The plan was to travel to South Africa for 10 days and then spend another 10 in Antarctica, especially given that the world’s southernmost continent was a relatively untouched territory.

Antarctica was an entry into something that was beyond my imagination. It all started when one of my friends said his dream was to see a penguin.

Little did I know that some time after, we would actually see an entire colony of Emperor Penguins on their home turf.

The South Pole’s perpetual daylight distorted my sense of reality. The 10 days flew by so fast and yet at the same time were so slow.

The two contrasting locations that we had chosen tested the adventurous spirit in us while also providing us with an insight into the world’s varied splendor.

Though our visit began in South Africa, it is the Antarctica experience I would like to share first.

Our journey from South African city Cape Town to Antarctica was truly a special six-hour flight. The Boeing 727 that flew us to Antarctica was the first commercial plane that landed there. Usually the Russian Army plane “The Ilyushin” is what is used to transport people to and from Antarctica.

Antarctica, on average, is the coldest, driest, and windiest continent, and has the highest average elevation.

As soon as we arrived in the forbidden continent we were warmly welcomed by the coordinator in charge of tourism in Antarctica. The infinite white desert grabs your attention from the first moment.

We were first taken to the Russian scientific base where we had lunch. The Russians had built shelters made of wood. The shelter has a dining table, bathroom and kitchen.

There were three of them. A fourth one was a house with a Jacuzzi, which was surprising to us. Unfortunately, we did not stay in the shelters during our trip but camped in tents.

After lunch, a Russian military tank transported us to our camp. Our tents stood in isolation in the middle of the vast white desert.

The host teams welcomed us at dinner and briefed us on our itinerary for the next nine days. They smilingly added that all the planned activities were weather dependant.

Activities such as trekking, ice-climbing, kite-skiing, rock-climbing, seeing the ice waves and many others were repeated daily so we could undertake them whenever we felt comfortable.

No doubt every second spent in Antarctica left its imprint on our memory. However, our two most memorable experiences were going on a mini polar expedition and visiting the Emperor Penguins. The mini polar expedition was exceptional. We put on our cross-country skis, and carried our backpacks that were tied to a sled transporting our camping gear like sleeping bags and mats, our tents and packs of dry food.

It was special because it wasn’t a regular camping trip. Instead you are pulling a sled on skis for two to three hours until finding a spot that could be used as a camping site for the day. The site was anywhere with soft snow where we could peg our tents safely.

The hosts did warn us not to get too close to the wildlife but what is astonishing is that the penguins actually come really near to you. “They get so excited when humans visit them,” one of my friends said.

I immediately fell in love with the penguins, with their waddling gait, peaceful demeanor and striking features. I could spend hours watching these lovely creatures.

South Africa was nothing less than extraordinary. The trip kicked off with a safari expedition right by Kruger National Park. Living in the wild has always been a dream of mine. Our group was lucky because we managed to see the “Big Five” of lions, leopards, rhinos, hippos and elephants. They are so-called because they are the hardest animals for mankind to hunt.

After the safari we headed to Cape Town, my dream city in terms of activities. We visited the Cape of Good Hope where you can see the intersection linking the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

I participated in endless activities like skydiving, paragliding and kayaking, as well as embarking on a cage dive to see Great White Sharks. We also took a tour of the landscape in a Huey Helicopter, a military aircraft used by organizers to fly tourists commercially.  After the pleasure of completing all these activities, we wrapped up all our joy and excitement and headed down south to the white deserts of Antarctica.

— Fahd Munir is a Saudi citizen and a banker in the Kingdom. He grew up abroad with a passion for traveling and participating in outdoor activities.