Antarctica Cruises and Travel

Since rugged sea- and ice-worthy vessels are the primary way to reach this southern-most continent, everyone visiting Antarctica more or less becomes an expedition cruiser. Some arrive in private jets or high-tech luxury yachts equipped with submarines and helicopters (Scenic, Seabourn, and Viking). Others tour in small and aging exploration icebreakers with basic cabins fitted with bunkbeds and offering few creature comforts. And still others arrive in small and mid-sized expedition ships (100 to 500 passengers) that offer many comforts between these two extremes. Several small luxury cruise lines, such as Seabourn, Silversea, Ponant, Viking, Scenic, and Atlas Ocean Voyages visit the Antarctica with ice-class vessels. A few large mainstream cruise lines (Princess, Holland America, Celebrity, and Norwegian), with ships carrying from 2,000 to 3,800 passengers and crew members, include sightseeing cruises to the Antarctica; their passengers do not set foot on land. And several expedition companies, such as Hurtigruten, Lindblad Expeditions, Quark Expeditions, and Aurora Expeditions – the true polar expedition cruise pioneers offering both water and onshore adventures — have long been in this cold and windy business. And some well-heeled visitors skip the often turbulent 2-day cruise experience through the Drake Passage and quickly fly over the Passage in private jets that land on special landing strips on King George Island and at the South Pole.

The Antarctic is truly an exhilarating (amazing and weird) experience for travelers who now have many pricey sea, air, and land options to experience the wonders of this place from multiple embarkation points – Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa – that tackle different areas of the continent (Antarctic Peninsula, Weddell Sea, Ross Ice Shelf, and South Pole). The Antarctic Peninsula includes many research stations as well as such beautiful places as Paradise Bay and Dorian Bay. The most visited islands are the South Shetland Islands (includes King George, Elephant, and Deception).

Antarctica is unlike any other place you’ll ever visit – the world’s underbelly known for its water, ice, majestic scenery, winds, and wildlife of marine mammals (whales, seals, and penguins) as well as a triumphant and tragic history of polar exploration during the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration (1897–1922) when such explorers as Amundsen, Scott, Borchgrevink, Mawson, and Shackleton became world celebrities (see “Recommended Resources” section at the end of this article). It’s also a polar desert that receives less than .8” of precipitation a year. If you’re looking for polar bears, reindeer, fox, and wolves, you’re at the wrong pole – that’s the signature wildlife of the North Pole and Arctic Circle. Bring your cameras and put on your ship-issued foul weather gear – this is going to be an unusual experience you’ll want to document as evidence supporting your once-in-a-lifetime Antarctic adventure stories.

44 Interesting Facts About Antarctica

The Antarctica is different. It’s a “Travel-Plus” destination – filled with the unexpected and unpredictable, starting with the weather, which can go through four seasons in a single day! So be prepared to encounter some of the following realities when you visit the world’s driest, highest, coldest, windiest, most barren, inhospitable, darkest (winter), brightest (summer), timeless, directionless, and weirdest place on Earth:

• The 5th largest continent (5.5 million square miles) — 1½ the size of the U.S., twice the size of Australia, and much larger than Europe.
• Boasts the highest elevation of all continents.
• A dry polar desert that receives less than .8” precipitation each year, which primarily falls in milder coastal areas.
• Embarking from Ushuaia, Argentina, the Antarctic Peninsula is the best place to start your onshore visit. It offers the most beautiful settings, the most diverse wildlife, the least frigid climate, the most inviting shorelines and base camps, and the shortest distance between continents (South America and Antarctica). The inhospitable desert interior is cold, windy, and devoid of wildlife.
• Rules for visiting the Antarctic are governed by the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO). Always remember to “leave no crumbs behind,” “take your poop and pee with you,” and “penguins have the right away.”
• Southern-most active volcanos are found on Ross Island and Deception Island.
• Surrounded on all sides by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean).
• The Earth’s most alien landscape comparable to another planet; visitors walk unsteadily on ice and rocks.
• Coldest place on Earth – lowest temperate ever recorded of 128.5˚ Fahrenheit in 1983 at Vostok Station. The Antarctic Peninsula (“banana belt”), which is the size of the UK and the target area for most cruises, has the mildest climate because of its warm ocean location. Antarctica’s interior is unbelievably cold and windy, forbidden territory for most humans and animals.
• Windiest continent – up to 200 mile per hour winds called the katabatic winds.
• The interior Dry Valleys are the driest places on earth – low humidity, gravel, dust, and almost no snow or ice cover.
• Antarctic has no time zones – research stations adapt the time zones of their host countries.
• All directions in Antarctic are North.
• Antarctic first discovered in 1820 by Russian naval officers, cartographers, and expedition explorers Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev. They and several subsequent explorers were part of the famous Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration that began at the end of the 19th century and ended after World War I (with the failed Shackleton–Rowett Expedition of 1921–1922).
• Norwegian Roald Amundsen was the first to reach the South Pole in 1911.
• Famous British polar explorer Robert Falcon Scott and his party starved and froze to death in 1912 during a failed exploration at the Ross Ice Shelf. This critical expedition is chronicled in Apsley Cherry-Garrard’s 1922 memoir of Scott’s tragic Terra Nova expedition to the South Pole in 1910–1913 — The Worst Journey in the World.
• The legendary British explorer Ernest Shackleton made three failed attempts to cross Antarctica via the South Pole. His final attempt in 1916 ended in disaster, but he and his party of 28 (27 crew + 1 stole away) survived beyond all odds and became the subject of one of the most exciting polar exploration and leadership books ever written – Alfred Lansing’s Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage (1959).
• Largest gateway city to Antarctica is Buenos Aires, Argentina, but the major departure port for cruise ships is Ushuaia, Argentina, a 3-hour flight south of Buenos Aires.
• You can fly into Antarctica (land on King George Island) via Punta Arenas, Chile; one company (White Desert) flies from South Africa to a special jet-friendly landing strip at the South Pole.
• Three luxury cruise lines (Scenic, Seabourn, and Viking) come equipped with submarines and helicopters to explore the Antarctic.
• Scuba diving, swimming, and camping are increasingly popular activities for brave and adventuresome visitors to Antarctica.
• Antarctic lands and seas are home to over 9,000 animal species. The predominant species are whales, seals, penguins, and birds. The penguin colonies alone include 5 million penguins.
• Orcas are also known as killer whales. But they are not whales — just big and ferocious porpoises.
• Leopard seals (also known as the sea leopard), which can weigh 440 to 1,320 pounds, are the most dangerous Antarctic animals – not to be petted! Their only natural predator is the killer whale (orca).
• There are no indigenous peoples or permanent residents native to Antarctica.
• Antarctic is home to over 4,000 temporary residents in the summer and 1,000+ temporary residents in the winter – primarily researchers assigned to the 80 research stations operated by 30 countries. The majority of researchers represent five countries – USA, Russia, Chile, Argentina, and Australia.
• You can visit several active Antarctic research stations through Polar Latitudes and a few other tour operators.
• You can have your passport stamped and mail a postcard from the world’s most remote post office at Dorian Bay (don’t hold your breath – the mail may take 8 weeks to arrive).
• Over 50 research, expedition, and luxury cruise ships cruise to Antarctica each year. Some are small research vessels with fewer than 25 passengers whereas others are large mainstream cruise ships with more than 3,000 passengers. Most expedition ships carry fewer than 500 passengers; many of these are in the 100 to 200 passenger range.
• Nearly 60,000 tourists visit Antarctica each year – representing a 100% increase in tourist traffic over a 10-year period. More and more cruise lines are planning polar expeditions as part of their adventure and bucket list collection of cruises experiences.
• Ushuaia, Argentina, at the very tip of South America, is the major embarkation port for cruises to Antarctica. It’s an attractive city for planning a 2-3 day extension.
• The Drake Passage is one of the most challenging areas to cruise because of the often-turbulent convergence of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans (can expect to ride 20-40’ waves). Taking a cruise from Ushuaia through the Drake Passage may result in two days of seasickness each way. Be forewarned and prepared with medications, although it may not be as bad as the 19th century stories of ill-equipped wooden boats navigating this area. It definitely is a “Right of Passage” for tourists. An alternative (more expensive but a real time-saver) is to fly over the Drake Passage. A two-hour flight offered by Antarctica21 and Intrepid Travel goes from Punta Arenas (gateway to Chilean Patagonia) to the South Shetland Islands (King George Island is the largest island) where visitors initially board their Antarctic expedition ship.
• Most cruise ships visit the Antarctic Peninsula that stretches north to South America and is known for Lemaire Channel, Paradise Harbor, and Port Lockroy with its many icebergs.
• Covered by an average of 1-mile-thick ice; in some areas the ice is 3 miles thick.
• Includes over 400 underground (subglacial) lakes. Lake Vostok is about the size of Lake Ontario and is found 2.5 miles underground.
• Holds 70% of the world’s fresh water and 90% of the world’s ice.
• No plant life exists.
• Includes a massive mountain range, Gamburtsev Mountains.
• 10 people born in Antarctica – first birth took place in 1979.
• No one owns Antarctica, but visitors need permission to go there from one of the 53 countries that signed the Antarctic Treaty (most tourists receive de facto permission through their cruise line).
• Only ships with 500 or fewer passengers can land in Antarctic; larger-sized ships can only cruise by (the water equivalent of a “drive by”).
• The Antarctic Peninsula is the staging area for the annual (since 2011) 250-kilometer multi-stage desert footrace sponsored by RacingthePlanet. In November/December, participants spend up to 12 hours a day onshore where no one has yet to complete all 250 challenging kilometers in the ice, snow, and sketchy weather conditions! Calling the Antarctic “The Last Desert,” participants in this ultramarathon also must complete similar footraces, crossings, and marches through three other grueling and hot deserts – Atacama (Chile), Gobi (Mongolia), and Namib (Namibia).
• Only 100 passengers can go onshore at a time; small ships with fewer than 100 passengers are ideally suited for everyone boarding zodiacs and going onshore together.
• The ice cover is melting at an alarming rate, especially around the fast warming Western Antarctic Peninsula, due to climate change. If all of Antarctica’s ice melted, the Earth’s sea level would rise by 200 feet!

Popular Embarkation Ports and Ports of Call

Most expedition cruise ships specializing on the Antarctic depart from the tip of South America (Ushuaia). While some cruise lines make Santiago (Chile) and Buenos Aires (Argentina) their official departure points, in most cases these cities are only pre-cruise meeting destinations for flights elsewhere; clients initially gather at hotels, enjoy the cities, and then fly together for three hours to key embarkation ports where they board and familiarize themselves with their ship. A few large ships (2,000 to 3,800 passengers) actually depart from Santiago and Buenos Aires and make brief sightseeing passes near Antarctic, but the bulk of their cruise focuses on Patagonia — Chile’s Andes Mountains, fjords, lakes, and glaciers and Argentina’s deserts, tablelands, and steppes.

The major departure port (90%) for Antarctic expedition cruises is Ushuaia (Argentina). Other departure ports include Punta Arenas (Chile), which is also used for air-cruise trips of Antarctica21 (fly from Punta Arenas to South Shetland Islands where its three ships dock at King George Island) and Stanley (Falkland Islands). Some cruise lines (Silversea and Aurora Expeditions) now use Punta Williams (Chile) as a departure port.
A limited number of expedition cruises (Ponant, Oceanwide Expeditions, Heritage Expeditions, National Geographic Endurance) also originate in New Zealand and Australia. The embarkation ports include Invercargill/Port of Bluff, Dunedin, and Lyttelton-Christchurch in New Zealand and Hobart in Australia. Compared to the more popular South America-based Antarctic cruises, the Australia- and New Zealand-based cruises are much longer, more expensive, and less awe-inspiring. They go to the historic Ross Ice Shelf (where famous British polar explorer Robert Falcon Scott and his party tragically died in 1912). This is also the area of early Antarctic explorations. Here you can visit the huts of Scott, Shackleton, and Mawson. This is also one of the most remote areas of Antarctica with tall icebergs, extreme weather conditions, and turbulent seas. Some companies, such as Hapag-Lloyd, combine both areas in a single expedition cruise – embark in Ushuaia, Argentina and disembark in Lyttelton-Christchurch, New Zealand.

One cruise line – Viking Cruises – offers an ultimate 44-day Arctic to Antarctica cruise that includes stops in 9 countries.

The size of your cruise ship is very important to enjoying an Antarctic cruise adventure. Large ships (more than 500 passengers) are prohibited from landing in the Antarctic. If you’re on such a ship, you’ll only pass by land masses for wildlife watching and photo opportunities – no onshore experiences. For ships under 500 passengers, only 100 passengers are allowed to go onshore at a time. Therefore, passengers with smaller ships (under 100 passengers) are able to spend more time onshore as well as travel together in zodiacs from ship to shore. Ships between 101 and 500 passengers will need to limit the onshore time of multiple groups that go onshore. More of their time will be spent on the logistics of moving passengers back and forth to the ship. Time spend on shore may be only one hour unless you opt for overnight camping or join the annual footrace sponsored by RacingthePlanet (participants spend 12 hours onshore).

Pre- and Post-Trip Extensions

Most pre- and post-trip extensions offered by cruise companies focus on spending two to four extra days in the four major gateway cities for Antarctic cruises – Buenos Aires, Santiago, Ushuaia, and Punta Arenas. If you’ve never been to Buenos Aires or Santiago, you’re well advised to take some extra time to visit these two delightful cities and perhaps use them as bases for visiting other interesting areas of South America, such as Peru and Brazil.

If you want to experience more outdoor adventures, plan to explore Patagonia, which spans both Chile and Argentina, although the Chilean side with the Andean Mountains and fjords is the most dramatic area to visit. Also consider trips to the Amazon region, Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro and coastal areas, Peru’s Cusco and Machu Picchu, Chile’s and Argentina’s wine country, Chile’s Atacama Desert, Argentina’s Iguazu Falls, Chile’s Easter Island, Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands, Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park, and cruise Chile’s and Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego. Your travel agent should be able to recommend several trip extension options.

If you take an Antarctic cruise from New Zealand or Australia, you’ll have many pre- and post-trip extension options in these two countries. In New Zealand, you’ll already be on the South Island which offers many interesting travel opportunities to wine country and interesting arts and crafts centers. In Australia, exploring Sydney and Melbourne should be “must visit” trip extensions. An extra four or five days in each of these countries will be well worth the trip.

Sample Itineraries of Companies Operating in Antarctica

Each year over 50 research, expedition, and luxury cruise ships offer a variety of Antarctic cruise and land experiences. Be sure to check out the detailed itineraries of each cruise line. While many small expedition cruise lines offer passengers hands-on water experiences (submarining, kayaking, scuba diving, and swimming), go ashore (zodiacs and trekking), and even camp on the ice, other companies (mainly large cruise lines) only do scenic cruises (the “drive-by” specialists) to sightsee and take photos rather than engaged in active water and onshore adventures. And some mainstream luxury cruise lines (Silversea, Crystal, Hapag-Lloyd, and Viking) now have small expedition-class ships to compete in this cruise space. One operator – Zegrahm Expeditions – decided after 30+ years in this business to fold up operations in 2022 because of the crowded field of competitors.

Here are some of the major Antarctic operators with sample itineraries (most are similar with Ushuaia being the key port):

• Adventure Canada (Ocean Endeavor): “Ushuaia to Ushuaia.” 14 days. Includes Ushuaia, Drake Passage, South Shetland Islands, Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctic Circle, Drake Passage, and Ushuaia.
• Antarctica21 (fly-cruise – BAE-146 + Ocean Nova): “Punta Arenas to Punta Arenas.” 8 days. Includes flight from Punta Arenas to King George Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctic Peninsula, and return flight to Punta Arenas.
• Atlas Ocean Voyages (World Navigator and World Traveller):  “Ushuaia to Ushuaia.” 11 nights. Includes Ushuaia, Drake Passage, South Shetland Islands, Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctic Circle, and Ushuaia.
• Aurora Expeditions (Greg Mortimer): “Punta Arenas to Puerto Williams: Falklands, South Georgia, and Antarctic Peninsula.” 22 days. Includes Punta Arenas, Chilean Fjords, Drake Passage, South Shetland Islands, Antarctic Peninsula, South Georgia, Falklands-Malvinas, and Puerto Williams.
• Azamara (Azamara Pursuit): “Buenos Aires to Buenos Aires.” 17 nights. Includes Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Ushuaia, Antarctic Peninsula, Elephant Island, Port Stanley, Puerto Madryn, and Buenos Aires. A “drive by” scenic cruise.
• Celebrity (Celebrity Infinity): “Buenos Aires to Buenos Aires.” 14 nights. Includes Buenos Aires, Ushuaia, Cape Horn, Paradise Bay (Antarctica), Elephant Island, Port Stanley, Puerto Madryn, and Buenos Aires. A “drive by” scenic cruise.
• G Adventures (G Expedition): “Ushuaia to Ushuaia.” 10 nights. Includes Ushuaia, Drake Passage, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica Peninsula, Drake Passage, and Ushuaia.
• Hapag-Lloyd (Hanseatic Inspiration): “Ushuaia to Lyttelton (Christchurch, New Zealand).” 33 days. Includes Ushuaia, Drake Passage, South Shetland Islands, Antarctic Peninsula, Ross Island, Terra Nova Bay, Victoria Land, Balleny Islands, Macquarie Island, Campbell Island, Snares Islands, and Lyttelton-Christchurch.
• Heritage Expeditions (Spirit of Enderby): “In the Wake of Scott and Shackleton: Rose Sea Antarctica.” 30 days. This is a Russian research vessel (not luxury) that accommodates paying tourists. Includes Invercargill, Port of Bluff, The Snares (North East Island), Auckland Islands, Macquarie Island, Campbell Island, and Invercargill or Christchurch.
• Holland America (Westerdam): “Santiago to Buenos Aires.” 22 nights. Includes Santiago, Puerto Montt, Puerto Chacbuco, Chilean Fjords, Amalia Glacier, Strait of Magellan, Punta Arenas, Ushuaia, Cape Horn, Antarctic, Port Stanley, Puerto Madryn, Punta del Este, Montevideo, and Buenos Aires. A “drive by” scenic cruise.
• Hurtigruten (MS Fridtiof Nansen): “Santiago to Buenos Aires.” 17 nights. Includes Santiago, Castro, Puerto Eden, Puerto Natales, Chilean Fjords, Antarctic Peninsula, Ushuaia, and Buenos Aires (fly).
• Lindblad Expeditions (Endurance): “Buenos Aires to Buenos Aires.” 24 nights. Includes flying from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia, Drake Passage, Antarctic, South Shetland Islands, South Georgia, Falkland Islands, Ushuaia, and flight back to Buenos Aires.
• National Geographic Expeditions (Endurance): “Epic Antarctica Voyage: Peninsula to the Ross Sea.” 35 days. Includes Ushuaia, Drake Passage, Antarctic Peninsula, Western Antarctica, Ross Sea, Macquarie Island, Australia, New Zealand’s Subantarctic Islands, Dunedin, and Auckland.
• Oceania (Marina): “Buenos Aires to Buenos Aires.” 20 nights. Includes Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Punta del Este, Puerto Madryn, Port Stanley, Antarctica, Drake Passage, Ushuaia, Punta Arenas, Chilean Fjords, Laguna San Rafael, Puerto Chacabuco, Puerto Montt, and Santiago. A scenic “drive by” cruise.
• Oceanwide Expeditions (M/V Hondius): “Puerto Madryn to Ushuaia.” 20 nights. Includes Puerto Madryn, Falkland Islands, South Georgia Island, South Orkney Islands, Antarctic Peninsula, and Ushuaia.
• Polar Latitudes (MS Seaventures): “Ushuaia to Ushuaia.” 13 days. Includes Ushuaia, Drake Passage, Antarctic Peninsula, Drake Passage, and Ushuaia.
• Ponant (Le Soleal): “Dunedin to Dunedin (New Zealand).” 21 nights. Includes Dunedin, Campbell Island, Ross Sea Region, Balleny Islands, Macquarie Island, Snares Islands, and Dunedin.
• Poseidon Expeditions (M/V Sea Spirit): “Ushuaia to Ushuaia.” 11 days. Includes Ushuaia, Drake Passage, South Shetland Islands, Antarctic Peninsula, Drake Passage, and Ushuaia.
• Princess (Sapphire Princess): “Santiago to Buenos Aires.” 16 nights. Includes Santiago, Punta Arenas, Ushuaia, Cape Horn, Antarctic Peninsula, Port Stanley, Montevideo, and Buenos Aires. A “drive by” scenic cruise.
• Quark Expeditions (Ultramarine): “Buenos Aires to Santiago.” 14 nights. Includes Buenos Aires, Ushuaia (fly), Cape Horn, Diego Ramirez Islands, Glacier Alley, Dainelli Glacier, Chilean Fjords, Puerto Natales, Canal de las Montanas, Tuckers Islets, Ainsworth Bay, Bahia Brookes, Marta Island, Punta Arenas, and Santiago (fly).
• Seabourn (Seabourn Quest): “Santiago to Buenos Aires.” 21 nights. Includes Santiago, Puerto Montt, Castro, Chilean Fjords, Strait of Magellan, Punta Arenas, Beagle Channel, Ushuaia, Antarctic Peninsula, Port Stanley, Montevideo, and Buenos Aires.
• Scenic (Scenic Eclipse): “Buenos Aires to Buenos Aires.” 11 nights. Includes Buenos Aires, Ushuaia (fly), Drake Passage, Antarctic Peninsula, Ushuaia, and Buenos Aires (fly).
• Silversea (Silver Wind): “Ushuaia to Ushuaia.” 14 nights. Includes Ushuaia, New Island, West Point, Port Stanley, Elephant Island, Antarctic Sound, Antarctic Peninsula, South Shetland Islands, Drake Passage, and Ushuaia.
• Swan Hellenic (SH Minerva): “Ushuaia to Ushuaia.” 10 days. Includes Ushuaia, Antarctic Sound, Antarctic Peninsula, South Shetland Islands, and Ushuaia.
• Vantage (Ocean Explorer): “Ushuaia to Buenos Aires.” 12 nights. Includes Ushuaia, Drake Passage, Antarctic Peninsula, South Shetland Islands, Ushuaia, and Buenos Aires.
• Viking (Viking Polaris): “Buenos Aires to Ushuaia.” 13 nights. Includes Buenos Aires, fly to Ushuaia, Drake Passage, Antarctic Peninsula, Drake Passage, Cape Horn, and Ushuaia.

Dozens of travel companies offer a variety of Antarctic travel adventures, from cruises to air-cruise combinations. Since these are travel rather than cruise line companies, most of these travel operators charter cruise ships owned by major Antarctic expedition and luxury cruise lines such as Quark Expeditions and Ponant. Here is a sampling of a few major travel companies offering Antarctic adventures:

• Abercrombie & Kent (Charters Ponant’s 199-passenger Le Lyrial): “Buenos Aires to Ushuaia.” 13 days. Includes Buenos Aires, Ushuaia, Drake Passage, Antarctica, Drake Passage, and Ushuaia.
• Adventure Life: Books cruises with many different Antarctic expedition and luxury cruise lines. A useful one-shop website for getting an overview of Antarctic cruise options, including reviews of individual expedition ships.
• Chimu Adventures (Fly-cruise, Ocean Adventurer — chartered from Quark Expeditions): “Punta Arenas to Punta Arenas.” 8 days. Includes flight from Punta Arenas to South Shetlands Islands, Antarctic Peninsula, and return flight to Punta Arenas.
• Intrepid Travel (Ocean Endeavor): “Ushuaia to Ushuaia.” 11 days. Includes Ushuaia, Drake Passage, Antarctic Peninsula, Drake Passage, and Ushuaia.
• Overseas Adventure Travel (M/C Corinthian): “Buenos Aires to Buenos Aires.” 14 days. Includes Buenos Aires, fly to Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego National Park, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage, South Shetland Islands, Drake Passage, Ushuaia, and fly back to Buenos Aires.
• Polar Cruises: Offers numerous Antarctic cruises – from basic to luxury – conducted by a variety of expedition cruise companies. A good portal for surveying cruise options.
• Polartours: This is a booking portal that works with several expedition cruise and tour companies specializing in the Antarctic.
• Road Scholar (Fly-cruise — charters M/V Ocean Nova): “Punta Arenas to Punta Arenas.” 11 nights. Includes Punta Arenas, fly to King George Island in South Shetland Islands to board M/V Ocean Nova, multiple visits to western coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, and flight back to Punta Arenas.
• Swoop Antarctica: A specialty travel and booking agency that offers a wide range of cruises and flights to Antarctica.
• Tauck (charters 3 Ponant ships — Le Boréal, L’Austral, or Le Lyrial): “Buenos Aires to Buenos Aires.” 13 days. Includes Buenos Aires, fly to Ushuaia and board ship, Drake Passage, 5 stops along Antarctic Peninsula, Drake Passage, Ushuaia, and return flight to Buenos Aires.
• Travel Wild Expeditions: Works with several expedition cruise lines in offering a variety of cruises and air-cruise combinations in the Antarctica.