As travel destinations go, Antarctica is the definition of “extreme”: extreme cold, extreme sports, and most importantly, the extreme beauty of its glacial landscapes. With our Antarctica Tours & Cruises, you’ll be able to experience this magical place in all its glory. Embarking from Patagonia, you’ll witness the stark force of the southern oceans while en route to a host of indelible adventures. Searching for wildlife by Zodiac, kayaking, camping: it’s all here in our guided intros to one of the Earth’s last remaining frontiers.
Antarctica Tours & Cruises
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Classic Antarctica Cruise Aboard the Ushuaia
10 Days/9 Nights from $5,210
Discover the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula on this Classic Antarctica cruise. The journey’s first sightings will be of icebergs and snow-capped mountains…
Antarctica Express Air-Cruise
6 Days/5 Nights from $5,795
Travel from Ushuaia, Argentina, through the Beagle Channel to Cape Horn before cruising across the Drake Passage to King George Island, the largest of the…
The Frozen Land of the Penguins
13 Days/12 Nights from $6,569
Venture to Antarctica for a close encounter with its penguins and other wildlife. In addition to beautiful landscapes, you will observe chinstrap, gentoo, and adelie…
Polar Circle – Deep South Discovery Voyage
14 Days/13 Nights from $7,550
You will journey to the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands on this classic Antarctica cruise. Your first sightings will be of seabirds and…
Antarctica – Discovery and Learning Voyage Aboard the Plancius
11 Days/10 Nights from $8,400
Travel to the southernmost part of the world to explore the wildlife of the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands on this captivating voyage…
Antarctica – Discovery and Learning Voyage Aboard the Ortelius
11 Days/10 Nights from $8,400
Travel to the southernmost part of the world to explore the wildlife of the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands on this captivating voyage…
Antarctic Peninsula – Basecamp Plancius
12 Days/11 Nights from $8,850
Basecamp Plancius offers adventure seekers the opportunity to camp for two nights on the Antarctic Peninsula and to kayak, snowshoe, or mountain hike, amidst the awe-…
Weddell Sea – Emperor Penguin Voyage
11 Days/10 Nights from $11,750
This itinerary includes a visit to one of nature’s most fascinating spectacles, the Emperor Penguin rookery south of Snow Hill Island in the Weddell Sea…
Falkland Islands, South Georgia, and the Antarctic Peninsula
19 Days/18 Nights from $13,200
Explore the Falkland Islands and South Georgia en route to the Antarctic Peninsula on this fascinating journey. The Falkland Islands are located 310 miles east…
5 Best Antarctica Cruises for 2023-24
| Tour Name | Price | Duration | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic Antarctica Cruise Aboard the Ushuaia | $5,210 | 10 Days | Discover the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula on this Classic Antarctica cruise. The journey’s first sightings will be of icebergs and snow-capped… |
| Antarctic Peninsula – Basecamp Plancius | $8,850 | 13 Days | Basecamp Plancius offers adventure seekers the opportunity to camp for two nights on the Antarctic Peninsula and to kayak, snowshoe, or mountain hike amidst the… |
| Weddell Sea – Emperor Penguin Voyage | $11,750 | 11 Days | This itinerary includes a visit to one of nature’s most fascinating spectacles, the Emperor Penguin rookery south of Snow Hill Island in the Weddell Sea… |
| Falkland Islands, South Georgia, and the Antarctic Peninsula | $13,200 | 19 Days | Explore the Falkland Islands and South Georgia en route to the Antarctic Peninsula on this fascinating journey. The Falkland Islands are located 310 miles east… |
| Classic Antarctica Air-Cruise | $13,495 | 8 Days | Fly from Punta Arenas, Chile to King George Island in the South Shetlands to avoid the rough seas of the Drake Passage and discover the… |
Antarctica Cruise Information
When is the best time to travel to Antarctica?
Antarctica is only accessible by tourists from November to March, when the pack ice has broken up, and the 20 hours of sunlight per day brings warmer temperatures. See all Antarctica FAQ.
Top Antarctica Cruise Destinations
The Antarctic Peninsula
Once you set foot on the Antarctic Peninsula, you are truly standing on the Earth’s southernmost continent. And while you’ll certainly be far, far away from the “real world,” the peninsula nonetheless provides the easiest access to the Antarctic mainland, typically from the port of Ushuaia in Argentina. Here you’ll enter a dreamlike world of glacier-covered mountains, massive icebergs, and all the iconic wildlife of the South Pole. Cruises typically take passengers to various locations…
The South Shetland Islands
Situated 600 miles south of Tierra del Fuego and 100 miles north of the Antarctic Peninsula, the South Shetland Islands are a popular stopover for almost all Antarctica cruises. Not owned by any single nation but home to sixteen research stations of various countries, some permanent, the islands are rich in history, wildlife and spectacular scenery. The South Shetlands include 11 major islands, several minor ones, and more than 100 islets, skerries and rocks.
The Weddell Sea
The Weddell Sea lies to the east of the Antarctic Peninsula. Beautiful yet treacherous, it is home to awe-inspiring tabular icebergs, massive ice shelf fields, and what scientists have deemed the clearest water of any sea in the world. From a historical perspective, the Weddell Sea is well-known as the location in which Shackleton’s ship, the Endurance, was trapped and crushed in the ice in 1915. This prompted one of the greatest stories of survival ever recorded, as Shackleton…
South Georgia Island
Isolated, historic and ruggedly beautiful, South Georgia Island is a jewel in the South Atlantic Ocean that attracts adventurous travelers in search of unspoiled landscapes and rich wildlife spotting opportunities. Located 1,300 miles east of Tierra del Fuego, and 800 miles east-southeast of the Falkland Islands, the island and the seas around it support some of the world’s most populous seal, penguin, and seabird colonies.
The Falkland Islands
Lying about 305 miles east of Patagonia, the Falkland Islands is an archipelago consisting of two main islands – East Falkland and West Falkland – and more than 750 smaller ones. The islands were possibly visited in prehistoric times, but the first recorded landing is attributed to English captain John Strong in 1690. Now officially a British overseas territory, the islands have also had French, Spanish and Argentine settlements at various times in their history…
Antarctica Wildlife
Antarctica Cruise Ships
Fram / Greg Mortimer / Hondius / Le Boreal / Magellan Explorer / Ocean Nova / Ortelius / Plancius / Ushuaia
Antarctica Travel Articles
A Brief History Of Antarctic Exploration
Antarctica may only be the fifth largest continent, but in many other ways it is ahead of the pack. It is the driest, coldest and windiest continent, and it also has the highest average elevation. It is the only continent with no permanent residents and it is home to 90% of the world’s ice and 70% of global fresh water reserves. Although the idea of a Terra Australis Incognita (Undiscovered Southern Land) was first proposed by the Greco-Roman thinker Ptolemy as early as…
10 Cool Facts About The Penguins Of Antarctica
Penguins have inspired human imagination for centuries. They’re cute and cuddly. They can’t fly but are great swimmers and divers. They breed in large colonies, and they’re only found in the Southern Hemisphere.
Following In The Footsteps Of Antarctica Explorer Ernest Shackleton
On August 30, 1916, a ship bearing the celebrated British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton sailed up to a tiny beach on Elephant Island in the South Shetland Islands off the Antarctic Peninsula. There, huddled on the beach, were 22 men from Shackleton’s third failed Antarctica expedition. Half-starved, freezing, and filthy…
The Bonanza Of Wildlife In Antarctica
In Antarctica, the “White Continent” at the bottom of the earth, humans – mostly scientists and support personnel working at the research stations there – come and go after a few months or years. None are permanent residents. But Antarctica does have millions of annual residents: its wildlife. And they are some of…
