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With their gear all securely packed, the last members of the BELARE 2025-26 team get ready to take off from the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica bound for Ultima Air Base, where they will get their connecting flight to Cape Town.

You can see the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica 2 km away in the distance from the staiton's air strip as well as the marked path leading to the airstrip. Paths that have bene checked are clearly marked in Antarctica to ensure safety. Deviating from a marked path could be dangerous, as crevasses open up all the time due to the constant flow of the ice sheet covering Antarctica.

The last members of the BELARE 2025-26 team get ready to take off for Cape Town, South Africa along with members of other research teams heading home from Ultima Air Base in Antarctica on February 12th, 2026.

The last members of the BELARE 2025-26 team take a group photo in front of the DC-3 prior to boarding.

The DC-3 that will take the remaining members of the 2025-26 BELARE crew home arrives at the airstrip 2km away from the Princess Elsiabeth Antarctica on February 12th, 2026.

On the last day of the 2025-26 BELARE mission, the team takes a last photo fo the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica on their way to the air strip to take their plane.

The last members of the BELARE 2025-26 team finally arrive back in Cape Town on February 12th, 2026 after a three-month tour in Antarctica for many of them.  The summer weather feels great!

The cargo plane at Ultima Air Base welcomes passengers, including the last members of the BELARE 2025-26 team, bound for Cape Town, South Africa.

With their gear all securely packed, the last members of the BELARE 2025-26 team get ready to take off from the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica bound for Ultima Air Base, where they will get their connecting flight to Cape Town.