Mall of Antalya are two retail parks on D400 two km west of the airport entrance.
 * Agora and Deepo Outlet Center / Mall of Antalya are two retail parks on D400 two km west of the airport entrance.

Budget

 * The downtown streets around Muratpaşa Mosque have many cheap eating places.

Drink
Lots in town centre. Names like Sheffield Pub, Edinburgh Social House and Dubh Linn tell you which demographic they're aiming for.

Konyaalti beach strip west has The James Joyce and The Barrels.

Lara town centre has Lucky Sports Bar and Patrick Irish Pub, but on the beach strip further east it's just the hotel bars.

Doluca Vineyard is next to the airport entrance.

Old Town
Lots of inexpensive pansiyons in Kaleiçi the core of Old Town and Kılınçarslan its southern extension.

Konyaaltı
This is southwest of the centre with 10 km of pebble beach, and some industry around the marina at its west end. Western package holidays don't base here, so prices are lower than in Lara.

Lara
Lara hotel strip stretches east for 20 km. Nearest to town is Şirinyalı: this is bustling but has not much beach, so prices are lower. Rates increase along the long sandy beach east from Kundu to Aksu; this is prime territory for western package deals. The access road is officially Yaşar Sobutay Boulevard but is better known as Lara Turizm Yolu. Hotels have more room to spread out further east, as far as Aksu Creek: facilities beyond there are described as the separate resort of Belek.

 * Delphin Diva is their less expensive branch just behind.
 * Delphin Diva is their less expensive branch just behind.
 * Delphin Diva is their less expensive branch just behind.
 * Delphin Diva is their less expensive branch just behind.
 * Delphin Diva is their less expensive branch just behind.
 * Royal Wings Hotel just east of Sherwood Exclusive gets mostly okay reviews.
 * Royal Holiday Palace next to Royal Seginus is similarly disappointing.
 * Royal Wings Hotel just east of Sherwood Exclusive gets mostly okay reviews.
 * Royal Holiday Palace next to Royal Seginus is similarly disappointing.
 * Royal Holiday Palace next to Royal Seginus is similarly disappointing.

Stay safe
Standard precautions about traffic, water and sun safety, care of valuables and avoiding drunks.

Antalya like any other big city has its quota of dodgy individuals, sharp-edged trash and stray dogs; but tourists have little reason to be in down-at-heel districts.

Connect
Antalya has 4G from all Turkish carriers, and the signal extends along the resort strip beyond Alanya. As of July 2023, 5G has not rolled out in Turkey.

Go next

 * Kemer southwest is part of the Antalya tourist strip. Go further south along the rugged coast of Lycia for quiet beaches and village harbours.
 * Belek to the east has golf links and luxury hotels.
 * Manavgat further east has waterfalls, but the big draw is the Roman ruins at Side.
 * Alanya yet further east has an ancient citadel perched on a crag, with beach hotels stretching either side.
 * Termessos is a ruined ancient city above the forests of the Taurus Mountains.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Antalya


text:
Antananarivo

Antananarivo (AN-tan-AN-ah-REEV-oo) (City of a Thousand), also known as Tana, is the capital and largest city of Madagascar. It has more universities, nightclubs, art venues, and medical services than any other city on the island. Major historic landmarks and attractions in the city include the reconstructed royal palaces and the Andafiavaratra Palace, the tomb of Rainiharo, Tsimbazaza Zoo, Mahamasina Stadium, Lake Anosy, four 19th-century martyr cathedrals, and the Museum of Art and Archaeology.

Understand

A city of some 1.6 million people at 1280 m, Antananarivo became established by Merina King Andrianjaka around 1610, when he drove out the Vazimba people to create the Kingdom of Imerina. First called Analamanga, the city was renamed Antananarivo, meaning city of the thousand, later by King Andriamasinavalona, in honor of his soldiers. After a period of French rule starting in 1897 and a failed armed rebellion in 1947–1948, the city and country emerged as independent in 1960. Merina and other Malagasy people along with Chinese, Indian, and Europeans live in the city today.

Climate
Antananarivo has a mountainous temperate climate, despite being situated in the tropics, due to its high elevation of 1,300–1,400 m (4,265 to 4,593 ft) above sea level. Antananarivo receives practically all of its average annual 1,400 mm (55.1 in) of rainfall between November and April. The dry season between May and October is pleasant and sunny, although somewhat chilly, especially during the nights, and in the mornings and evenings. Although frosts are rare in Antananarivo, they are common at higher elevations. The daily and monthly temperature variations are quite small. Means range from 22.2 °C (72.0 °F) to 15.3 °C (59.5 °F).

Get in
Antananarivo is the main entry point for Madagascar by air. International flights to the capital are covered in the main Madagascar page.

By plane
There are two ATMs: MCB (Mastercard and Visa card) and BFV_Societe Generale (Mastercard and Visa card) — in the international terminal. There are 24 hour exchange windows inside the international terminal and outside of the airport in a separate building adjacent to the parking lot. The exchange also works in case your plane arrives late in the evening.

Transport in a private vehicle to the city center will cost 60,000–80,000 Ar (June 2023) – costs will be at the high end of the cost spectrum after daylight hours. It will take a half hour in the late evening and early morning to reach the city center, and usually more than an hour during other times when the roads are congested.

 * A taxi brousse is the least expensive option, and should cost 2×600=1200 Ar from the airport to downtown. You need too take two seats: one for you and one for your bag.

By road

For travelling by road, there are three options: a private vehicle hire, a scheduled bus service or taxi brousse (bush taxi).

Vehicles can be hired through various agencies in Antananarivo. Individuals that work as freelance driver-guides will also approach you while you walk around in the streets or sit in a café. Budget €60 per day if you wish to hire a driver, and clarify how the driver's expenses (food, accommodation) is handled if you hire the car for trips that last more than one day. You may need to sign a "contract" to be shown to police officers that may stop the car at checkpoints along the road. It is allowed to check the technical state of the vehicle before you agree.

There are several companies that operate scheduled bus services between Antananarivo and larger towns of Madagascar.
 * Besady Plus buses to Nosy Be and Sainte Marie Via Ambanja and Toamasina. Tickets includes sea transfer. All Besady Plus buses have free wifi and go on time.
 * Malagasycar Transport Premiere Classe or . Antananarivo from Mahajanga Ambanja (Ankify port nosy be)
 * Casycar VIP Transport has 5 seat cars going from Antananarivo to Antsirabe. They depart 6 times a day from Hotel Chalet des roses in Antananarivo city center. The fare is 26,000 Ar. Saves you having to get a taxi out to the bus terminal.
 * Malagasycar Transport Premiere Classe or . Antananarivo from Mahajanga Ambanja (Ankify port nosy be)
 * Casycar VIP Transport has 5 seat cars going from Antananarivo to Antsirabe. They depart 6 times a day from Hotel Chalet des roses in Antananarivo city center. The fare is 26,000 Ar. Saves you having to get a taxi out to the bus terminal.

The taxis-brousses link the capital to most other towns and depart from four major bus stations, which roughly correspond to the points of the compass, i.e. the northern bus station includes destinations such as Nosy Be and Antsiranana (Diego-Suarez), while the eastern one (Gare Routiere de l'est) has destinations such as Andasibe. If you don't know which one you need ask a taxi driver to take you to the right one for your location.

On arrival to the station you will be mobbed by touts trying to sell the services of every destination and route. Don't be intimidated as they do this to all arrivals to the station, local and tourist alike; rather look for a vehicle that seems reliable to you and which is almost full. Most stations are lined with ticket kiosk with signs overhead advertising their locations. On the wall inside there should be a price list advertising locations, so make sure you don't pay more than this (and remember luggage is included). You can also ask to be dropped off on route before the final destination. After buying your ticket, the bus may not leave for a long time, as they will only leave when full. Try and avoid the back row of seating, this generally has the least leg room; you may buy an extra ticket (i.e. three tickets for two persons) if you want to have more space.

By rail
The colonial central station,, is located on Arabe Rainibertsimisaraka, at the northwestern end of Avenue de l'Independence. It has been converted into a small shopping mall as it sees no or very little passenger traffic. If the train to Toamasina runs, then it is not a mode of transport but an adventure for the lovers of rail transportation. Inquire at the decent Café de la gare.

Get around
There are three main methods of navigating the capital: taxi, bus and on foot.
 * Taxis are preferred by most tourists and can be found easily. There are no meters, agree the rate with the driver before entering the taxi. Expect to be quoted 5,000 Ar for a short ride in town and 20,000 Ar for a longer ride; a one-way trip to the airport will be 40,000–60,000 Ar. 60,000 at night. A taxi can be hired for half a day or a day, expect to be quoted 150,000 Ar for half a day. You can bargain. That traffic tends to be heavy in Analakely (Antananrivo's centre and busiest area) during typical rush hour times, allow for extra time if you need to pass that area on your way to the airport.
 * Taxi-bes typically are old and smoky Mercedes-Benz TN that go along a defined, numbered route. If you are comfortable being squeezed onto a van with other people, the buses, or Taxi-be, are the most affordable form of transportation, with prices around 600 Ar. There is no plan of the route system, nor is there a timetable, only locals use Taxi-be.
 * While the city is quite large, Analakely is fairly navigable on foot. Prepare for a slalom around market stalls, cars, holes and other obstacles, don't carry anything you need, in particular valuables.

See

There are lots to see and do in Antananarivo.

 * Palais d'Andafiavaratra 01.jpg

Buy
The city centre is focused on Avenue de L'Independence. Restaurants and shops line both sides of the road and it's the place to go if you want to visit a restaurant or decent cafe, including a good pizzeria and a take-away pizza restaurant. There are also internet cafes and photo-printing facilities. Shops for the Maki and Baobab clothing brand shops can be found a few streets away. The main attraction for this area is the large central market (Aanalakey Market), which includes a covered section selling bags, jewellery and clothing at relatively cheap prices (remember to haggle). Outside there's a plethora of fruit, vegetable and spice stalls, where large packs of vanilla pods can be bought.

Outside the centre there is a dedicated tourist market which has some thirty stalls selling souvenirs and local crafts. Definitely worth a visit.

There are many large western style supermarkets notable the chains Shoprite, 'Jumboscore', Leader price. and Supermaki. any taxi driver can take you to one. However, most stock is imported from abroad and so include a significant mark up (although most goods are still below European prices). For fresh goods like fruit and vegetables, significant savings can be made by buying them from the local markets stalls dotted throughout the city.

Buy a local SIM (Telma, Orange, Airtel) to access calls at the national rate. Both SIM cards and credit are easily obtainable throughout the country, and one of the few things you can easily get hold of (aside from Coca Cola, THB beer and coconut flavoured biscuits) in provincial towns and small rural villages. As with most countries, the cheapest way to receive calls from abroad is to use a local SIM and get someone to ring the number using Skype (or similar software), as it will be free for you (the receiver) and cheap for them.

Most banks have an ATM, although they often limit you to how much you can draw out at once. It's relatively simple to change money from euros and dollars to ariary, and you often get a better rate than at the airport. Some banks will also accept pound sterling.

Drink

 * Lots of bottled water (no tap water!), the main brand is Pura Vida, relatively expensive, with a 1.5-L bottle costing about 3000 Ar
 * THB (Three Horses Beer). Multi-awarded beer.
 * Madagascar wine – variable but so much cheaper than the alternative (imported French wine).
 * Bonbon Anglais < very sweet, bubble gum tasting soft drink, similar to South American Inka Cola. Excellent if you mix it with a little bit of THB. You may be presented with this when asking for limonade.
 * Betsa-betsa – alcohol made from coconut water. Stronger than beer but not quite as potent as hard liquor.
 * Litchel (or Vin Litchi in French) – lychee wine. Some brands are off-dry and quite nice, others are sickeningly sweet.
 * Saint Claude – a local brand of rum with a hint of vanilla.

Sleep
If you are overnighting in Tana while traveling through the airport, it is at least 30 minutes, and closer to an hour with traffic, to travel from the airport to the downtown area, and that the cost of the transfer in a private taxi is 40,000-60,000 Ar, 60,000 at night (one-way), so a hotel near the airport may be a good option.

Budget

Splurge
The two best known accommodations in the capital are the Colbert (pronounced like the Comedy Central show!) and the Carlton (formerly Hilton). However, in addition to being well known, these hotels are quite expensive, especially relative to other accommodations.

Stay safe

 * Beware of dogs! Tana is loaded with stray dogs, some of whom will occasionally harass passers-by for scraps or bark, growl and chase humans off their territory.  If accosted by a stray dog, look for a rock or bottle or something to throw at it, then let fly.  If nothing is available start screaming and clapping your hands.  If this doesn't work, run.  These animals also leave their marks behind... many locals refer to Tana as "Antaybe" (place of much poop).
 * Beggars can also be a nuisance, especially groups of children. A polite but firm "Non, merci" or "Tsy misy (tsee meesh)" (add "Tompoko (toom-pook)" when speaking to anyone older than you) should do the trick. If not, shout "Mandehana! (man-day-han)" (Go Away!).  Try to avoid handing out cash, candy or trinkets to children, it simply encourages more begging.
 * Be wary of groups of older children begging in the centre, they may try and snatch exposed jewellery or bags.
 * Don't be alarmed by taxis or vehicles with holes in the floor, springs poking out of the seats, missing mirrors or broken windows. Malagasy motor vehicles may not be much to look at and not much fun to ride in, but for the most part they run well and the engines are well-maintained.
 * In daylight hours you should be fine, as long as you don't carry too many valuables. Use common sense.

Embassies and consulates

 * 🇪🇬 Egypt
 * 🇬🇷 Greece
 * 🇯🇵 Japan
 * 🇷🇴 Romania
 * 🇺🇸 United States

Go next
Due to the altitude, the capital is significantly cooler. There are actually a number of things to do in Tana. the city is really attractive and a photographers dream. The architecture is a mix of French countryside and Indonesia. Rice paddies scattered all over the city add a brilliant green to the pastel terracotta of the buildings. The market is wonderful offering many unique souvenirs and if you do not want to bargain then try Lisy, a collection of shops with similar produce to the market at excellent prices. The Lemur Park, 45 minutes out of Tana, is well worth a visit and for gourmets there are some surprisingly good restaurants.

Travel out of the capital is by two modes: road or air. As of 2017 there is no passenger rail service from the capital. Road transport is by bus to limited destinations, taxi-brousse (shared taxi) to a variety of destinations or by car rental (usually with driver). Although travel by taxi-brousse is guaranteed to try one's patience and sanity, there is quite possibly no better way to meet and interact with the locals and experience Madagascar as the Malagasy do. Air travel is the recommended method, due to the poor state of many roads, and Antananarivo is the hub city for the national carrier Air Madagascar. But of course air is more expensive.

Recommended next stops are Morondava and/or Nosy Be.

title: Antananarivo


text:
Antananarivo Province

Antananarivo Province is a region of Madagascar on a plateau generally called "The Blue Forest".

Cities

 * — The largest city in the region and the national capital.
 * — An old colonial spa town located at an altitude of 1,500 m.

Understand
The region is dominated by the Merina people.

It was one of the country's six provinces which were abolished in 2007 in favour of creation of smaller regions to help in development.

It was badly affected by plagues in the 20th century.

Get in
The airport in Antananarivo is the main hub for the country, while the one in Antsirabe has only local flights.

Get around
It takes 3 hr 30 min by taxi-brousse to travel the 162 km between Antsirabe and Antananarivo on national road 7.

See
The Royal Hill of Ambohimanga, a traditional fortified royal settlement on a hill 24 km northeast of Antananarivo. One of the best preserved precolonial sites of Madagascar, it has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

In Antananarivo, the Queen's Palace and Prime Minister's are good places to explore Madagascar's royal history. The Lemurs' Park gives an opportunity to see at close range a variety of lemurs, which would be much more difficult in one of Madagascar's National Parks or in a Western zoo. At the Croc Farm, you can watch the crocodiles, 80 other species of animals (turtles, snakes, lemurs) and see the smallest chameleon in the world.

Do
Antsirabe is a great place for hiking, mountain biking, or horse riding.

title: Antananarivo Province


text:
Antarctica

Antarctica is the coldest and driest place on Earth, and surrounds the South Pole. Tourist visits are costly, demand physical fitness, can only take place in summer (from November to February), and are largely limited to the Peninsula, Islands and Ross Sea. A couple of thousand staff live here in summer in some four dozen bases mostly in those areas; a small number stay over winter. Inland Antarctica is a desolate plateau covered by 2-3 km of ice. Occasional specialist air tours go inland, for mountaineering or to reach the Pole, which has a large base. Wildlife needs access to the sea and is confined to the coasts.

Regions

 * All dots on the map represent inhabited research stations.

History
About 15 million years ago, the mountain chain connecting South America to Antarctica sank under the ocean, and a new continent was born. Cold sea currents now enclosed Antarctica completely and its climate became intensely cold.

18th century explorers probed the dangerous southern oceans only to encounter a vast barrier of ice: they could hardly tell what was islands, what was a larger land mass, and what was just ice. The first sure sightings of the mainland were in 1820, by Russian, British and American ships all at about the same time. Whaling and sealing vessels began to hunt in the seas here, and explorers mapped the coast. In 1897, a Belgian expedition overwintered in Antarctica and this was the start of the "Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration", culminating when Roald Amundsen and his crew reached the South Pole in December 1911. Robert Scott arrived a month later but never made it back to the coast.

Nations began setting up bases and claiming parts of the continent, while conducting scientific work. There was a particular effort at collaboration in the "International Geophysical Year" of 1957/58, and this led to the Antarctic Treaty of 1959. The Treaty makes the continent a scientific preserve, suspends all territorial claims, and prohibits military activity here. This Treaty has stood the test of time, and today Antarctica has no border controls, mines or quarries, missile silos, fish canneries, or any settlements beyond small collections of prefabs. Some four dozen bases are occupied year round or seasonally by a transient population, numbering a few thousand in summer and perhaps a couple of hundred in winter. Only 10% could be described as "researchers"; the great majority are support and logistics staff to make the research possible. A couple of settlements style themselves "towns" and children have been born there. One base, McMurdo, even has a bus service; its route passes close to where Scott and his men perished in 1912.

Climate
Antarctica is a desert: the winds are cold, so they carry little moisture, and inland precipitation averages 50 mm (2 inch) a year, the same as the Mojave in California. And yet Antarctica is covered in ice 2–3 km thick. In a warmer climate the snowfall would run off in streams or evaporate, but here it just builds and builds. As Antarctica also has the strongest and most persistent winds of any continent, the snow (or bits of ice small enough to be carried by wind) is constantly moved around and as research stations act as artificial impediments to the free movement of air and snow, there is always the danger of those becoming "buried" by snow, requiring various techniques to avoid or at least delay this process. The bedrock beneath the ice is mostly low-lying (though there are several mountain ranges) – in fact some of the rock is actually several hundred meters below the sea – but add all that ice and most of the continent is at high altitude; the South Pole itself is 2835 m (9301 ft) above sea level. This makes a very cold climate colder still, with inland summer highs of -15°C (5°F) and winter lows below -80°C (-112°F), and thin dry air. The icecap is moving, very slowly on the plateau, faster as it descends to the coast to form glaciers and floating ice sheets which calve into county-sized icebergs.

The coast, especially the Peninsula and its nearby islands, have a slightly less harsh climate, which means their seas are not frozen in summer. This is crucial for wildlife: penguins, seabirds and seals all depend upon open water. It also means that ships can approach, bearing supplies and tourists, from November through February.

Read
Films and TV documentaries show Antarctic scenery and wildlife, but don't get you into the minds of the early explorers. The following are all available to order online.

 * Alone: The Classic Polar Adventure, by Richard E Byrd, 1938.
 * At the Mountains of Madness by HP Lovercraft, 1936. The earliest science fiction/horror story to take place on the continent, detailing the adventures of a geological expedition to Antarctic Mountains, where the researchers discover something so inconceivable that they lose their minds.
 * Antarctica, by Kim Stanley Robinson, 1997. Science fiction account of 21st-century Antarctica and the impact of global warming.
 * Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage, by Alfred Lansing, 1959.
 * Endurance, by Caroline Alexander, 1998.
 * A First-Rate Tragedy: Robert Falcon Scott & the Race to the South Pole, by Diana Preston, 1999.
 * Mawson's Will, by Lennard Bickel, 1977.
 * North Pole, South Pole: Journeys to the Ends of the Earth, by Bertrand Imbert, 1992.
 * Scott's Last Expedition: The Journals, by Robert F. Scott and Beryl Bainbridge, 1996.
 * Shackleton, by Roland Huntford, 1975.
 * South Pole: 900 Miles on Foot, by Gareth Wood and Eric Jamieson, 1996.
 * The Worst Journey in the World, by Apsley Cherry-Garrard, 1922.
 * Terra Incognita, by Sara Wheeler, 1997.
 * South, by Ernest Shackleton, 1919.

Get in
Antarctica has no immigration or border controls, but visitors to any land or sea south of 60°S need permission from an Antarctic Treaty member country. Your tour / cruise organiser will take care of this but those travelling independently should apply six months in advance.

By plane
Only five places in Antarctica can handle large, wheeled aircraft suitable for intercontinental flights in potentially hazardous conditions:
 * Villa las Estrellas on King George Island, 200 km north of the Antarctic Peninsula. This has a gravel, all-seasons runway, and receives 2-hour charter flights from Punta Arenas between December and February. These flights require clear skies, with around 85% of them proceeding as scheduled. This is a common transfer point for visitors joining small-ship cruises of the islands and Peninsula.
 * Marambio Base is on Marambio Island in the Weddell Sea, some 100 km south of the tip of the Peninsula. It's open year-round, though it's prone to fog in December and January. This large base acts as the support centre for all the Argentine stations in the region.
 *  McMurdo Station on Ross Island has two such airfields, receiving flights from Christchurch, New Zealand that take four hours, but the strips are only open in November and December. It was intended that the newer "Phoenix" airfield would have a longer season than the "Ice Runway", but this hasn't worked out. McMurdo is a transfer point for visitors from Australia and New Zealand heading to the South Pole, using ski planes from its third airfield "Williams".
 * Union Glacier is a privately-run summer airfield on the desolate plateau of West Antarctica. It receives flights from Punta Arenas and from Cape Town. Most visitors are transferring to and from the South Pole, but this airfield is also a base for climbing Mount Vinson and for the Antarctic Marathon.
 * Wolfs Fang is a privately-run summer airfield in Queen Maud Land, East Antarctica, which receives medium-sized business jets from Cape Town. Guests transfer via Whichaway Camp to ski-aircraft to the Pole and elsewhere.

In 2023, there are no standard commercial flights to any of these airfields, but see their details above for flight package tours. Onward flights into Antarctica use various small to medium aircraft such as the Twin Otter. All the bases have access to a ski runway or at least a helipad.

Sightseeing overflights from Australia by Antarctica Flights spend three hours over the continent. Prices range from AUDAUD 8000 for first-class down to AUD 1200 for a centre economy seat with no guaranteed window access.

The Qantas regular flight between Sydney and Johannesburg passes close enough for a glimpse of Antarctica.

By ship

Ship is the most common method of visiting the Antarctic, with a sailing season Nov-Feb. The vessels are usually ice-strengthened rather than icebreakers; the latter are stronger but round-bottomed, so they heave about more in the massive waves of Drake Passage, typically 4 meters (12 ft) high, sometimes up to 12 meters (40 ft). Most itineraries are to the Antarctic peninsula and nearby Antarctic islands, and they often also take in more northerly islands such as South Georgia and the Falklands.

Smaller ships (less than 100 passengers) can go where the big ships can't, getting you up closer to the nature and wildlife. Larger vessels are less prone to rough seas but have more limited landing options; both will use RIBs (powered dinghies) to get you ashore or close in among the ice floes. Big ships may have 1000+ normal capacity but be limited to 500 on Antarctic trips. IAATO rules say that at most 100 people may be ashore at any one time: that's mainly so that everyone can be swiftly plucked to safety when (not if) conditions turn dangerous. Larger ships therefore have to segment their landings, so those passengers might only get a couple of hours per day off ship. Smaller ships can get their shore parties out and back in one operation then move on to visit a second location same day. Everything is very dependent on the weather: an onshore breeze (which in these climes will be going on a gale) will send furious breakers pounding onto the landing beach. About a third of landings have to be called off.

Even on a cosy cruise ship, you need warm clothing just to stand on deck let alone get ashore: boots, hoods, glove, water repellent pants, parka, and warm underwear. Most of these items can be bought or hired in Ushuaia, but they might not have your size. So bring whatever you can from your own stock.

Many shipping companies also offer fly/cruises, so you fly one-way or round-trip from mainland Chile. These cost more but save a couple of days each way upchucking across the Drake Passage.

As of 2023, a couple of dozen companies offer trips to Antarctica: others simply act as agents, selling you on to another company and charging a mark-up for their labours. Those listed here are understood to be direct operators, though they may be hiring the vessel with crew and sharing it with other companies. Supply outstrips demand: there is a lot of last-minute availability, but don't be too last-minute as even reaching the port of departure is a major trip in its own right. These companies all sail from Ushuaia unless otherwise noted:
 * Abercrombie & Kent sail on Le Lyrial (200 passengers max).
 * Antarpply Expeditions on Ushuaia (90).
 * Aurora Expeditions on Greg Mortimer (126).
 * Bark Europa on Europa, a square-rigged sailing ship.
 * Cheesemans Ecology Safaris: flying into King George then onto the 12-passenger Hans Hanson.
 * Compagnie du Ponant on Le Soleal, Le Boreal and L'Austral (all about 260 max).
 * Expedition Cruise Specialists on Expedition (134) and Sea Spirit (114), also from Invercargill on Spirit of Enderby and Spirit of Shokalskiy (both 50), or flying into King George then onto 100-passenger Magellan Explorer.
 * G Adventures also sail on Expedition.
 * Heritage Expeditions also sail from Invercargill on Spirit of Enderby and Spirit of Shokalskiy.
 * Geographic Expeditions sail from Ushuaia or fly into King George or to the South Pole.
 * Hapag-Lloyd Cruises on Bremen (155), and from 2021 on Hanseatic Nature and Hanseatic Inspiration.
 * Hurtigruten sail from Ushuaia and Punta Arenas on Roald Amundsen (500), Fridtjof Nansen (500), Fram (250) and Midnatsol (500).
 * Intrepid Travel on Ocean Endeavour (100).
 * Quark Expeditions also on Ocean Endeavour.
 * National Geographic Expeditions on National Geographic Explorer (148), NG Orion (102) and NG Endurance (126).
 * Lindblad Expeditions sail on the same vessels.
 * Oceanwide Expeditions sail from Ushuaia and Bluff NZ on Plancius (108), Ortelius (108), Janssonius (170) and Hondius (170).
 * Polar Latitudes on Hebridean Sky and Island Sky, plus Seaventure from 2021.

By sailboat
About a dozen charter sailboats, many of them members of IAATO, offer three to six-week voyages to the Antarctic Peninsula from South America. Most offer "expedition style" trips where guests are invited to help out, although usually no prior sailing experience is required. Yachts take individuals on a "by the bunk" basis and also support private expeditions such as scientific research, mountaineering, kayaking, and film-making. Compared to the more popular expedition ships, a small yacht can be more work and significantly less comfortable, but typically allows more freedom and flexibility. For the right people, this can be a far more rewarding experience.

 * Ocean Expeditions. Expedition support yacht Australis purpose-built for high latitudes. Specializing in private or commercial expeditions involving film making, scientific research, adventure activities, wildlife enthusiasts or just an intimate experience of the Antarctic.
 * Expedition Sail. Sailing yacht Seal is a purpose-built expedition sailboat offering private expeditions, support for research, filming, or climbing projects, and also offers "by the bunk" trips for individuals.
 * Spirit of Sydney. Australians Darrel and Cath own and operate Spirit of Sydney, an expedition support yacht for film crews, mountaineers, skiers and snowboarders, sea kayakers, dry suit divers, scientists, sailors of all experience levels, and whale watchers.  They typically carry kayaks on board and offer private charters and group trips for individuals.

Get around

Skis, snowmobiles, tractors, snowcats, helicopters and ski planes are all used to get around Antarctica, and McMurdo on Ross Island even has a bus service. Cruise ships use RIBs / zodiacs (sturdy inflatable powerboats) to ferry tourists between ship and shore; bases close to open water also use these. Bring your own fuel!

The last of the pony- and dog-sled teams retired in the 1980s. It would be neat to bring a few teams over for a "heritage" run, but given the logistics and paperwork necessary, it would probably be simpler to run an old steam locomotive here.

See and do
Antarctica is an amazing place just to look at, with its enormous calving glaciers, icebergs the size of cities, penguin colonies and towering snow-clad mountains. But even just standing there looking is going to involve exertion on your part, elaborate preparation, and a degree of risk. The distinction between seeing and doing is a fine one in many locations, and here it vanishes altogether.

 * In that spirit, the prime thing for you to do in Antarctica is come home safe. Don't do anything, not even just standing there, without having that in mind. How are the sea conditions and the weather? How is your body faring? What about the other people in your group, is everyone accounted for? And what if, what if, what if?
 *  The southern aurora, but not in summer. You need full darkness to see it, but in summer the sky is bright even if the sun has briefly dipped below the horizon. You may have more chance on the homeward sailing, as your latitude decreases and the nights lengthen. The same applies to other dark sky sights such as meteors.
 * The midnight sun in midsummer, but only within the Antarctic circle; most of the Peninsula and all of the Antarctic Islands lie north of it. Actually you're going to get fed up with the sun, since it's broad daylight at 02:00 when you need your sleep.
 * Deception Island, one of the South Shetland Islands, is a remarkable natural amphitheatre with an equally remarkable show within. It's an active volcano, last erupting in 1970, and the deception is that it looks like a normal mountainous island. But its flanks are just the rim of a great flooded caldera, entered via the narrow channel "Neptune's Bellows" into a sheltered natural harbour. Its main sights are the scenery, a large colony of chinstrap penguins, geothermal hot springs (so you can swim in Antarctica), and the remains of an old whaling station and bases wrecked by eruptions.Lemaire Channel Jan 2014.JPG
 * Lemaire Channel is a spectacular section of coastline along the Peninsula. It narrows to 1.6 km, and cruise ships sail through a canyon of cliffs and towering ice. Its waters are remarkably still and populated by whales. It's close to other attractions such as Port Lockroy, Cierva Cove and Paradise Bay so it's on many cruise itineraries, but the channel is sometimes blocked by icebergs, so the ship has to back up and seek another route.
 * Old camps and bases that have been abandoned. Some (such as on Paulet Island) were refuges built by shipwreck survivors, others (as on Deception, above) were summer camps for whaling and sealing. Port Lockroy on the Peninsula was the main British base until they moved to Rothera. It's been converted into a museum. There's a particularly rich collection on Ross Island, as this was historically the main base for exploration towards the pole.
 * Penguins are the signature beasts of Antarctica, yet most penguin species live much further north.
 * Emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) are the 1.2 m creature that stays and breeds here during the harsh winter. Its habitat is stable pack ice within waddling distance of open water - though they may waddle for over 100 km. The largest colonies are on mainland sites that are hard to visit, but there's a small but accessible colony on King George Island, and a larger one at the tip of the Peninsula.
 * Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) are the ones 50-60 cm tall in badly-fitting tuxedos. They live at the edge of the ice and forage for krill, but in spring (October) they move to ice-free land to breed. Their largest known colony is in the Danger Islands at the tip of the Peninsula, with 1.5 million birds.
 * King penguins (A. patagonicus) are about 70-90 cm tall, like a slimmed down Emperor with bright orange cheeks, but the biggest difference is their habitat. King penguins are sub-Antarctic not continental, and only nest on dry land, so you're most likely to see them on South Georgia. Leith whaling station.JPG
 * Gentoo penguins (P. papua) are 60-80 cm tall with a distinctive white band on the head and trumpeting call. They're mainly sub-Antarctic but are found on the Peninsula.
 * Chinstrap penguins (P. antarcticus) are 70 cm with an obvious chin-strap and harsh stroppy call. They're mainly sub-Antarctic but are found on the Peninsula and South Shetland Islands.
 * Tangerine penguins 50-60 cm high, are they Adélies? There are penguin colonies all round the Antarctic coastline, but viewing them from close-up needs a colony near a safe landing beach; so these attract a stream of visitors. You'll smell them first and hear their grating kra-kra kraa? before you see their orange line along the shore. Then as the boat draws closer you realize the orange things are traffic cones. They are there partly to show you the trail (you may be trying to return in poor visibility), but mostly to indicate the line that you must not cross to avoid disturbing the colony. Expect grief if you transgress, and if you do so in January when the eggs are hatching and the chicks are most vulnerable, you'll be busted off further shore trips.
 * No penguins at all at the South Pole, or anywhere on the remote plateau.
 * Other wildlife includes Humpback, Minke, Blue and Orca Whales; Crab-eater, Weddell and Leopard Seals; and Blue-eyed Shag, Southern Giant Petrel, Cape Petrel, and Kelp Gull.
 * Climb an active volcano, Mount Erebus at 3794 m on Ross Island. It's a Stromboli-type volcano so it erupts continuously but without great violence, so you can reach the summit crater with its lava lake.
 * Climb the Seventh Summit, Mount Vinson at 4892 m. The "Seven Summits Challenge" is to climb the highest peaks of all seven continents. The list of seven is disputed: which continent does Elbrus belong to, and does Puncak Jaya in Indonesia supplant the Sunday afternoon stroll that is Kosciuszko? What is universally agreed is that Everest is the highest in Asia and Vinson the highest in Antarctica, and that these two are the most difficult and perilous. Vinson is much less of a technical challenge, you spend little time in the "death zone" above 4000 m, but it's the isolation, the logistics, and the literally perishing cold.
 * While virtually no traveller ever visits Antarctica for its religious buildings, there are several churches in Antarctica. Some tours will stop at one of them.

Buy
There isn't much to buy in Antarctica, and most of the shops are small gift shops and souvenir shops. The largest shop is McMurdo's General Store, which would probably provide you with just about anything you will need in Antarctica.

Coming to the Antarctic marks you as a high-roller; at the very least you'll get some surprising junk-mail and pop-ups. Some cruise passengers have experienced "presentations" that were just pressure-selling of flaky investments, fine wines the quality of filling station Chardonnay, and kitsch artwork and antiques. This is not common on Antarctic cruises, whose passengers are more savvy than most, but as ever caveat emptor.

Eat

Take advice from your trip organizer on what supplies to bring. You need sufficient and some spare, but not excess which creates deadweight. Take suitable nutritional advice before extended shore trips. The main risk to the average cruise passenger is pigging out at the ship's buffet. If you're living and working on land, though, you'll find you have quite an appetite; the extra manual labor and cold temperatures result in average calorie intake nearly double of normal.

Most food at bases is frozen, dried, canned, or otherwise preserved. It's all ordered in advance and delivered just once a year around January. Fresh produce is limited, and is typically flown into bases weekly for around two months (around Nov-Dec). A large station may have a cook who can work wonderful variations on the same old pasta; small places may just have a microwave. A few bases are experimenting with indoor greenhouses where they grow fresh produce to prepare future long-term space missions or the supply of Moon or Mars bases. While the food produced is a very welcome break from the same-old for the crew, it's far too little to last the winter.

In the field, food must be carried or otherwise transported. It needs to be compact, energy-rich, and dry; anything liquid will freeze solid. Re-hydrating it may be a bigger challenge than heating it. Large campsites may be set up with a makeshift "kitchen" using camping equipment, or even more complete facilities including a range, oven, and even a grill; food at these will be improvised but still pretty decent. The smallest campsites and mobile teams will have to subsist on camping rations including energy bars, pemmican (a dried paste of meat, fruit, and animal fat), and highly-coveted chocolate bars.

Don't eat the wildlife: penguins, seals, bird's eggs, anything... even if it was already dead when you found it. It's illegal due to the treaty, which seeks to protect Antarctic wildlife after 200 years of over-hunting and environmental damage. Equally, don't feed them, however woebegone-cute they look, though there's no rule against leopard seals (Hydrurga leptonyx) eating you. It's very rare for them to try, what they're more likely to do is attack and puncture the pontoon floats of your RIB, mistaking their cylindrical black shape for seals.

Drink

Drinking water requires forethought. In summer near the coast there may be freshwater lakes, but they're full of bird poop plus the odd decomposing penguin. Most of the continent is covered in snow and permafrost, but it must be collected and thawed, both of which take a lot of energy. Meltwater is low in minerals and tastes very flat; you may prefer yours with a dash of salt or syrup.

As in any cold climate, never drink alcohol until you are safely in shelter. It's notorious for generating a false glow of warmth and well-being while your core body temperature ebbs away. Rules for alcohol vary by base, but it's usually available at bases' general stores and bars.

Sleep
Antarctica has very long summer days, 24-hour long within the Antarctic circle. Try to maintain regular sleeping hours, as this continuous daylight disturbs the body clock. There are no hotels or lodges, and research bases won't house tourists. Most visitors sleep aboard their ship, while inland trips (e.g. to the Pole) have camps set up.

Work
It is possible to obtain employment with scientific expeditions and research bases in Antarctica, but there's stiff competition for the small number of posts, only open to citizens of the relevant country. Posts are fixed-term contracts with induction and training before departure for Antarctica. Most positions are summer-only, and less than 10% of staff stay on over winter.

Staffing agencies include Antarctic Support Contract for the US, the Australian Antarctic Program for Australia, British Antarctic Survey for the UK, Antarctica NZ for New Zealand, and South African National Antarctic Programme for South Africa. They also recruit for Subantarctic sites such as South Georgia, Gough and Macquarie.

Stay safe

Antarctica is an extreme environment, and accidents are unavoidable. Weigh up the risks and your own abilities before committing to a trip.

By sea is how most visitors arrive. The southern oceans are never calm, and often very rough even in summer, with hurricane-force winds and 20 m / 70 ft waves. The ship is designed to handle this so your main risks are three days of upchucking, being thrown about, falling down a stair well, or having heavy doors or items crash into you. Always have one secure handhold, and in severe weather stay in your cabin. Trips won't venture ashore in poor weather but it may deteriorate: be extremely cautious when returning in a zodiac and follow crew instructions on when to hold still and when to cross onto the landing stage. If you fall in, your survival time in these waters is less than a minute.

It's cold even on the continental fringes where most visitors go. Most cruises focus on the Antarctic Peninsula and only travel during the warmest months (late October to March). Temperatures are typically around freezing and can drop much lower, so be prepared. Standard cold-weather gear won't suffice for polar conditions: it needs to be thermally protective, wind- and water-proof, yet still allow good mobility. Seek advice from the trip organiser, and don't assume that anything will be available on ship. But conversely, the operator may prefer to issue everyone with standard kit that they know is reliable. Keeping feet warm is important on a cruise, especially when taking zodiac cruises where you won't be moving very much, taking plenty of wool socks is recommended.

It's even colder and at high altitude inland, even if you're not mountaineering: the South Pole is at 2835 m / 9301 ft.

Intense sunlight and no shelter from it: you need sunglasses and 40+ factor sunblock.

You need to be healthy and moderately fit. If you have a long-term condition such as diabetes it needs to be very well controlled: you're going to be in a stressful environment with lots of disruption to diet, activity, and day / night cycle. A medical evacuation could take days to effect and costs could approach US$1 million.

Altogether, it's hazardous yet safe, so to speak. For sure you need adequate travel / medical insurance, and an annual multi-trip policy is often the best value. This should cover a cruise with shore trips, but might exclude anything beyond. Travel insurers are generally relaxed about standard Antarctic tourist trips - indeed in 2020 one insurer offered the chance to win such a trip if you took out a policy with them. So they're not seeing many claims. Antarctic travellers are healthy and switched on, they pay attention to safety briefings and are not befuddled by alcohol, herbal tobacco or hormonal bravado - altogether they're a safer group than the average ski chalet party.

Respect
Antarctica has a very fragile environment. Penguins live at the very limit of what is survivable and are especially vulnerable in the brooding / hatching season. Some habitats have extra protection and you may not enter these. Interfering with wildlife is illegal and discouraged. Unless you're a trained researcher, don't approach wildlife closely, and even when viewing from a distance try not to surround animals which might confuse or frighten them. At the same time, don't feed or help animals even if they would die without your help; if you did, it would interfere with the "survival of the fittest" and would have negative long-term consequences.

Leave no trash. Antarctic treaties require the equivalent of leave-no-trace camping. Waste disposal and sewage facilities ashore are severely limited and restricted to permanent bases; researchers in field campsites must pack everything out, including human waste. Practice good hygiene and follow any bio-security advice given, e.g. on boot washing. There's scant risk of introducing a blight upon the Antarctic apple harvest, but you don't want to be trailing penguin poop back to the ship's buffet, or catching norovirus in the washrooms.

The International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) is a voluntary organization of tour operators which promotes safe and environmentally responsible tourism in Antarctica. It publishes standards for its members on responsible conduct of visits.

Connect
The top-level Internet domain for Antarctic sites, .aq, is assigned to organizations that conduct work in Antarctica or signatory governments to the Antarctic Treaty. Generally, its servers are hosted elsewhere as Internet access in Antarctica is quite limited. There are no undersea cables to Antarctica; all Internet is provided by satellites, which have limited bandwidth and high latency. Bandwidth is prioritized for scientific research (and even so, for large scientific uploads it's faster to mail a thumb drive), leaving even less for personal use. All websites are slow (especially social media sites, which are throttled because they're in such high demand). Uploading selfies is okay, but video calls, streaming video, and most online gaming is impossible.

Only a few sites in Antarctica have mobile phone service. Argentina's Marambia Base has 4G LTE, while the Chilean, Uruguayan, Australian, and Finnish bases have 2G GSM. Everywhere else, you would have to rely on satellite phones. Along parts of the coast, some services like Inmarsat would work, but as you get further inland, most satellites drop below the horizon. At those latitudes, Iridium satellite phones are the only ones that will work, and they should work excellently since the poles are where the orbits of every satellite overlap. Globalstar does not work (as of 2020) as its satellites can only relay to a nearby ground station, of which there are none close enough to the South Pole; even coverage near South America has been out of commission since 2015.

Post offices are few and far between, but you can send home a postcard (with a truly unique postmark) from the Chilean town of Villa Las Estrellas on King George Island, or from the former British base of Port Lockroy, or from the US or NZ post offices at McMurdo on Ross Island.

title: Antarctica


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Antarctic Peninsula

The Antarctic Peninsula is the long mountainous peninsula projecting north from Antarctica. A long way north - its tip is about three times further away from the South Pole than it is from the South American mainland, some 1600 km away. On a map, it looks like what it is: an extension of the Andes, which submerge at Tierra del Fuego and loop underwater via South Georgia to re-emerge here. It's the most accessible part of the Antarctic mainland and the most visited.

Understand
For practical purposes, the area you can visit is the west coast and islands of the northern Peninsula, which is called Graham Land. This lies mostly outside the Antarctic Circle and has a climate transitional between the marine polar climate of the Antarctic islands (where the sea only freezes in mid-winter) and the intense cold of the continent's interior. This means ships can approach, and there's things to see, with fjord-like scenery and historic bases. Penguins and other land life depend upon sea access for food, so they form huge colonies here. By contrast the east coast of the Peninsula faces the Weddell Sea, always socked in by ice. South of a line at 69° South the mountains merge into the Antarctic Plateau, though an offshore ridge persists as the large Alexander Island. This area is called Palmer Land, the climate is continental polar and the coast is ice-bound; there are few scientific visitors and even fewer tourists. Further south beyond 80° is Ellsworth Land, part of West Antarctica, even less visited.

South Shetland Islands are an archipelago some 120 km north, described here as they're often an air-sea transfer point for visitors. They have several bases and sights of interest.

This region and the rest of the continent is governed by the Antarctic Treaty, which seeks to protect the fragile environment, forbids military use, and sets aside national claims. Thus, various nations own and operate bases here and have hypothetical claims to territory which they waive. References to nations on this page should be understood accordingly.

South Shetland Islands

 * are often the starting point for trips to the Antarctic, as their ice-free areas are suitable for an airport and for building bases. Indeed there's a civilian town, Villa las Estrellas.

The tip and nearby islands

 * is one of the Joinville Islands, the archipelago east of the tip of the Peninsula. It last erupted perhaps 1000 years ago, but geothermal heat continues to keep parts of it free of ice. There's a huge colony of 100,000 pairs of Adélie penguins. The Nordenskjöld expedition of 1903 was shipwrecked nearby and their refuge hut still stands.
 * has Mendel base (Czech, summer) and has Petrel (Argentina, summer).
 * at the tip of the Peninsula is a "moberg" – a volcano that erupted under an icecap. It has a colony of 20,000 pairs of Adélies.
 * (Argentina) is near the tip of the Peninsula. It acts as a civilian community (like Chile's Villa las Estrellas on King George Island), with 55 residents in winter, and 8 children have been born here. Elichiribehety station (Uruguay) is part of the same complex. It stands on ice-free rock and has a colony of 125,000 Adélie penguins.
 * (Chile) is 30 km southwest of Cape Legoupil, the Peninsula's most northerly point. The original location of the base, founded 1948, is protected as a historic site.
 * (Argentina) is on Marambio Island south of the tip of the Peninsula. It has a large airfield suitable for wheeled aircraft so it acts as a hub for other Argentine bases. Chapel of Santisima Virgen de Lujan is in a steel prefab here.

Southern Graham Land

 * (Argentina, summer) is one of the few bases along the east coast, perched on Larsen Nunatak.
 * on the mainland at the north end of Gerlache Strait, has Primavera base (Argentina, summer only) and the Cobbett refuge. Tourist trips approach but landings are not permitted – the cove is home to dozens of leopard seals.
 * on the mainland facing Wiencke has Almirante Brown (Argentina) and Videla (Chile) bases. It's a good natural harbour often visited by cruise ships. So too is Neko Harbour just north, with Refugio Neko (Argentina).

Palmer Arch
Palmer Arch is a chain of islands west of the Peninsula; Anvers and Brabant are the largest, with Melchior base (Argentina, summer) on nearby islets. They're separated from the mainland by the Gerlache Strait, which narrows into the spectacular Lemaire Channel.
 * (US) is on Anvers Island off the west coast of the Peninsula. It has an air base.
 * was a UK base on tiny Goudier Island, just off Wiencke Island and facing Anvers. It closed in 1962 but re-opened as a museum in 1996. If you want to contribute to science in Antarctica then simply become one of the 10,000 tourists who visit each year, since the subject of study here is the effect of tourism on the island's large gentoo penguin colony.
 * Yelcho is a Chilean base on Doumier Island 10 km southwest of Port Lockroy. It closed in 1998 but re-opened in 2015.
 * is just off the mainland, 30 km northeast of Port Lockroy. It has a large gentoo colony, with 6500 breeding pairs.
 * (Ukraine) is on Galindez Island 40 km southwest of Anvers. It was the British station Faraday, but offered to Ukraine when the UK no longer had a use for it, and when Russia refused to transfer any Soviet bases to the newly independent States. St Volodymyr Chapel (Ukraine Orthodox) is a simple wooden hut with a richly-decorated interior. It's named for Grand Prince Vladimir (958-1015) who was dubbed Sviatoslavich, "Equal-to-the-Apostles".
 * 10 km north of Galindez has a large gentoo penguin colony. Argentina's Groussac Refuge is here.

Palmer Land

 * (UK) is on Adelaide Island, along with Chile's Carvajal Villaroel summer camp.
 * to the southeast has ITÜ PolReC (Turkey, summer) and the remains of UK "Station Y".
 * (Argentina) is on Barry Island.
 * (UK) is on Alexander Island in Palmer Land.
 * was Ernest Shackleton's ship, crushed by ice in the Weddell Sea in Nov 1915. The wreck was located in March 2022 at 3008 m / 9869 ft depth and 6.4 km south of the position logged as it sank. It's in good condition, as the cold anoxic depths have no timber worms or similar eroding creatures. The wreck has been mapped to create a 3D digital tour, but nothing has been removed.

Talk
There is no "native" tongue here, but each base or visiting ship has its own working language, usually either English or Spanish.

Get in
See Antarctica for options. Cruise ships from Ushuaia routinely tour the Peninsula in summer. Other visitors fly to Villa Las Estrellas on King George in the South Shetland Islands then transfer to smaller ships.

Get around
Tourists get around on their cruise ship, using RIBs (Zodiacs) for trips ashore. The bases use small planes and helicopters for supplies, and skis and snowmobiles around their locality.

See and do

 * The most important thing for you to do here is come home safe.

 * Lemaire Channel is a spectacular section of coastline. It narrows to 1.6 km, and cruise ships sail through a canyon of cliffs and towering ice. Its waters are remarkably still and populated by whales. It's close to other attractions such as Port Lockroy, Cierva Cove and Paradise Bay so it's on many cruise itineraries, but the channel is sometimes blocked by icebergs, so the ship has to back up and seek another route.

 * Wildlife: Antarctic animals need access to the ocean for food, so the intricate Peninsula coastline and its islands support large colonies. They include Adelie, Chinstrap, Gentoo and Emperor Penguins; Humpback, Minke, Blue, and Orca Whales; Crab-eater, Weddell, and Leopard Seals; Blue-eyed Shag, Southern Giant Petrel, Cape Petrel, Kelp Gull; and more.

 * Climb the peak of Paulet Island (353 m) and reckon 3 hours. It's unlikely to erupt.

 * Cross the Antarctic circle – maybe. You need to reach Adelaide Island, Rothera base, or points south, and most cruises don't go that far.

Connect
Send a postcard home from Port Lockroy. Postage for a standard letter or card to anywhere in the world costs US$2, which goes towards the upkeep of the museum.

Go next
Cruises to the Peninsula often continue homeward via the Antarctic islands and may also take in subantarctic South Georgia Island.

title: Antarctic Peninsula


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Antelope Valley

Antelope Valley in Southern California is a region in the north end of Los Angeles County and eastern Kern County.

Cities

 * - Master-planned city which never did as well as expected
 * - Lancaster provides extensive services for travelers, as well as the whimsical "Musical Road", a recreation of a road built in Lancaster for a Honda commercial that has grooves cut into it that generate an approximation of the William Tell Overture when a car passes over them.
 * - In 1962 Palmdale became the first city in the Antelope Valley to incorporate, and today it is home to over 150,000 people. While it lacks exciting tourist destinations, the town does offer a vast number of hotels, restaurants and other services for travelers.

Towns

 * - Antelope Acres is a farming community of several thousand that also serves somewhat as a bedroom community for surrounding cities and towns. Long an agribusiness center for production of alfalfa and ranch fodder, the settlement has also built large solar energy farms supplying power to Southern California Edison. The state flower is common, grows wild in the area.

 * - Gorman is an unincorporated community in a cluster of small towns along the top of the pass along Interstate-5 leading to the Grapevine and down into the California Central Valley. A convenient stop for lodging, food or services, Gorman sits 2 miles from the western end of highway 138, the route leading east off of I-5 into the Antelope Valley.

 * - Leona Valley is best known for its agriculture, particularly cherries and wine grapes. The town of Leona Valley holds its annual Leona Valley Cherry Festival in honor of its agricultural heritage, and there are several self-pick cherry farms open to visitors.

 * - Llano is an unincorporated community 25 miles southeast of Palmdale, that was once the site of a failed socialist commune, the Llano del Rio Colony, of which the ruins still stand. Founded in 1914 by Job Harriman and briefly the home of Aldous Huxley, the commune was abandoned in 1918. The current settlement of Llano now stands on Highway 138 leading into the Mojave Desert amidst occasional diners and other quirky roadside attractions.
 * - Mojave is a hotbed of aerospace activity, with the Mojave Spaceport the headquarters of Scaled Composites, the first private company to launch a human into space. Edwards Air Force base, a landing site for the space shuttle and a center for the development of experimental aircraft, is located adjacent to the town.
 * - Neenach is an agricultural settlement in northwestern Los Angeles County, California, with a population of about 800. It is facing massive change with the proposed construction of a 23,000-home planned community to its north by the Tejon Ranch Company. The California Aqueduct passes directly through Neenach on its way to the Perris Reservoir in Riverside County.

 * - Rosamond is primarily a bedroom community in the desert of the Antelope Valley, although it does have food and lodging options for tourists, and is home to a non-profit center dedicated to feline protection where visitors can see cats ranging in size from the tiny fishing cat up to the Siberian tiger.

Other destinations

 * — a National Scenic Trail network spanning the entire state of California. In the Antelope Valley it follows the northern edge of the San Gabriel range and then descends into the valley at Neenach, with legs into the Poppy Loop and Antelope Butte Trails, and also north into Neenach alongside the Los Angeles Aqueduct.

Understand
The Antelope Valley is an arid plateau located between the Tehachapi and San Gabriel Mountains. It enjoys clear air and strong winds, and fantastic visibility. While not everyone will appreciate the rugged beauty of the desert and the rugged mountains nearby, others find the scenery spectacular. Dotting the landscape are the Antelope Valley's trademark Joshua Trees, which only grow in the Mojave Desert.

The Antelope Valley began as a community nearly a century ago. Its original industries were agriculture and mining, and those persist to this day with boron and copper mining going on in the northern hills and carrots and onions growing in the outlying areas. However, the region is now dominated by the aerospace industry, with the core work being done in and around either Air Force Plant 42 or Edwards Air Force Base. Economically, the area is dominated by its two largest cities, Palmdale and Lancaster. Between the two cities, a population of over 500,000 people call the Antelope Valley home. Roughly half of the breadwinners in the area commute to jobs closer to the nearby urban center of Los Angeles, but the others work near where they live. Attracted by affordable housing, clean air, and freedom from the crowding and congestion of the big city, the residents of the Antelope Valley (or "A.V." to the locals) also boast proximity to some interesting local attractions.

The Antelope Valley was named for an animal now known as the pronghorn, Antilocapra americana, which is endemic to the western states and now more likely to be referred to as "speed goats" by naturalists, as among the fastest land animals on earth. Pronghorn are however highly sensitive to changes in the natural environment, and may have difficulty crossing even railroads, entirely preventing their migration into areas settled by humans and making a sighting now very rare.

Talk
English is the dominant language; in some neighborhoods Spanish is spoken.

By plane
Although there is a large regional airport in the Antelope Valley, Palmdale Regional Airport, there is no scheduled commercial air service available.

Charter flights are available at General William J. Fox Field three miles northwest of Lancaster.

The nearest regional airport is Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, 50 minutes south of Palmdale by freeway, and is served by all major domestic carriers.

There are several other major airports around Southern California within driving distance of the Antelope Valley. Listed driving times to Palmdale are ideal and can vary greatly depending on traffic. Los Angeles International Airport (1 hr 15 min) has the most flight options and is relatively the cheapest way to go, but the traffic is usually heavy. Ontario International Airport (1 hr 30 min) is usually a good alternative, but doesn't have as many flight options as LAX and occasionally has poor traffic conditions. Bakersfield Meadows Field (1 hr 45 min) has a better traffic situation but fewer flight options and is usually more expensive. Two other smaller airports include Long Beach Municipal Airport (1 hr 45 min) and John Wayne International  (1 hr 40 min).

There is the Mojave Air and Space Port, AKA the Civilian Aerospace Test Center, in the town of Mojave, where

 * the Voyager -- the airplane that first flew around the world on one tank of gas, came from,
 * the Pregnant Guppy -- the largest airplane in the world at the time -- had the flag of the United States of America Painted on it by local talent,
 * a former Mojave marine base put in such a long runway that the French/British Concord was once considering landing in Mojave,
 * a "bone-yard" of airplanes is preserved in the arid environment for buzzard-like humans to pick as clean,
 * private airplanes and land-sails have been known to enjoy the wide open spaces and long runways, and
 * a world renowned space port where private companies can enjoy setting out-of-this-world records.

By train
Direct rail service to the Antelope Valley is provided by Metrolink. The Antelope Valley Line begins at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles and runs many times daily. There are two stops in the valley: the Palmdale Transportation Center, which is the area's principal transit hub, and Lancaster, which is the end of the line.

Amtrak also serves the Antelope Valley, but not by train directly. Travelers coming from the north have two options. If you're riding one of the coast trains (Pacific Surfliner or Coast Starlight), you can transfer to Metrolink at Union Station in Los Angeles. If you ride the San Joaquin through the central valley to Bakersfield, you must transfer to the Amtrak Thruway Bus service to reach the Lancaster and Palmdale Metrolink stations. Passengers coming from Chicago on the Southwest Chief can exit at Victorville and use the Thruway Bus service to Lancaster and Palmdale.

Mojave was a "railroad town" with many "railroad houses" just on the west side of the railroad tracks. A railroad round house was used in its switching yard. Mojave's station was still operational in the 1960's and the Bicentennial Train stopped at the Mojave station for a while so that the public could look at the displays that were taken across the continental United States as the country celebrated its bicentennial.

By bus
The Antelope Valley is served by one national bus service: Greyhound Bus. The Greyhound Bus station is located at the Palmdale Metrolink transportation hub.

Regional bus service is also available through the Antelope Valley Transit Authority. AVTA buses run each day between the Antelope Valley and downtown Los Angeles, West Los Angeles, and the San Fernando Valley.

Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach is provided between Bakersfield and the Antelope Valley. Coaches through Boron continue on to Barstow and Las Vegas, while coaches through Lancaster and Palmdale continue on to Victorville.

By car
The main freeway into the Antelope Valley from the Los Angeles area is California State Route 14 called the Antelope Valley Freeway. It begins between the San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valleys where it splits from Interstate 5 and passes through the San Gabriel Mountains offering some beautiful views of mountain valleys and spectacular rock formations at Vasquez Rocks.

CA-138 brings drivers to the Antelope Valley from San Bernardino after it splits from Interstate 15. This beautiful drive takes you through Cajon Pass and the Angeles National Forest. This route gives some long views of the entire Antelope Valley as it descends along the north face of the San Gabriel Mountains, passing Phelan and Pinion Hills.

The town of Mojave acts as a gateway to the north end of the Antelope Valley where drivers coming from the east, north and west all meet to access the Antelope Valley freeway. From the north, the Antelope Valley Freeway extends all the way to Inyokern where it joins with US-395. Travellers coming from Reno, Nevada and Yosemite National Park come down this route. Highway 58 from Bakersfield brings travellers from California's San Joaquin Valley through the Tehachapi Mountains and a forest of wind turbines that cover the mountainsides while generating electricity for Southern California. Highway 58 from Barstow brings travellers from Las Vegas, Nevada past the borax mines at Boron and along the northern edge of Edward Air Force Base through long stretches of open Mojave Desert.

Two other scenic routes into the valley come from Interstate 5 at Gorman, using CA-138 (for those coming from Bakersfield who want to drive the scenic Grapevine), and from Victorville along CA-18, also called Palmdale Road, which joins CA-138 coming from San Bernardino.

Get around
The street system of the Antelope Valley is a grid oriented to the compass points, although there are some exceptions. Major east-west streets are given English alphabet names while major north-south streets are given number names.

The alphabetic streets begin where Kern and Los Angeles counties meet north of Lancaster. Avenue A runs along the county line. One mile south is Avenue B, then Avenue C, and so on to Avenue T south of Palmdale where the grid system ends because of the San Gabriel Mountains. There are also minor streets using letter-number combinations (Avenue J-4 or Avenue P-8). These streets are spaced at 1/16th mile increments.

The north-south streets have a point of origin called Division Street. Each street divisible by 10 is one mile farther from Division Street, both to the east and west (10th Street is one mile from Division Street, 20th Street is two miles from Division Street). Between these streets are minor streets spaced 1/10th of a mile apart and named incrementally (11th Street, 12th Street, etc.). Location of the street either east or west of Division Street is part of the street name, which means there are often two streets named similarly (10th Street East and 10th Street West, for instance).

Many streets have what might be “normal” names (Milling Street, Fig Avenue) that don’t relate to the major or minor grids. This can be confusing when trying to find addresses in the Valley. (Norberry Street is not near any of the letter N streets, for instance.)

GPS devices can be a big help for anyone not familiar with the street and address layout of the Antelope Valley when searching for a location.

By bus
The Antelope Valley Transit Authority provides public transit bus service around the Antelope Valley and to connecting points in the Santa Clarita and San Fernando Valleys.

By train
Train service is available between Lancaster and Palmdale as part of the Metrolink service. Metrolink also connects to the Santa Clarita Valley, then continues into Los Angeles. Trains run all day and evening long.

Roadside assistance
If you experience auto problems and find your cell phone cannot connect or the battery is low, Los Angeles County maintains an emergency call box system along all major freeways, including the Antelope Valley Freeway as part of the statewide call box system. Each call box is a yellow box attached to a pole with a large blue “Call Box” sign at the top. Inside is both a phone and a TTY keyboard which will be answered 24 hours a day.

See
The San Andreas Fault appears at the southern end of Palmdale. This is called the Palmdale Bulge and is immediately above the San Andreas fault. Strata of rock are visible, warped and twisted in dramatic fashion by the tectonic interaction of the Pacific and North American plates.

The California Aqueduct is a series of aqueducts, reservoirs, power plants and pumping stations that run the length of the state of California, a portion of which passes through the Antelope Valley along the San Gabriel Mountain foothills near Palmdale. There are many vantage points where the waterway can be seen. There are also many miles of bicycleways along the aqueduct.

The Antelope Valley is home to some of the largest installations of wind farms in the world because of its abundant breezes most of the year. One major field of windmills can be seen west of Mojave in the Tehachapi Mountains where windmills of all sizes cover everything from the desert floor to the mountain ridges.

The Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve near Lancaster Rd has firkds of poppies.

The Prime Desert Woodland Preserve is a 100-acre preserve near Lancaster with more than 3 miles of trails among pristine Mojave desert flora. Many types of desert inhabitants can often be seen (jackrabbits, roadrunners, lizards).

The Antelope Valley Indian Museum in Lancaster has a collection of objects made by various indigenous peoples of California, the Great Basin, and the Southwest.

Do
The Feline Conservation Center (the Cat House), in Rosamond, is an exotic feline breeding compound. Stroll just feet away from jaguars, tigers, leopards and other exotic cats. Home to over 70 endangered species of feline.

The Willow Springs International Raceway near Rosamond has several courses that make this a favorite location for racing fans of all interests.

Eat
Chain restaurants abound; if you love the Olive Garden, Outback, BJ's Brewpub, Chili's, or Applebee's, the Antelope Valley has a lot to offer. Finer dining options are available at Tina's Ristorante in Lancaster for truly top-notch Italian food, Vincent Station south of Palmdale for steaks and seafood, and the clubhouse at the Rancho Vista golf course.

Stay safe
Some neighborhoods, generally on the east side of Palmdale and Lancaster, are known to be high-crime areas and as with any urbanized or partially urbanized area, visitors should be aware of their surroundings and avoid suspicious individuals. Generally, however, the Antelope Valley enjoys lower rates of violent and property crime than the rest of Los Angeles County.

Go next
Affordable green fees can be found at several local golf courses, including Desert Aire and Lake Elizabeth. Rancho Vista and the Antelope Valley Country Club are private courses and are somewhat more expensive.

Bird watchers will enjoy the proliferation of red hawks in the area, and there is an abundance of waterfowl in and around the aqueduct. At night, owls prowl the deserts looking for prey. Other local wildlife that can be seen with some frequency are desert tortoises, coyotes, a wide variety of snakes, and the occasional small black bear from the nearby mountains looking for forage.

title: Antelope Valley


text:
Antequera

Antequera is a city in Malaga province in Spain. Roughly midway between Malaga and Granada it can be done as a daytrip from either, or as a stopover in between.

Get in
Bus by Casada company runs regular service from Málaga. Takes about 55 minutes. Also AVE train which takes 20 minutes but Antequera station is slightly out of town

Get around
Small enough to do by foot but there are taxis.

If you are heading to attractions outside of the town, it would be a good idea to rent a car:

Eat
Antequera's gastronomy is very famous in Andalusia. Porra antequerana is a very tasty tomato juice which goes very well with the mollete antequerano which is a kind of bread, typical of this town.

The Parador serves a good midday Menu del Día.

Sleep
Parador Stylish decor nice terrace with pool and stunning views of plain and the Mountains of Málaga.

Go next

 * The Antequera Dolmens Site outside the town is listed as a world heritage site.
 * The Antequera Dolmens Site outside the town is listed as a world heritage site.
 * The Antequera Dolmens Site outside the town is listed as a world heritage site.

title: Antequera