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Antarctica travel guide

This vast sheet of ice is considered by many to be the Earth's last true slice of wilderness. You don't come on vacation here; you come on an expedition. But the frozen continent is far from lifeless, and as our Antarctica travel guide reveals, many species thrive here - including penguins, seals, whales, birds and orcas.

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Antarctica travel guide

2 minute summary

The frozen continent – nearly twice the size of Australia and with most of its land over 2 km high – is a polar desert. Plunged into darkness for six months of the year, yet with almost constant daylight throughout the austral summer, Antarctica is the most unexplored, hostile and out-of-this-world place on the planet. You don’t come on vacation to Antarctica – you come on an expedition; rolling across an endless ocean, braving chill winds and blinding ice to set foot where few dare.

But harsh and bitter as this landscape may be, it is fringed with softness and warmth. Baby seals flop across the ice, while comical penguins waddle and dive. Giant albatross launch themselves off cliffs, while the sight of the long-anticipated Antarctic sunrise, reflected in still waters – will melt your heart. The anticipated empty landscape reveals itself to be crammed with shifting sights – of penguins, seals, and the fluctuations of light and freshly carved ice.

Our Antarctica travel guide reveals how to choose your polar expedition.

Antarctica is...

the driest, coldest and windlest place on Earth.

Antarctica isn't...

a barren, frozen wilderness. There is plenty of life to be found.

What we rate & what we don't

Our best & worst of Antarctica vacations

Underrated

NZ Subantarctic Islands ▼

South America ▼

Lectures ▼

Smaller ships ▼

Rated

Zodiac trips ▼

Lemaire Channel ▼

South Georgia ▼

Fearless wildlife ▼

Overrated

Polar bears ▼

South Pole fly-ins ▼

Underrated

NZ Subantarctic Islands

If Antarctica is the forgotten continent, these specks of land are the least explored part of it. Collectively a UNESCO World Heritage Site, these five groups of islands nurture strange megaherbs and are a haven for seabirds, as the only land for thousands of miles. Further south, Macquarie Island – once considered too “harsh” to be used as a penal colony – shelters huge penguin and seal colonies.

South America

Wherever you’re from, Antarctica is a long, long way away. So take advantage of having travelled halfway round the world and squeeze in a tour in South America. At the “end of the world”, Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego are utterly magical – but if you’ve had enough of chilly wildernesses, you could always spend a few days warming up in the seductive city of Buenos Aires.

Lectures

When you sign up for an outdoor adventure in a wild landscape, lecture programmes may sound rather dull. But the ships’ biologists, geographers, photographers, historians and geologists share fascinating insights about the land and creatures around you. You’ll learn to identify species, and a little knowledge means you will be even more amazed by the world passing you by on deck.

Smaller ships

We don’t think that bigger is better in Antarctica. Larger boats (over 100 pax) may reduce seasickness, but a smaller vessel gives a more personalised service, the chance of one-on-one time with the scientists and lecturers, and access to shallower harbours. Additionally, only 100 people may step ashore at a time, so passengers on bigger ships must take it in turns.

Rated

Zodiac trips

The power of Antarctica is never clearer than to those venturing out in tiny inflatable zodiac boats – surrounded by whales and towering bergs. Cruises tend to include one or two zodiac trips a day, allowing you to get up close to seals, penguins and step onto the endless Antarctic continent. Your schedule is dictated by the weather and the ocean – simply thrilling.

Lemaire Channel

Cruising through the stunning Lemaire Channel is a trip highlight. Icebergs, glaciers and sheer cliffs are the giants above the water, while humpback whales are the behemoths below. Keep an eye out for orcas too. As narrow as 1,600m in places, with plenty of loose icebergs, the channel is precarious. The scenery and mirror like waters are a dream for photographers, however – earning it the nickname “Kodak Gap”.

South Georgia

In the rush to reach the Antarctic, don’t miss the desolate and beautiful South Georgia along the way. A 3,000m mountain ridge discharges glaciers into sheltered harbours, home to king penguins and enormous, barking elephant seals. The resting place of explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton is found here, along with a museum revealing the island’s fascinating history.

Fearless wildlife

The fact that any creature can survive this extreme landscape is incredible enough – but the animals themselves are awe-inspiring. Orcas and huge humpback whales breach beneath huger icebergs and 3m-long leopard seals hunt penguins beneath the waves, while giant albatross and petrels patrol the skies. On-board lectures explain more about life on the planet’s least hospitable continent.

Overrated

Polar bears

Want to see these enormous bears prowling the ice? Head north, waaaayy north – polar bears are only found in the Arctic.

South Pole fly-ins

The ghastly journey to the South Pole, which once took months and killed many who attempted it, can now be done in a few short hours. Yours for £30,000 – a flight to the bottom of the world. Ironically, this is designated a “Specially Managed Area” to protect it – but we’re not sure how flying all this way for a few short hours fits in with this. Likewise with day-long “flightseeing” tours.

Antarctica cruise travel guide

WHAT DO ANTARCTIC CRUISES ENTAIL?

There may be entire days at sea, and the view from the deck may be of endless water followed by endless fields of ice – but an Antarctic cruise is anything but monotonous. Setting sail from South America, the long journey south may be broken up with visits to remote southern islands including the Falklands and South Georgia, where you’ll get your first glimpse of Antarctica’s wildlife.

If you head straight to the Antarctic Peninsula, you’ll spend two days and nights navigating the notorious Drake Passage. While some passengers emerge unscathed, most experience seasickness – although it could be argued that this just adds to the expedition feel of the voyage, and makes arrival on the frozen continent all the more anticipated. Thankfully, the waters around the peninsula are generally calm – with lake-like channels meaning you can concentrate on holding your camera steady – rather than your stomach.

If you really can’t face the crossing, direct flights to King George Island are available – reducing the crossing time to two hours rather than two days.

Once at the Antarctic Peninsula, you’ll be exploring the channels, islands and setting foot on the continent itself. All landings are made by zodiac – carrying roughly ten passengers plus a guide. These allow you to get up close to seals and penguins, and really feel dwarfed by icebergs. You may also visit research stations, staffed year-round by intrepid researchers, who can share details of their work.

Growing in popularity are activity-based cruises, with optional extra activities. These include kayaking, diving and snowshoeing – and are ideal for those who want to experience the Antarctic just that little bit closer.

Read more about life on board an Antarctic cruise.

A brief history of Antarctica

Centuries before Antarctica’s existence was ever confirmed, the idea of a cold continent at the bottom of the earth, mirroring what lay to the far north, stirred the minds of philosophers and scientists, sailors and explorers. As the curious Europeans captained ships rounding the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn, chilly southern winds were felt, fuelling these speculations of the Terra Australis Incognita – the Unknown Southern Land. Read more ▼

Captain James Cook was the first to cross the Antarctic Circle, in 1773, but he never sighted land. Throughout the 19th century, discoveries were made all around the continent – active volcanoes, the floating Ross Ice Shelf, the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetlands. But the explorers didn’t just discover land – they discovered wildlife. Millions of seal pelts were taken from the islands, elephant seals were slaughtered for their blubber and southern right whales lured whaling ships to these tempestuous waters. Arguably, it was the search for new sealing grounds, not for geographical glory, that spurred the southern discoveries.

The Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration began in the late 1890s – two eventful decades with Scott, Amundsen, de Gerlache and Shackleton as the polar protagonists. The use of dogs and sleds and the calculation of the South Pole encouraged further voyages – and ambitions soon turned to setting foot on the pole. Roald Amundsen and Robert Falcon Scott each led expeditions – with Scott’s fateful mission reaching the South Pole on 17th January 1912 – only to realise that Amundsen had arrived just over a month before. Crestfallen and cursed with abominable weather, all five expedition members died on their return journey.

Shackleton narrowly avoided a similar fate in 1914, when he attempted the first crossing of the Antarctic continent, but became stuck in the advancing ice. In the most extraordinary of all Antarctic voyages, the crew abandoned ship, crossed the ice on sleds and sailed to the barren Elephant Island in the lifeboats they had dragged with them. Shackleton then crudely adapted a lifeboat to sail 1,300km across treacherous seas to South Georgia – his frostbitten men were rescued from Elephant Island over four months later. All 28 expedition members miraculously survived.

By the mid 20th century, flags were being planted and ripped out across Antarctica, as various nations squabbled over this uninhabited land, attempting to establish bases and grab territory on an epic scale. The signing of the Antarctic Treaty in 1959 declared Antarctica a “scientific preserve”, banning military and mining activity to prevent the risk of armed conflict. While various nations claim slices of land, Antarctica has no government and is basically open to all for scientific and tourism purposes. Many people have played a role in shaping the human history of Antarctica, but with the exception of a couple of preserved huts and abandoned whaling stations, little evidence remains of these once-great struggles. Scientists live in handful of research stations year-round, but outside of these isolated laboratories, Antarctica remains uninhabited, and peaceful.

Read more about life in Antarctica

Photo credits: [Top box: Andreas Kambanis] [NZ Subantarctic Islands: lin padgham] [South America: Rod Waddington] [lectures: Eli Duke] [small boats: RAYANDBEE] [zodiac boats: Kathy] [Lemaire Channel: Liam Quinn] [South Georgia: Gregory "Greg" Smith] [fearless wildlife: Liam Quinn] [polar bears: Susanne Miller/USFWS] [south pole flyin: Eli Duke] [Cruise boat: Liam Quinn] [small Boat: Liam Quinn]

Written by Vicki Brown

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