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Experience the magic as you step off your expedition boat and feel the crunch of snow beneath your boots. Guided by your Expedition Team, you'll be able to paddle through icestrewn waters, photograph penguins and whales guided by our expert photographer, hike across pristine landscapes wearing snowshoes, and perhaps take a polar plunge if you're feeling brave. For a lucky few, camping in tents overnight is the ultimate Antarctic experience. As the sea cools, wildlife multiplies; these are some of the most biologically productive water on Earth, so expect to see petrels, albatrosses and potentially penguins, seals and whales in abundance.
Best Antarctica cruise ships: 11 stylish expedition vessels exploring the White Continent
As of 2025 Aurora Expeditions, the award-winning Australian polar company, will be returning to the Eastern side of Antarctica from Hobart on their newest X-Bow ship, the Douglas Mawson. Considered to be the pinnacle of best Antarctic tours is a trip that includes the Antarctic Peninsula, South Georgia and the Falkland Islands, often referred to as the ‘trio’. Some Antarctica tours go to the eastern side of the Peninsula and enter the Weddell Sea, which promises a different experience again and is not often visited by travellers. If stepping foot on the Antarctic continent isn’t enough, you can become one of the 0.001% of the human population who will ever cross the fabled Antarctic Circle at 66º southern latitude. If your flight to Antarctica is cancelled on one day, the company usually only has one more attempt to get their guests down there before they have to forfeit their spot for the next company’s charter. Unfortunately tourists cannot visit Antarctica in winter due to the extremely cold weather and huge congestion in sea ice limiting access.
World Explorer
I boarded a cruise to Antarctica: here's what it's like traveling to the White Continent on the Deluxe Sea Spirit - Cruise Blog
I boarded a cruise to Antarctica: here's what it's like traveling to the White Continent on the Deluxe Sea Spirit.
Posted: Wed, 20 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Get ready to set sail aboard Norwegian Star and discover the southernmost edge of the South Pole, Antarctica. Embark on an expedition cruise and witness breathtaking icebergs and penguins by the beach from the top deck, all as you take in once-in-a-lifetime moments. Don't miss cruising Antarctica and experiencing some of the most exhilarating destinations in the world. On an Antarctic cruise adventure, you'll sail through some of the world's most remote and beautiful locations untouched by modern civilization.
Antarctic Circle Expedition
That’s what we have set out to answer for you in this comprehensive guide. Provided information timely, followed up if I forgot something, and provided material to help make transitions and travel easier. Viking Octantis also has what may be the most stunning lecture hall ever at sea. Located at the back of the vessel, the high-tech room has sliding walls behind the spot where lecturers will stand that can open to reveal the surrounding scenery through floor-to-ceiling glass. Furthermore, Cruise Critic makes no guarantees for availability of prices advertised on our site. Exploration amenities include custom-made Zodiacs, paddleboards, kayaks, two seven-passenger helicopters and one seven-passenger submarine.
Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic: Experienced and Iconic
A pioneer in polar travel, Ponant has a long tradition of operating voyages to Antarctica, and this series of ship was specially designed for such trips. They all are hardy (with 1C ice class ratings from Lloyd's Register) but also stylish, with contemporary interiors and comfortable rooms. Scenic Eclipse also was the first Antarctica-bound cruise vessel to boast helicopters to take passengers on epic (and pricey) Antarctica excursions -- and it has a submarine for underwater exploring, too. Having experienced a helicopter excursion from the vessel, I can say that it's truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Cruise Critic is not a booking agent and does not charge any service fees to users of our site.
Since Antarctica doesn’t belong to anyone country, however, no visa is required. You still need to verify visa requirements for any country you may pass through en route to your embarkation point or ones you visit before or after your expedition. A sister vessel to Viking Octantis, Viking Polaris, will debut in August 2022 and also will sail to polar regions. World Navigator is the first of five nearly identical sister vessels that Atlas Ocean Voyages will roll out by late 2024, many of which will sail regularly to Antarctica.
To help you filter the Antarctic forays above, we’ve curated a series of Antarctica cruise themes, subdividing the expedition cruise sector into styles of exploration to suit your preferred type of experience. For more information to help you choose between ships, and to better understand the differences between vessel categories and their polar classifications, see our Antarctica cruise ship guide. While Antarctica may not be hospitable to human life, there are plenty of animal species that call the seventh continent their home.
Best Places To Visit In Antarctica
Expect 3-course meals, 24/7 tea and coffee and fascinating evening seminars.
The full payment includes the voyage fare and any outstanding balances on the booking (air, hotels, transfers, Adventure Options, pre/post tours and... The 200-passenger Ocean Endeavour is a comfortable, well-appointed small expedition ship expertly engineered to explore the polar regions. The ship has an ice-strengthened hull, Zodiacs for exploration and remote landings, generous deck space and advanced navigation equipment. Ditch the ordinary and choose an expedition that will leave you breathless with wonder. Like Scenic Eclipse, Viking Octantis carries a submarine for underwater exploring, as well as kayaks.
A zoology graduate, Sue spent 11 years with the BBC Natural History Unit, working on series including The Blue Planet and Planet Earth as well as the Disneynature movie Earth with Sir David Attenborough, before turning her focus to photography. Her images have appeared in National Geographic, BBC Wildlife, Geo and other distinguished publications. Her most recent book is Emperor, The Perfect Penguin with a foreword by Sir Michael Palin. Award-winning photographer, filmmaker and public speaker Sue Flood aboard L’Austral. Her work takes her all over the world but she has a special passion for the wildlife and icy beauty of the Polar regions and is one of the very few women who chooses to return again and again to Earth’s harshest and most demanding environments.
To learn more about each port of call and our included as well as optional excursions, click on the individual days below. For those with unlimited budgets who long to see Antarctica while traveling in the lap of luxury (think pampering butlers) and in spacious accommodations, Scenic’s entry-level suites begin at 344-square-feet. Think casually elegant style -- this time, more reminiscent of a posh ski resort in warmth and coziness -- perfect for a vessel with polar pursuits. Passengers are pampered by an attentive crew and all-inclusive amenities such as free-flowing alcohol and caviar, all-suite digs and a photo studio.
A Peninsula trip is truly mind-blowing, and allows you to officially step foot on the 7th continent. The most common itinerary to Antarctica is a trip to the Antarctic Peninsula, most often departing from the port of Ushuaia in Argentina, at the very southern tip of South America. All commercial operators that run trips to Antarctica during the Southern Hemisphere’s spring and summer months, stretching from late October to March, with the majority being between November and February. We’ve been travelling and working in Antarctica since 2017, first as photographers and content creators, then as tour guides taking our own groups to this beautiful part of the world. Liz Pope was equally amazing, the hotel manager and assistant (Johnny and Heidi) were so helpful and responsive.
