Virtual Visits to Antarctica
In April and May 2025, the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust and the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT) will be touring their cutting-edge virtual reality (VR) experiences around the United Kingdom, bringing the continent’s remarkable historic sites to life, and using this state of-the-art technology to transform the way future generations learn about and experience Antarctica.
Both organisations care for important cultural heritage sites in Antarctica, one of the most remote places on the planet, and have become leaders in the engagement space by using immersive digital technology to educate, inspire, and create equity of access to these hard-to-reach places.
The Trust’s sister organisation UKAHT is a charity dedicated to preserving British Antarctic history and inspiring people to connect with, and protect, this remarkable continent. In Antarctica, it conserves six British heritage sites and lead on the conservation management of Shackleton’s Endurance. These sites, which are protected under the Antarctic Treaty, were once home to pioneering teams of scientists.
Two unique virtual reality experiences will be on tour, and participants will be transported to Antarctica by donning a VR headset. They will step inside historic huts, come face to face with penguins, ride on a sledge towed by huskies, meet early explorers, and hear incredible tales of resilience, teamwork and innovation on the Ice.
On the tour, we will be showcasing our new virtual reality experience of Scott’s Discovery Hut, the first expedition base built on Antarctica’s Ross Island. Scott led the National Antarctic Expedition of 1901-1904 and the hut was built in 1902, making it over 121 years old.
UKAHT will feature the Immersive Antarctica VR experience A Frozen Night. UKAHT CEO Camilla Nichol explains those taking part will be among the first to engage with Antarctic heritage sites in this new and unique way.
“A Frozen Night is UKAHT’s first virtual reality experience based on a true story from the archives and narrated by those who lived and worked in our southernmost base, Stonington Island. One of the earliest British sites, established in 1948 and a key dog sledging base, Stonington Island enabled teams to travel far inland into the Antarctic Peninsula. Now, for the first time, A Frozen Night allows people to virtually travel into Stonington’s past to experience the wonders and risks of Antarctic life and field work. It’s an exciting moment for UKAHT and we are delighted to make the Antarctic experience accessible to this and future generations.”
The Trust’s Executive Director Francesca Eathorne hopes Britons will take up the opportunity to explore the Scott’s hut.
“We’re excited to bring the hut to people virtually, making it accessible to those who may not have the opportunity to visit these historic sites in person. It gives great insight into the everyday items the explorers had with them and how they used the hut to support the important science and exploration they undertook.
“The conservation work our teams undertake is world-leading and sharing it through VR helps us to educate people around the importance of saving this cultural heritage for future generations,” says Eathorne.
The Trusts have a long history of successful partnership, helping each other to undertake cold-climate heritage conservation work in one of the world’s most extreme environments.
Since 2017, we have collaborated in numerous areas including project planning and development off-Ice, and surveying, repair, and conservation work on-Ice. We look forward to expanding that partnership and collaboration as we embark on this exciting joint tour.
Those in the UK keen to take a virtual visit to Antarctica are invited to book through the links below. The tour will also visit schools and Antarctic related organisations, and host a special event attended by UKAHT Patron HRH the Princess Royal.
