Table Of Content
It’s also only suited for those with some prior sea kayaking experience. Some of the animals you could see are many penguin species such as gentoos, adélie penguins, Magellanic penguins, rockhoppers, chinstraps, king penguins, emperors (if you’re super lucky) and macaronis. If you want the ultimate bragging rights after your trip to Antarctica make sure you don’t miss the polar plunge. Setting foot on the Antarctic mainland, or one of its many islands, is an indescribable moment.
Ocean Endeavour
WWF-Australia is a well-established conservation organisation helping protect our natural environment. Donations from our trips help their pioneering whale research and conservation efforts to establish marine protected areas around Antarctica and save whale species from extinction. If you have an average fitness level (and above) you are compatible with Antarctica travel, so you don't need to spend hours in the gym before considering booking a trip. You can also choose from a variety of accommodation arrangements, from single cabins to room-sharing, depending on your preference. Antarctica refers to the seventh continent of the world and is largely situated in the Antarctic Circle - a line of latitude sitting at around 66.5° south of the equator - at the base of the globe. There may not be any stores on the Antarctic Peninsula, but that doesn't mean you can't do any shopping.
Best Antarctica cruise ships: 11 stylish expedition vessels exploring the White Continent
These ships are also equipped with X-Bows, offering smoother sails in rougher seas. The casually elegant 148-passenger National Geographic Explorer, and more luxurious, newer vessels 126-passenger National Geographic Endurance and twin National Geographic Resolution sail Antarctica. Among the amenities are fine dining, hot tubs, yoga classes, spa services and fitness center.
Antarctica Cruise Packing List: What (& What Not) To Bring
Their trips attract a younger demographic and a lower price point, but they’ve worked hard to secure some of the best expedition team members in the industry. Quark has an impeccable safety record and has a fleet of ice-class vessels, including the new, luxurious MV Ultramarine, which allows them to execute really unique itineraries. These itineraries are usually around 20 days long, with quite a few days spent at sea navigating between each destination, so if you can find a longer itinerary that includes more days at each place it’s worth exploring. But one thing to keep in mind is that you’re not sailing to Antarctica in a little boat. You’re on a large expedition ship which is designed to handle much worse conditions than the Drake. When researching Antarctic Peninsula cruises you’ll probably see that the majority of the itineraries sail across the Drake Passage, the infamous stretch of sea between South America and Antarctica, while a couple fly over the Drake to King George Island.
New Antarctica Cruise Ships
Enjoy her chic-yet-casual private yacht atmosphere created by a blend of precious materials, discreet elegance and gastronomic delights, paired with an engaging program of lectures and adventure activities. Ice class is used to denote the additional levels of strengthening that enable a ship to navigate through sea ice. There are many different ice classes, assigned by various classification societies and governments, so comparing ice class between Antarctica ships is difficult.
Janssonius – 170 Guests
Does the cabin have a small sitting area or are you forced to sit on the bed? A balcony can seem like an extravagant expense but having access outside the ship brings Antarctica closer to you throughout the journey. The main port of embarkation and disembarkation for Antarctica itineraries is Ushuaia, a remote city located on the southern tip of Argentina on the Beagle Channel. Some longer itineraries, however, begin and/or end in Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires, or ports in Chile such as Santiago (Valparaiso), Puerto Williams, or Punta Arenas. You can contact us 24 hours 7 days a week, with any burning (or shall we say freezing?) questions.
Antarctica Cruise Atlas Insider Expeditions - Not Quite Nigella
Antarctica Cruise Atlas Insider Expeditions.
Posted: Thu, 11 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Here is a summary table of the key features including the cost of the tours (see our full guide for estimates on the total cost of visiting Antarctica). Below, we’ll share more detailed explanations about each operator and why they are unique. But with so many different tour operators to choose from, finding the best Antarctic cruise for your trip to the White Continent is no easy feat. Glad we were on a smaller ship with only around 120 guests so we never felt overcrowded on any of the shore landings.
Ocean Explorer
Other unusual features include a full-blown science center with state-of-the-art gadgets and underwater drones for passenger use. 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. Finally, remember that it’s a privilege to visit Antarctica and you should always make sure you do so responsibly. There are some exceptions, Intrepid being a notable one who Jarryd worked with as a photography guide this year, where you join a small group of people to get daily workshops on photography techniques, camera settings, composition, creativity, editing and more. Imagine sleeping under the Antarctic sky, surrounded by snow and ice, with the distant calls of penguins lulling you to sleep.
Antarctic Peninsula Cruises
Laying undiscovered to mankind until the eighteenth century, no continent is as remote or uncharted as Antarctica, an otherworldly, timeless realm steeped in heroic tales of human endeavor. Discover a frozen fairytale land whose very existence defies logic, a desert covered in prehistoric ice, dislodged from time itself, a dreamscape drenched in the eerie, eternal light of the austral summer sun where katabatic winds can remake the view before your very eyes. In your path, lies one of the world’s most violent bodies of water, the Drake Passage, where three seas converge in a frenzied cocktail of inconceivably strong currents and cyclones, whipping up ferocious waves and winds of frightening magnitudes. Crossing this legendary waterway is a rite of passage, following in the wake of many of history’s greatest explorers. Indulge in them all with the most popular Antarctica cruises available below. You might assume that the Drake Passage was first sailed by British explorer Sir Francis Drake, but the truth behind this waterway’s somewhat misleading name is just one of many interesting facts about the passage.
Then it’s two more days at sea to get to South Georgia, with 3 to 4 days spent visiting the most spectacular place on earth. IAATO, the body that regulates tourism in Antarctica, has strict rules around the number of passengers from any one ship that can leave the vessel at any one time. However, their ships are very large, with between 250 and 500 passengers on each trip, meaning your actual time spent off the ship is limited. “Our pioneering spirit leads us to explore rarely visited locations and introduce unique itinerariesfor every season,” Hayley Peacock-Gower tells us, who is the Chief Marketing Officer of Aurora Expeditions. All of their ships have under 200 passengers too, meeting IAATO regulations for number of people off the ship at any one time. They were the the first to organise trips to Snow Hill and revolutionised North Pole tours, so they’re always looking for what’s next in the world of polar voyages.
Your cell phone will not work during your Antarctica cruise as the continent is still considered extremely remote and doesn't have the right telecommunication infrastructure in place. Antarctica isn't part of one single country, rather it is a continent governed under a series of recognized guidelines and agreements called the Antarctic Treaty System. Antarctica isn't owned by one single country, instead governed internationally through the Antarctic Treaty system signed in 1959 by 12 countries who had sent scientists to Antarctica during and around that time. These countries included Argentina, Australia, France, Japan, New Zealand, the United States, and the United Kingdom. While plenty of animals live in Antarctica (such as various species of whale, penguin, seal and bird), there are very few humans that call Antarctica home, instead using the region as a base for research.
After a multi-million dollar refit in 2017 this luxury vessel has become the last word in luxury for adventurers, with fine dining and butler service to boot. A former Dutch Navy research ship, the Plancius is a practical and highly capable expedition ship with a recent full re-fit to take 108 guests. This ship sets the bar high with a sleek design, fast average cruising speed of 16 knots, spacious cabins and a unique glass-domed observation lounge. For adventure seekers who would prefer more of a floating hotel as their base. Typically a little more spacious, with more variation in cabins, you'll have more choice while on board while still getting out and about during the day.
We eventually depart Antarctica, and spend two days at sea on our way northwards back across the infamous Drake Passage towards the more welcoming shores of the Beagle Channel and Ushuaia, Argentina. During our time at sea, a variety of activities will be arranged on board to provide our guests with the chance to reflect on their voyage. Like Scenic Eclipse, Viking Octantis carries a submarine for underwater exploring, as well as kayaks. In a first for polar expedition cruise vessels, every cabin has floor-to-ceiling glass walls that slide partially open from the top to create a balcony-like feel.
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