Cruise to Antarctica
Ticked off in December 2024
Two days across the wildest sea on Earth, then a week of ice, silence and more penguins than you can count.
The adventure
It starts with the Drake Passage, the stretch of ocean between Cape Horn and Antarctica where three seas collide. Then one morning you wake to flat, glassy water, icebergs the size of cathedrals and a coastline that no photo quite prepares you for.
From there, every day is an expedition. Zodiac boats nose through brash ice to landings where gentoo penguins waddle past your boots, leopard seals doze on floes and humpback whales surface close enough to hear them breathe. Nights are short, the light is extraordinary, and the only sound at many landings is the crack of a glacier calving in the distance.
Why it’s epic
- Setting foot on the seventh continent, which fewer than one in a thousand people ever do.
- Penguin colonies of tens of thousands, with chicks hatching from December.
- Humpback and minke whales, leopard seals and albatrosses following the ship.
- Optional extras like kayaking between icebergs, camping on the ice or the polar plunge.
What it is
An expedition cruise to the Antarctic Peninsula is the most common way to visit the seventh continent.
How to do it
Most cruises leave from Ushuaia and cross the Drake Passage in two days, then use Zodiac boats for landings among penguins and seals.
Top tip
Take seasickness tablets for the Drake Passage.
Need to know
- Most expeditions sail from Ushuaia in Argentina between November and March, and the best cabins sell out a year or more ahead.
- Small ships (under 200 passengers) can land everyone ashore; bigger cruise ships often can't land at all.
- Travel insurance must include emergency evacuation, and the Drake Passage can be rough, so pack seasickness remedies.
- If the Drake worries you, some trips fly from Punta Arenas to King George Island and skip the crossing.
Plan this trip
- Rough cost
- £5,000 or more per person, including flights from the UK
- Time needed
- 10 to 20 days
- Best time to go
- November to March
- Fly into
- USH airport
One of the biggest trips you'll ever book; most voyages cost several thousand pounds per person.
Sample itinerary
- Days 1–2Fly to Ushuaia, Argentina, and board the ship
- Days 3–4Cross the Drake Passage, with lectures and albatrosses following the ship
- Days 5–9Landings on the Antarctic Peninsula: penguin colonies, zodiac cruises among icebergs and, if you dare, the polar plunge
- Days 10–11Back across the Drake to Ushuaia
Do it yourself
- Antarctic and Arctic expeditionsOceanwide ExpeditionsThe small expedition ships I sailed to Antarctica with, including the Hondius.
- FlightsKiwi.com
Some of these are affiliate links: if you book through them I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. More about this.
Kit I'd pack
The expedition ship lends you rubber boots for the landings. The rest is up to you, and it's all about layers.
- Waterproof over-trousersAmazonYou sit in the spray on every Zodiac ride. Pull them on over everything.
- Merino base layersAmazonWarm under the waterproofs and still fresh after days of wear.
- Category 4 glacier sunglassesAmazonSun bouncing off snow and ice is fierce, even under cloud.
- Liner and waterproof overglovesAmazonLiners for taking photos, waterproof shells for everything else.
- 20L dry bagAmazonKeeps your camera and spare layers dry on the Zodiacs.
- Travel sickness bandsAmazonThe Drake Passage has a reputation for a reason.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. More of my travel kit.
My experience
Ticked off, but the full story is still to be written up.
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