How do you get to Antarctica?

Most voyages leave from Ushuaia at the tip of South America. On our trip you fly into Buenos Aires, take a charter flight to Ushuaia and board SH Minerva.

How long is the Drake Passage crossing?

About two days each way across roughly 600 miles of open water. It can be calm as glass or rough enough to keep you in bed.

How do I avoid seasickness on the Drake Passage?

Choose a cabin in the middle of the ship on a lower deck, and ask your doctor about seasickness medication before you go, starting it before you sail.

How many people land at once in Antarctica?

IAATO rules allow no more than 100 guests ashore at a site at once.

Antarctica Luxury Expedition Guide

Q: What should I look for in an Antarctica ship?

A small ship, a cabin with a balcony, an expedition team of naturalists and historians, and a good kitchen.

I've traveled to all seven continents, and Antarctica is the one that changed my idea of what travel can be. The ships are beautiful, but that isn't why. Antarctica strips away everything familiar and leaves you face to face with the planet at its rawest and most magnificent.

How do you plan a luxury Antarctica expedition? Choose a small ship with balcony cabins, an expert expedition team and a good kitchen, then sail from Ushuaia between November and March. Expect about two days crossing the Drake Passage each way, Zodiac landings among the penguins, and whales beside the boat.

Key facts

Season: November to March, the Southern Hemisphere summer.
Getting there: fly into Buenos Aires (EZE), take a charter flight to Ushuaia, then cross the Drake Passage, about two days each way.
The ship: look for a small ship, balcony cabins, naturalists and historians on board, and good food.
Where to stay: the Alvear Art Hotel in Buenos Aires before you sail, and Arakur above Ushuaia when you come back.
Caviar trip:The Antarctica Expedition, about 13 days with 9 to 10 nights aboard SH Minerva depending on sailing, planned as a private trip around your dates.

Why Antarctica Feels So Rare

Antarctica sees far fewer visitors than most bucket-list places. IAATO, the association of Antarctic tour operators, counted 118,491 visitors in the 2024-25 season, and almost all of them sailed to the Antarctic Peninsula. Its rules keep landings small, with no more than 100 guests ashore at a site at once, so even on a busy day the ice feels like yours.

A Zodiac cruising past a glacier and snow-covered mountains on the Antarctic Peninsula Photo: James Eades / Unsplash

Choosing Your Ship

The ship you choose shapes everything: how many people share each landing, how you sleep after a day in the cold, and who teaches you what you're seeing. Look for a small ship, a cabin with a balcony, an expedition team of naturalists and historians, and a good kitchen.

We sail with Swan Hellenic on SH Minerva, a small luxury expedition ship. Every cabin on our trip has a balcony, meals and drinks are included, and there's a spa for after the Zodiac rides.

SH Minerva sailing through sea ice below snow-covered Antarctic peaks

If you'd rather fly in than sail, White Desert runs the only luxury camps in interior Antarctica, with about 12 guests per camp. Its Echo camp has heated sleeping pods with windows onto the ice.

A sleeping pod bedroom with a window onto the ice at White Desert, Antarctica Photo: Courtesy of White Desert

The dining pod at White Desert Echo camp in Antarctica Photo: Courtesy of White Desert

What You'll See

Nothing prepares you for the scale. Icebergs the size of buildings, glaciers that crack and thunder, and penguin colonies that cover a whole hillside. Then a whale surfaces beside your Zodiac, and you forget to take the picture. It's overwhelming in the best way.

A humpback whale raising its tail fluke in calm water off the Antarctic Peninsula Photo: Rod Long / Unsplash

Wildlife by Month

Month	Penguins	Whales	Daylight Hours
November	Courtship and nest building	Arriving	18 to 20
December	Eggs and early hatching	Present	20 to 22
January	Chicks growing	More frequent	20 to 22
February	Chicks fledging	Often at their best	16 to 18
March	Leaving the colonies	Still around	14 to 16

For a deeper look at each month, read my month-by-month guide to the best time to visit Antarctica.

The Drake Passage

The Drake Passage is the stretch of ocean between the tip of South America and the Antarctic Peninsula, roughly 600 miles of open water. Some crossings are calm as glass (the "Drake Lake"), and others roll hard enough to keep you in bed (the "Drake Shake"). Either way, it's part of the story.

Tips for the crossing:

A cabin in the middle of the ship, on a lower deck, moves least
Ask your doctor about seasickness medication before you go, and start it before you sail
Expect about two days each way
Sea days are for lectures, naps and watching albatross from the deck

How We Do Antarctica

Our Antarctica Expedition begins with a night at the Alvear Art Hotel in Buenos Aires, then a charter flight to Ushuaia and 9 to 10 nights aboard SH Minerva, depending on the sailing you pick. Expect Zodiac landings among the penguins, lectures from the expedition team, and bubbles with a view of the ice.

Where we stay on our trip: the Alvear Art Hotel in Buenos Aires, then a balcony cabin on SH Minerva.

Before you go, read my Antarctica packing list. This trip is for the traveler who has been almost everywhere and is ready for somewhere that still takes her breath away. You deserve this one. Book your consultation.

6X Condé Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialist with 65+ countries visited across all 7 continents.