Antarctica Travel Guide
Plan your trip with people who’ve been there
Thinking about Antarctica and not sure where to start? It’s a big trip, and a lot of it is new even if you’ve travelled a lot.
I’d dreamed of Antarctica for years, and in November I finally went, sailing from Ushuaia with HX Expeditions on the MS Roald Amundsen. I made eight landings, went out on a zodiac cruise and went kayaking, and we had four sunny days in a row that the captain called once in a lifetime.
This page brings together everything we’ve written about it, from choosing an expedition and getting across the Drake Passage to what to pack.
Me with the Gentoo penguins
Plan your Antarctica trip
Our guides, in the order you will probably need them.
How to plan an Antarctica cruise
A first-timer’s guide to choosing and booking your expedition.
The best time to visit
Month by month, and how to choose your expedition.
Crossing the Drake Passage
What the crossing is really like, and how to cope.
What to pack
My complete Antarctica packing checklist.
What it’s really like
A day on board and going ashore.
Things nobody tells you
What surprised me most about visiting Antarctica.
Getting there via Argentina
I had a night in Buenos Aires on the way down and a full day on the way back.
Argentina travel tips
Most expeditions leave from Ushuaia, so you will pass through Argentina.
South America travel guide
Buenos Aires, Ushuaia and our South America guides.
Before you go
What we sort out before every trip.
eSIM
Get data as soon as you land in Argentina with a Saily eSIM. You set it up on your phone before you go.
Travel insurance
For Antarctica, check your policy covers expedition cruises and medical evacuation. We never travel without it.
VPN
A VPN keeps your banking and bookings safer on ship and hotel Wi-Fi.
Listen: Antarctica on the podcast
My chat with fellow travellers from the same voyage.
Stopping in the Falklands
Our expedition stopped in the Falkland Islands on the way, and I came away wishing we’d had more time there and booked Volunteer Point sooner. If your cruise calls at Stanley, listen to episode 107 first. Falkland Islander Roxy King-Clark explains how to spend a day in port and which penguin trips to book well ahead.