Antarctica region
Antarctica
Some 40 ships carrying six to 500 passengers conduct pleasure cruises in Antarctica each year, according to the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators, which sets tourism guidelines. Ships are limited to bringing a maximum of 500 passengers…
- 208cruises call
- 32ships
- 33ports
At a glance
208 current cruises call at the 33 ports Cruiseable lists under Antarctica, on 32 ships from 15 cruise lines. The busiest of those ports is Drake Passage (Antarctica), on 167 itineraries. The lowest lead fare across those cruises is $3,069. The lines sailing the most of them are Aurora Expeditions (40), Lindblad Expeditions (36) and Silversea (30).
Destination guide
Antarctica travel guide & photo tour
First of two parts. Also see:
Ships carrying six to 500 passengers have resumed conducting pleasure cruises in Antarctica. The International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators, which sets tourism guidelines, notes that ships are limited to bringing a maximum of 500 passengers ashore.
Why go? Many passengers choose an Antarctic cruise for the most Everest of reasons: because it’s there. Still others are seduced by a relatively painless (although not inexpensive) way of adding an elusive seventh continent to their travel résumés. Virtually all succumb to astonishment once they get to the bottom of the world. I've cruised there, and it was one of the most memorable, mesmerizing experiences of my life.
Practically none of the considerations that normally apply to tourism apply to Antarctica. There are no hotels or restaurants. There is no nightlife. In fact, during the tourist season, there is no night at all. There are no cities. There isn’t even soil.
Sound perfect? You have a pretty wide range of options, but keep in mind that nearly all cruises take place during Antarctica's summer months of December to February — and they often sell out a year or more in advance.
Cruise lines that sail to Antarctica
The following cruise lines have at least one ship that sails to the White Continent:
Read the full guide
Antarctica: What to see & do
Describing the appeal of the world’s highest, driest, coldest, windiest, emptiest, most isolated continent is like trying to put a verbal finger on something beyond comprehension. It’s not just the elemental beauty that makes an impression, it’s the overwhelming vastness, the fragile purity, the sense of privilege that comes with beholding one of the last pristine places on the planet, a frozen Eden.
OK, are you ready to cross this off your bucket list? In the second part of this series I lay out the logistics: how to get there, getting situated in Ushuaia, Argentina, wi-fi down there, shore excursions to Tierra del Fuego, what to expect when navigating the Drake Passage and what to bring on your journey.
Best time to go
The cruise season is the Southern Hemisphere's summer, December through February. The weather in the peninsular “banana belt” where most cruise ships sail is not as cold as you might guess, so long as the wind is not blowing. Blue-sky “bikini weather” —temperatures in the 40s, even low 50s — happens, too.
When you arrive
Docking information
In Ushuaia, Argentina, ships dock at a long pier on the edge of town. Larger ships on longer cruises often depart for Antarctica from Valparaiso, Chile, or Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Passengers are brought ashore in inflatable expedition boats that make either “wet” (waterproof boots needed) or “dry” landings.
Getting around in Ushuaia
Ushuaia – the capital of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, and the southernmost city in the world – is highly walkable, and taxis are abundant.
Eco considerations
The cruise lines are good about making sure visitors don't disrupt Antarctica's fragile ecosystem (if only Washington's politicians would be so conscientious!). We like Hurtigruten's motto: "Take nothing but photos and leave nothing but footprints."
Need to know
Language: English on your cruise ship, Spanish in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego
Currency: In Ushuaia, credit cards or the Argentine peso. Change money at kiosks on the pier, at banks or at ATM machines in town.
Your take
Have you been to Antarctica? Please share your story, tip or discovery. What was the highlight for you? How did you fair across the Drake? Photos, too, are welcome, I'd love to see them!
Photos of Antarctica
A closeup of a gentoo penguin in Antarctica during a G Adventures expedition. Crystal Symphony takes you past sweeping icebergs in Antarctica. 
Two king penguins — the second largest species of penguin — are photographed during a G Adventures expedition of South Georgia, Antarctica. 
An adventure of a lifetime awaits you aboard Hurtigruten's flagshp Fram as it explores the icy waters of Antarctica. 
Discover the awe-inspiring landscape of Petermann Island during your voyage to Antarctica aboard Hurtigruten's flagship the ms Fram. 
Go kayaking for an exhilarating exploration of Antarctica during your cruise aboard the Hurtigruten ship Fram. 
Penguins near the Almirante Brown station in Antarctica seem to bid farewell to Hurtigruten's flagship the Fram. 
Race ya! Explore the breeding site of Gentoo penguins as you travel on Hurtigruten's ship ms Fram to remote Danco Island, just off Antarctica. 
A large group of penguins spotted in Antarctica, photographed during a G Adventures expedition. 
A large group of penguins encountered by participants in a G Adventures expedition. 
Holland America's Ryndam sails through the Lemaire Channel of Antarctica. 
Paddle between ice floes in the waters of Antarctica during your cruise aboard Fram, Hurtigruten's flagship. 
Get up close and personal with penguins when you explore Antarctica during an expedition cruise on Hurtigruten's flagship the Fram. 
The Hurigruten flagship Fram disappears into the mists of the dramatic Lemaire Channel on its voyage to Antarctica. A chinstrap penguin in Antarctica, photographed during a G Adventures expedition. 
Two emperor penguins in Salisbury Plains, Antarctica, during a G Adventures expedition. 
A leopard seal in Antarctica encountered during a G Adventures expedition. 
A gentoo penguin seems a tad downcast during a G Adventures expedition of Neko, Antarctica. 
See the otherwordly cool blue ice of Antarctica during a G Adventures expedition aboard the Expedition. 
A blue iceberg spotted during a Lindblad Expeditions cruise to Antarctica. 
A chinstrap penguin seen on a shore excursion to Antarctica. 
Members of a Lindblad expedition atop a rock outcropping on Antarctica. 
Turquoise waters lap against an iceberg on a Lindblad Expeditions cruise to Antarctica. 
An iceberg disguised as a Phantom of the Opera mask seen during a sailing to Antarctica.
- 6 Night Antarctica Fly the Drake Passage Next Oct 20, 2026 29 dates from $17,900
- 9 Night Antarctica Sail and Fly the Drake Passage Next Oct 20, 2026 13 dates from $10,700
- 21 Night Falklands South Georgia and Antarctic Peninsula and Land Tour Next Oct 24, 2026 from $27,895
- 19 Night Penguins of the Far South Falklands South Georgia and Antarctica and Land Tour Next Oct 25, 2026 4 dates from $24,306
- 9 Night Antarctica Fly and Sail the Drake Passage Next Oct 29, 2026 12 dates from $11,500
- 13 Night Emperor Penguin Quest Expedition to Snow Hill and Land Tour Next Nov 3, 2026 2 dates from $23,611
Show 6 more
- 18 Night Antarctica Exploring South Georgia and the Falklands Next Nov 7, 2026 from $23,150
- 19 Night In Shackletons Footsteps and Land Tour Next Nov 8, 2026 from $24,251
- 9 Night Antarctic Discovery Next Nov 8, 2026 9 dates from $11,973
- 15 Night Puerto Williams to Puerto Williams Next Nov 9, 2026 4 dates from $20,350
- 10 Night Antarctic Explorer Discovering the 7th Continent and Land Tour Next Nov 12, 2026 9 dates from $13,586
- 16 Night Antarctic and Falklands Adventure Next Nov 12, 2026 from $15,444
Showing the 12 soonest of 208 cruises.
Who sails here
Ships and lines that call at Antarctica
- Douglas Mawson
- Sylvia Earle
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National Geographic Explorer
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Silver Wind
- World Traveller
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Silver Cloud
- Ocean Explorer
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National Geographic Orion
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Silver Endeavour
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Le Lyrial
- World Navigator
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National Geographic Resolution
Cruise lines
Ports
Ports in Antarctica
- Drake Passage (Antarctica)167
- King George Island66
- Paradise Beach19
- Elephant Island16
- Brown Bluff (Antarctica)1
- Antarctic Archipelago
- Antarctic Experience
- Antarctic Sound/peninsula
- Antarctica
- Cruising Antarctica
- Cruising Antarctica
- Cruising Antarctica (Antarctica)
- Cruising By Admiralty Bay, Antarctica
- Cruising By Charlotte Bay, Antarctica
- Cruising By Dallmann Bay, Antarctica
- Cruising By Deception Island, Antarctica
- Cruising By Half Moon Island, Antarctica
- Cruising By Neumayer Channel, Antarctica
- Cruising By Paradise Bay, Antarctica
- Cruising By Wilhelmina Bay, Antarctica
- Cruising By Wilhemina Bay, Antarctica
- Cruising By Yankee Harbor, Antarctica
- Cruising Elephant Island, Antarctica
- Cruising Palmer Archipelago (Antarctica)
- Cruising Palmer Station, Antarctica
- Cruising Paradise Bay, Antarctica
- Cruising Schollart Channel (Antarctica)
- Cruising the Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica
- Neko Harbour (Antarctica)
- Pleneau Island (Antarctica)
- Port Lockroy (Antarctica)
- Schollart Channel-Antarctica
- The Antarctic Sound
Numbers are current cruises calling at each port.
Overheard
“Once the ship passed the storm and reached the islands off the peninsula, the 122 passengers understood what Dorothy felt as she opened the farmhouse door in Oz: brilliant blue sky in a majestic land, its horizons defined by mountains and perennial winter.”
“A handful of the top luxury and expedition cruise ships have a one- or two-year wait list, say Lorenzo Urra of Global Noman. If you'd like to go in 2016, you'll have to put down a deposit this month.”
“No place on earth compares to this vast white wilderness distilled to an elemental haiku: snow, ice, water, rock. Antarctica is simply stunning.”
“I don't know how your remember the rumble of thunder on a sunny afternoon, the signal that somewhere a glacier is cracking. I don't know that anyone can fully remember the phosphorescent blue of an iceberg, or the motion of a ship in 30-foot swells, or the fading sound of 20,000 penguins as you sail away from them... It was all too much to grasp. ”
“Antarctica is probably the most accessible inaccessible place in the world. … Accessibility, though, doesn't take anything away from Antarctica's big drawing cards, which include endless stretches of ice, huge icebergs, an abundance of whales and other marine life, and penguins by the thousands.”
Want to see Antarctica from the water?
Tell us your dates and who is coming. Our partner travel agency replies with the itineraries that call there.