Antarctica Cruises & Penguin Viewing

Welcome to Antarctica! This is a land beyond comprehension. Those who return from an Antarctic cruise are often lost for words explaining the sheer size, beauty and remoteness of the land. It is the coldest continent. It is the windiest continent. It is the largest desert in the world, it is, on average, the highest continent in the world. It is twice the size of Australia and 1.5X the size of the USA. It is indeed one of the most amazing places on earth.

To journey to this remote land of penguins, 1000km from South America, your cruise departs from Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego (the End of the World) and chart a course south. For some longer Expedition Cruises we head a bit east towards the Falkland Islands and South Georgia Island first, home to massive penguin rookeries, as well as albatross, elephant seals and other marvelous animals.

When heading south towards the Antarctic peninsula, your first encounter en route will be the infamous Drake Passage. If lucky, you will experience the "Drake Lake" and it will be calm and smooth allowing for plenty of time on deck spotting seabirds and looking for whales. Most likely, however, your initiation will involve the "Drake Shake" where this famous strip of Ocean will challenge your balancing skills and ability to eat, drink and be merry amidst large roaming waves. For those who've experienced the power of the Drake Passage, it makes the ultimate reward - Antarctica even a sweeter travel achievement, when you travel to such a remote part of the world, you have to earn it!

Typically lasting two days, the time at sea is spent getting to know your fellow shipmates, who will have gathered from around the world, for this extraordinary opportunity. Reading in the library, enjoying tea or beer in the lounge and playing cards or games is a common sight on board. When it is time to stretch the legs, head out to the observation deck for some fresh air.

The Expedition Team will keep everyone entertained with tales ranging on anything from the first historic expeditions to Antarctica to the unique characteristics of some of its wildlife. By the time you spot that first iceberg drifting by, you'll be a virtual Antarctic expert and the anticipation will be immense. Antarctica can not be too much further!

Where is our Expedition ship now?

Your home away from home has plenty of open space to enjoy when you're not exploring the coastline on Expedition landings or out on Zodiacs looking for wildlife. A spacious dining room, lecture hall, bar and lounge area are open to all, as is the bridge if you want to wander up and see what the Captain is up to! Curious to know more about the actual ship amenities, including a deck plan and photos of the cabins and communal areas? Visit our Expedition ship page.

The Antarctic season runs from roughly November to March each year. Outside those months our ship is off exploring the Tropics, Europe and the extreme north - the Arctic! So how do you decide what trip to take to Antarctica? For many people this is a once-in-a-lifetime tour. (Although we've had many people return for more!) It can be a tough decision, but depending on your personal interests, here are some tips to help you decide:

Early Antarctic Season (late October into early December)

Ahh, a fresh season to the Great White Continent! Each years brings new excitement and new firsts. As the extensive Antarctic sea ice melts away, you can enjoy the most impressive show of icebergs during this time of the year. Photographers will benefit from the most striking landscape images during this time of year as well. Quite often, we run extended length expeditions at this time of year too, visiting South Georgia and the Falkland Islands, for anyone who wants the most in-depth sub Antarctica and Antarctica voyage.

Peak Antarctic Season (from December into February)

Dreaming of a white Christmas? Many people find it easier to travel over the New Year holiday time, so this season is popular by default and often sells out sooner. Another reason for being popular? This is a busy time for Antarctic wildlife. You have baby penguins being born mid-season, making cute fluffy photo subjects. The ice floes will have melted more, so opportunities to venture further south, possibly beyond the Antarctic Circle, become more realistic as well.

Late Antarctic Season (from February into March)

The later into the season you go, the more obvious and frequent whale encounters seem to become. While the baby penguins may have moved on, you'll come within reaching distance of many whales and seals. The sea ice will soon begin advancing again, but until then this time of year allows for the most variety of possible landing sites and options further south into the most unexplored reaches of Antarctica.

Whatever season you decide to choose, you will be rewarded with an experience that is unparalleled by any other cruise or expedition voyage in the world! Wildlife is bountiful throughout the year, as are icebergs and glaciers. This land belongs to the wild, to nature - the penguins, whales, seals and seabirds. To step foot on the Antarctic continent is truly a great travel achievement.

History of Antarctica

This mythical land was often written about as far back as thousands of years ago, yet it wasn't until January 27, 1820 that we actually saw it for the first time. For less than 200 years this land has been explored and visited by humans. But, to understand Antarctica you must go way back in time...

More than 200 million years ago we had the super continent called Gondwana, or Gondwanaland. When this super continent broke apart, plate tectonics and continental drift took over and pushed land masses around the globe. Once a pleasant, temperate land mass where lizards and ferns thrived, the land we know as Antarctica settled into it's southern realm about 40 million years ago.

Fur hundreds of years adventurous explorers set sail in search of this mythical land that appeared on maps and had been named Terra Australis by the cartographer Ptolemy. At one point maps had this unexplored land covering so much area that it was thought to reach the southern tips of South America and Africa...and even reach the equator!

Over the centuries these exaggerations were exposed. As European explorers ventured further and further, sailing around the tip of Africa in 1487 and around South America in 1616. Even the great Captain James Cook was unable to actually spot Antarctica on his around the globe sailing adventures in 1772-1773. By now, this Terra Australis was shrinking in its mythical size and spawned doubts by adventurers that anyone would ever dare to venture so far south to find this land.

Finally, in 1819 Czar Alexander of Russia sent out an exploration party who succeeded in being the first to spot present day Antarctica in 1820. From there the history becomes an eccentric mix of survival and plunder ans sealers, whalers and explorers ventured to this land fueled by curiosity and greed....providing many great tales for our Expedition team to tell you on your own adventure to Antarctica!