Antarctica travel guides

Antarctica has no government and issues no visas, as it is administered under the Antarctic Treaty rather than by any single nation. What you do need is a visa or entry permission for the gateway country you depart from, almost always Argentina for Ushuaia or Chile for Punta Arenas. Your expedition operator handles the environmental permits required to land, and reputable ones are members of IAATO, which sets the visitor rules.

The season runs from roughly November to March and each part offers something different. November brings pristine snow, dramatic ice and penguin courtship. December and January have the longest daylight, warmest temperatures and hatching chicks, and are the busiest and priciest. February and March are best for whale watching, with humpbacks and orcas at their most numerous, and penguin chicks fledging. Outside these months sea ice closes the region entirely to tourism.

Most trips sail from Ushuaia in Argentina, crossing the Drake Passage to the Antarctic Peninsula in about two days each way. The Drake has a reputation for severe seas and can be genuinely rough, so come prepared with motion sickness medication. A faster alternative is the fly-cruise, flying roughly two hours from Punta Arenas in Chile to King George Island and boarding a ship there, which skips the crossing entirely at higher cost. A few longer voyages reach the Ross Sea from New Zealand.

Expect USD 8,000 to 15,000 per person for a standard 10 to 12 day Peninsula voyage, with luxury vessels and longer itineraries running considerably higher. Fly-cruise options that skip the Drake Passage cost more again. Last-minute deals occasionally surface in Ushuaia for travellers who can wait, though these have become rarer. The price typically includes all meals, landings and expedition staff, but not flights to South America, insurance or optional activities like kayaking and camping.

Your expedition ship is your accommodation for the entire trip, as there are no hotels anywhere on the continent. Research stations host scientists and support staff, not tourists. A small number of operators run temporary camps in the interior for specialist trips to the South Pole or Emperor penguin colonies, at very high cost. Most travellers book a hotel for a night or two in Ushuaia or Punta Arenas before and after the voyage, which is worth doing given flight delays.

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