Author: By Dan Leeth, Globe Correspondent

Date: SUNDAY, November 1, 1998

Page: N1

Section: Travel

Owned by no nation, Antarctica is the world's most remote continent. For decades, the only tourists to wallow in its grandeur were those cruisegoers who could afford five-figure fares. The fall of the Cold War changed that.

With Russia nearing bankruptcy, ice-hardened research ships became available at reasonable rates. Outfitters, such as Marine Expeditions in Toronto, leased those vessels and began offering southern cruises at Caribbean prices. Their catalog arrived the same day as my new Mastercard. Yielding to the omen, I used the plastic to buy a boarding pass for the R/V Akademik Ioffe.

The 620-mile-wide Drake Passage separates the Antarctic Peninsula from South America. This tempestuous merger of three oceans wields the wildest water on earth. By Drake standards, though, our crossing was merciful. Winds howled only at near-gale force, the ship merely listed 10 degrees to port, and some of the crashing swells did not even drench my fourth-deck porthole.

Near the mainland, waves calmed, and for the first time a line formed for breakfast. Everyone seemed eager to ride the inflatable Zodiacs ashore.

``Our first landing will be Cuverville Island,'' said expedition leader Brad Rhees. ``It has one of the largest gentoo penguin rookeries on the peninsula.'' In near-freezing temperatures, we descended the gangway to the 10-person boats that bobbed below. Drivers gunned outboards, and the Zodiacs took off. Their exhaust temporarily masked the rotten cabbage aroma of penguin poop wafting from shore.

As we stepped onto Cuverville's guano-splattered beach, hundreds of waddling, two-foot-tall penguins greeted us like an assembly of midget maitre d's. They poked and pecked in curious exploration. Chicks, nearly as tall as their parents, still sported vestiges of down. Some chased the elders in a squawking quest for dinner. Occasionally the youngsters got fed. Other times, the adults fled the nagging youths.

In the afternoon, we achieved bragging rights to the seventh continent by touching the mainland at Neko Harbor. Dark peaks towered beyond a pebbly beach, their inclines shrouded by glaciers. The ice terminated at the ocean in a humbling escarpment of dense powder blue. Chunks floated in mirror-still water. A crabeater seal used one as a raft. He ignored our shorebound paparazzi who looked, pointed, and photographed. He was still there when the last Zodiac returned to the former Russian science vessel.

Built in Finland in 1988, the Ioffe offers comfortable but unpretentious accommodations. It carries 80 passengers in addition to its Russian crew. Marine Expeditions adds a staff of nine. They thankfully include a Canadian bartender and two chefs, ensuring we would not have to slurp vodka and borscht the entire trip.

The cooks fired up grills for a deck-top barbecue. We gobbled burgers and bratwursts while sailing through the fiord-like Lemaire Channel. Known as Kodak Gap, this photogenic corridor of soaring ice and rock could be Alaska's Glacier Bay on steroids or the Alps after the Great Flood. We passed through, ogling the same vivid, oil-on-velvet landscape that greeted the first explorers. Antarctica may be the only place on the planet with such vast tracts unaltered by human occupation. Here, our species are transients, confined to a handful of outposts. We toured one in the morning.

The British built Faraday Station shortly after World War II. In 1995, they gave it to Ukrainians who renamed it Vernadsky Base. Roman Bratchik guided us through, proudly showing off science labs and shower rooms. A photo in one hallway captured him swimming in the 35-degree ocean. ``Oh, this is not so frigid a place,'' said Bratchik, grinning. ``It gets much colder in the Ukraine.'' In the afternoon, we stopped at Petermann Island where fur seals occupy one side of an inlet. These animals have the disposition of Hulk Hogan and the teeth of Mike Tyson. We kept a 50-foot distance.

The Ioffe continued south, bound for the Antarctic Circle. Icebergs floated everywhere. Some rose big and flat as a Kansas county. Smaller ones resembled fractured Gibraltars, castles, and monoliths. An eerie teal luminescence glimmered from just beneath their waterlines.

The nautical charts indicated these are ``unsurveyed waters.'' Our Russian captain followed a southwesterly heading that overlapped the only known depth soundings.

Dusk and clouds soon smothered the sun, and heavy snow began falling. Visibility diminished to near nothing. The bridge officers spoke in hushed tones, their countenances alternating between confidence and concern. The captain studied the radar. Irregular shapes splattered its orange screen, each representing a floating chunk of ice. A gargantuan, unseen object appeared dead ahead. Every pass of the radar showed it closer. Still, nothing showed through the gloomy dampness. The captain held his course. Finally, he commanded the helmsman to turn left. Through the weather, I watched an inky shape loom from obscurity. Unlike the Titanic, we cleared our berg with a quarter-mile of safety.

In the middle of the night, the Ioffe crossed the Antarctic Circle and anchored near Detaille Island. On the Zodiac ride ashore, we bounced through choppy waters while zigzagging around bergy bits. Icy sea spray pelted us. But we were there.

After our landing, the ship turned back north. We stopped at Port Lockroy, a restored British base. Built during World War II, it provided reconnaissance and weather data until 1962. Two Brits, Dave Burkitt and Rob Downie, work at restoring the station and operating what may be the southernmost gift shop in the world. ``We get over 40 tour boats each season,'' Downie said. ``Of course, we can go four or five days without seeing anybody.''

Antarctica may be attracting more tourists, but it remains far from crowded. Last season, about 10,000 people visited, most traveling with companies belonging to the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators. The organization's strict code of environmental conduct seems to be working. We encountered scant evidence of previous visitation.

The ship made three more stops on its way north. In Paradise Harbor, we used Zodiacs to explore a cirque of hanging glaciers that draped the bay with a curtain of crystal blue. At Deception Island, the ship sailed into a volcano where a breach had allowed a 10-square-mile caldera to fill with water.

Our final Antarctic destination was tiny Aitcho Island in the South Shetland group. The penguins here are not timid. They waddled up, boldly probing our colorful garb. If we sat down, some would even climb onto laps. Not everyone, however, seemed eager to have the birds hop atop their bodies.

``You know all that guano we've been smelling,'' one woman said. ``Well, I know where it comes from.''

In addition to the circle crossing trip, Marine Expeditions offers shorter Antarctic Peninsula voyages as well as longer cruises that include visits to the Falkland Islands or the Falklands and South Georgia Island.

Who should go: The trip to Antarctica is an eco-tour, not a luxury cruise. It appeals to those who want to see spectacular scenery and exotic animals in their natural environment. There is no deck service or casino on board, and the pool, if filled at all, will be topped with frigid sea water. Meals are tasty and filling, but hardly gourmet.

The sailing through the Drake Passage can be rough and many get seasick. Around the Antarctic Peninsula, outside temperatures usually hover near freezing. The fickle weather can change from clear and sunny to a driving blizzard in minutes. Route and landings are weather-dependent. Passengers need a good sense of humor and should be prepared for a variety of conditions.

Narrow passages, stairs, and confined cabins would make the cruise difficult for those with walking disabilities. Check with Marine Expeditions for specific needs.

When to go: Trips to Antarctica are offered during the austral summer, beginning in early December and continuing into March. Early-season visitors will not see the penguin chicks, which normally hatch in January. By the last sailing, many of the youngsters will have grown and gone to sea.

Other providers: Abercrombie & Kent (800-323-7308 or, on the Web, www.abercrombiekent.com) offers 14-day Antarctic Peninsula voyages starting at $5,995 (per person, double occupancy) plus air fare and port taxes of $195. They also feature longer cruises that stop at the Falklands and South Georgia Island.

Clipper Cruise Lines (800-325-1933, www.clippercruise.com) will be offering 16-day Antarctica voyages starting at $5,930 plus air fare. They also have extended cruises that include the Falklands.

Mountain Travel-Sobek (888-687-6235, www.mtsobek.com) has several Antarctic options, with the 19-day ``Antarctic Circle and Beyond'' running $7,195 plus air. They also have a shorter trip as well as a longer South Georgia-South Orkney loop.

Quark Expeditions (800-356-5699, www.quark-expeditions.com) features 11-day trips to the Antarctic Peninsula, with prices starting at $3,995 plus air. They also have other options, including a 21-day icebreaker cruise into the Ross Sea for $13,995.

Society Expeditions (800-548-8669) offers a variety of cruises on its 138-passenger ship, World Discoverer. All voyages attempt to make it below the Antarctic Circle. Trips start at $6,090 plus air.

Zegrahm Expeditions (800-628-8747, www.zeco.com) offers a number of longer trips to Antarctica, with a 21-day voyage that includes the Antarctic Peninsula, Falklands, South Orkneys, and South Georgia for $8,890 plus air.

More information: One of the best general guides to the frozen continent is Lonely Planet's ``Antarctica Travel Survival Kit.'' On the Web, check out the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators at www.iaato.org.