Antarctic adventure: just take a sleeping bag for night on the ice

The penguin seems oblivious to the howling wind that whips over the snowy landscape, which is ablaze under a nighttime sun. A little smaller than a house cat, but far more inquisitive, the gentoo inspects our huddle before raising its head and gargling into the sky, as if in approval. It's 5am; perhaps it thinks it's an Antarctic rooster.

No one is in a rush to rise from snug sleeping bags or leave the burrow in the ice, our collective breath hanging in the air like cartoon speech bubbles. Few hours were spent sleeping during our night camping on the ice as conversation burbled along the tightly packed row of tired travellers, the sunlit night sky tricking our body clocks into activity.

A stout wall of snow constructed the evening before to protect our little group from the wind is now frozen as solid as an ice cube and when we do finally rise, it takes steel shovels to break it up again, removing all evidence of our brief residence as zodiacs arrive to ferry us back to our ship - and breakfast.

Antarctica is a destination that features on many people's bucket list, but its remoteness, harsh environment and strictly enforced limit on the number of tourists allowed to visit ensure it remains out of reach for most. The few cruise companies that are allowed to land passengers on the continent (most of the estimated 40,000 visitors annually arrive by ship, but many of those are on "cruise by" itineraries, which never actually land) are regulated by the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators, which monitors the number of travellers allowed on the ice at any one time, and what they do when they arrive.

Camping under the stars is a popular new activity offered by Antarctica expeditionary cruise companies such as Aurora Expeditions. As the number of visitors slowly increases, the intrepid among them want to interact with the vast, ice-laden landscape more intimately than ever, climbing, kayaking, snorkelling, scuba diving and ice camping their way around the White Continent. While other companies offer a camping experience with tents and creature comforts, passengers on Aurora's hardy, pint-sized Polar Pioneer are encouraged to "rough it", with nothing but sleeping bags between them and the freezing night sky.