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Air-Cruise Antarctica

TAILOR-MADE

Duration

8 Days

Prices Start from

£7,900 (ex. flights)

Travel to the Antarctic Peninsula in style, cutting out the conventional two-day ship sailing across the erratic waters of the Drake Passage and opting instead for a two-hour flight from Chilean Patagonia.

On arrival in the South Shetland Islands, board an ice-strengthened expedition vessel for an in-depth exploration of the Antarctic Peninsula. Ideally suited to those short on time, anxious about four days of sailing crossing the Drake Passage, or keen to arrive on the Great White Continent in style.

Key Highlights of this Itinerary

Private Charter Flight

Take a private charter flight from Chile, arriving in Antarctica in less then three hours.

Skip the Drake Shake

Avoid two days of sailing across the unpredictable Drake Passage.

Ice Sheet from Above

Take in the magnificent scenery of the Drake and the South Shetland Islands from above.

Magellan Explorer, Exterior View, Antarctica

Expeditionary Vessels

When in Antarctica, travel on-board an ice-strengthened vessel that will become your base camp.

On a most of our voyages you can get hands on with the citizen science projects to give whole new perspective on your travels. Gathering critical on-site data on a regular basis is a virtually impossible task for individuals and groups wanting to study the region so taking advantage of the vessels that regularly pass through the same region through their season data can be collected on a regular basis. This may be anything from counting penguins and taking ocean samples to cloud mapping or taking photo identification images for the whale data bank.

Explore our suggested itinerary

Map View List View

Day 1
Punta Arenas
Day 2
Punta Arenas - King George Island
Days 3-6
Sailing the Antarctic Peninsula
Day 7
King George Island - Punta Arenas
Depart Antarctica with a flight north to Chile.
Day 8
Punta Arenas
Depart Punta Arenas or maybe extend your stay in Patagonia

Day 1

Punta Arenas

Arrive in Punta Arenas in time for the evening pre flight briefing.

Day 2

Punta Arenas - King George Island

Fly into the Chilean air base at Frei on King George Island in the South Shetland Islands and embarking the ship ready to explore straight away.

Days 3-6

Sailing the Antarctic Peninsula

Adelie Penguins on an Iceberg, Antarctica

Explore the South Shetland Islands before crossing the Bransfield Straight to the Antarctic Peninsula allowing you to set foot on the seventh continent. Visit penguin colonies, explore research stations and maybe post a letter from Port Lockroy.

Day 7

King George Island - Punta Arenas

Day 8

Punta Arenas

Our travel experts can tailor this itinerary to suit you.

Speak to our experts

Charter flight to Antarctica

Soar Over the Drake Passage

Board a privately chartered plane in Chilean Patagonia for a scenic two and a half-hour flight over the infamous Drake Passage, spotting cruising vessels beneath you as you go. The sight of the vast continent of pristine white wilderness unfurling below is quite a breathtaking one. In circumventing the potentially stormy stretch of water (its unpredictability often expressed as “the Drake Lake or the Drake Shake”), the air-cruise option wards off potential sea sickness and exchanges two sea days for time on the Peninsula.

King George Island

Wait Not, Want Not

Upon landing at King George Island, board a small expeditionary vessel and begin cruising the Antarctic Peninsula in an exclusive group of no more than 73 people. Restrictions on the number of passengers allowed at any one site mean that those travelling on larger ships may have long waits before excursions. In choosing this smaller ship option, bypass taking turns to disembark in favour of spending valuable time exploring the epic proportions, towering icebergs and huge variety of wildlife on offer in the peninsula.

Step Foot on the White Continent

Adventure in Antarctica

Depending on the specific departure, you might find yourself taking a dip in the hot geothermal springs of Pendulum Cove, walking inside the ruins of a Norwegian Whaling Station or bimbling amongst chinstrap penguins on Half Moon Island. With each day comes another unique disembarkation, from zodiac safaris to wildlife hikes, ensuring snow-covered boots and hefty appetites at days’ end. We can also arrange small group sea kayaking for those who might like to try and spot a breaching whale up close, and snowshoeing for those seeking an adventure on foot.

Wildlife of Antarctica

Discover Endemic Species

From gentoos and humpbacks to king cormorants and minke, the wildlife in Antarctica is varied, plentiful and up close. Thriving in this enchanting territory that contains more than 90% of the planet’s land ice, find macaroni penguins, crabeater seals and the occasional wandering albatross (and compositions that make for a photographers’ dream). On-board expert polar guides are always on hand to identify the species that are present in abundant numbers, and engaging on-board lectures are designed to impart their knowledge of the creatures of Antarctica.

See more of the World

Extend to Torres del Paine

In shaving a total of four whole days off of your journey time to and from Antarctica, more days are freed to explore the south of Chile! We recommend a journey to Patagonia, particularly Torres del Paine National Park, to experience this iconic landscape and perhaps hike to the base of its three granite towers. For a wildlife-centric trip, consider joining a puma-tracking adventure.

Start planning your trip

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Both telephone and e-mail responses were excellent and all of Sue's expert advice was very much appreciated. She was prompt, supportive and engaging throughout and our expedition to Antarctica was spectacular.