With more of the world at travellers’ fingertips than ever before, luxury tour companies have to venture farther and farther afield to offer their guests access to truly exclusive experiences. White Desert has been doing just that for years, offering once-in-a-lifetime adventures to remote Antarctica. Launching the White Desert Dr. Jones Collection this fall, the brand will expand into some of the most untamed regions in South America.
For better or worse, the days of travel in itself as a luxury are gone. Now, with overtourism fuelled by record numbers of international travellers and few corners of the world (and soon, it seems, even space) that feel off-limits, truly exclusive tourism experiences are harder to come by. Exploring every available “final frontier”, as a result, is arguably the ultimate manifestation of modern luxury travel.
There is perhaps no destination more deserving of the title of “final frontier” than Antarctica, a place White Desert offers up on a silver platter: the expedition operator, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, has made a name for itself as the only company in the world to provide private charters to the inland of the continent. And they just announced their Dr. Jones Collection, an already sold-out 12-day journey slated for the fall that will take 12 guests through some of the most remote outposts in South America.
While this expansion to more familiar territory than the seventh continent might come as a surprise, it makes sense upon further reflection – after all, like Antarctica, South America is home to some of the most rugged and untouched wilderness on the planet, and these regions will now be rendered more accessible by White Desert’s glamorous 1940s-era DC3 aeroplane.
The other aspect the two destinations have in common is the paradox they present to responsible travellers. In order to witness the place that sees some of the most dramatic effects of climate change (Antarctica) or visit some of the last bastions of unspoilt nature (South America), travellers need to incur significant carbon emissions that may have a direct negative impact on these destinations.
One of White Desert’s differentiating factors has been its ability to assuage this concern. The company has been carbon neutral since 2007, long before most of us had ‘carbon neutrality’ in our vocabulary. It’s also the first operator to use sustainable aviation fuel to shuttle people to Antarctica, helping travellers (and scientists, who the company also provides transportation for) avoid the heftier carbon footprint of visiting by cruise ship.
In fact, from all appearances, White Desert doesn’t just talk a good sustainability game, but also backs it up with tangible action. Environmental consciousness permeates the brand’s work, from the creation of the new White Desert Foundation that supports scientists in their efforts to monitor the environment and confront climate change, to the brand’s high-end Antarctic camps designed to be set up and broken down without leaving a trace.
Because of the company’s signature aircraft that can travel between remote airstrips rather than major airports, its South American itinerary promises to offer a sense of exclusive access that luxury travellers covet. Those who travel to South America with the Dr. Jones Collection will have the chance to visit lesser-known sites like the Gocta Waterfall in Peru, the thick Chachapoyas cloud forest (which wasn’t fully surveyed until the 1990s), and the remote reaches of Patagonia.
As adventurous as the itinerary sounds, there are ways in which South America may pose more challenges to the brand from a responsible travel standpoint. Beyond sustainability, there’s also the effect on local communities to consider. After all, for travel to make a positive impact, it must recognise and honour the local way of life, whether through connections with residents, other forms of cultural immersion, or support of local businesses. Since Antarctica has no Indigenous residents, this is an easier issue to skirt, but the same can’t be said of South America.
We’ll be keeping an eye on White Desert as they embark on this new journey, in the hope that they will provide an example for other companies looking to make a positive impact, while offering exclusive access to the world’s last true no-man’s-lands.
Photography courtesy of White Desert Dr. Jones Collection
