The best way to get to Antarctica: The professionals and cons of flying vs. cruising

Planning a visit to Antarctica? The very first thing it is advisable to do is resolve on the way you need to get there.

The overwhelming majority of people that journey to the White Continent attain it on a cruise vessel that departs from South America. Such journeys usually begin with a two-day crossing of the notoriously tough Drake Passage — the waterway between South America and Antarctica — adopted by 5 or extra days of exploring the coast of the continent after which a return journey throughout the Drake.

However there is a second, much less widespread strategy to go.

A handful of tour corporations function so-called “fly-cruise” journeys to Antarctica that use hardy airplanes to fly vacationers on to the continent — no crusing throughout the Drake required.

On such journeys, vacationers nonetheless discover the coast of Antarctica by cruise vessel. However they do not board the vessel that may take them exploring till after they land on the continent.

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As I noticed throughout a check of one of many fly-cruise journeys just a few years in the past, it is a very completely different expertise from the standard sail-across-the-Drake journey to Antarctica (which I’ve executed fairly just a few occasions on a spread of vessels — yeah, I am slightly obsessive about Antarctica).

So, which is the higher strategy to go?

The brief reply: There is no such thing as a brief reply. There are execs and cons to each, and the kind of Antarctica journey that’s best for you will not be the identical as the kind of Antarctica journey that’s proper to your neighbor. It should rely upon a number of elements, together with your tolerance for tough seas, the time it’s important to journey and your finances.

Right here, a have a look at a number of the benefits and downsides of the 2 main methods to get to Antarctica.

The all-cruise possibility

As famous above, most vacationers to Antarctica attain the continent on a cruise vessel departing from South America — normally from Ushuaia, Argentina, or Punta Arenas, Chile, each positioned on the very southern tip of South America. A number of cruise vessels additionally sail to Antarctica from Australia and New Zealand, although that is much less widespread.

Generally, such vessels are expedition cruise ships — small, hardy vessels with their very own touchdown craft particularly designed to journey to distant, hard-to-reach locations.

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The voyages are normally operated by small corporations particularly identified for expedition cruising, together with Lindblad Expeditions, HX Expeditions, Quark Expeditions and Oceanwide Expeditions. However fairly just a few more-traditional cruise traces — together with Silversea Cruises, Viking and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises — additionally function expedition ships particularly constructed for journey to Antarctica and different polar areas.

Benefits of an all-cruise journey

The largest benefit of an all-cruise journey to Antarctica can also be, for some, its largest drawback (extra on this in a second): It will get you into the Drake Passage.

As talked about above, the Drake is notoriously uneven. Certainly, it is often called one of many roughest waterways on this planet. It is not unusual to come across waves of 10 or 15 ft throughout a Drake crossing — and, as I’ve skilled myself, the waves will be a lot greater.

That will sound like nothing however an obstacle. However to many vacationers — together with me — crossing to Antarctica in such seas is an integral a part of the expertise of a visit there. It is a part of understanding the exceptional historical past of Antarctic exploration, providing a style of what nice Antarctic explorers comparable to Ernest Shackleton and Roald Amundsen endured of their epic journeys to the continent a century in the past. It is also a part of understanding the true remoteness of Antarctica, because the journey covers such an enormous stretch of ocean.

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Hen-loving vacationers who cross the Drake Passage by ship have the chance to see such exceptional hen species as the large albatross, which you usually will not discover in Antarctica.

As well as, the 2 days of crossing the Drake Passage at first of an all-cruise Antarctica journey give your information an opportunity to organize you for what you are about to see. Usually, specialists in such subjects as Antarctica wildlife, geology and historical past will maintain introductory lectures through the crossing that will help you put issues in context upon arrival.

If nothing else, the 2 days present a much-needed interval of transition for vacationers who’ve simply left the frantic, crowded, fashionable world and shortly will likely be thrust right into a land of utter vacancy and surprise.

For some, braving a probably tough journey throughout the Drake Passage can also be a ceremony of passage. In case you’ve gotten to Antarctica by ship throughout the Drake Passage, you have earned it.

Disadvantages of an all-cruise journey

As famous above, the most important drawback of an all-cruise journey to Antarctica is the exact same factor that some see as its largest benefit: It will get you into the Drake — not simply as soon as, however twice.

Some folks, together with me, love cruising in large waves. It may be thrilling to expertise the facility of the ocean in all its pressure. However even these of us who love large waves have our limits. For somebody who’s liable to seasickness even in comparatively calm seas, a transit via the Drake Passage could be a downright depressing expertise.

Notice that opposite to what it’s possible you’ll hear, the Drake Passage is not all the time fraught. Whereas waves as much as 25 and even 35 ft excessive at occasions aren’t unusual (one thing often called the Drake Shake), it will also be nearly completely calm, a phenomenon often called the Drake Lake.

I skilled these calm situations myself throughout an outbound crossing to Antarctica on a Lindblad Expeditions journey in 2022. On the best way again, in distinction, we hit practically 20-foot-high seas.

The ‘fly-cruise’ possibility

Fly-cruise excursions to Antarctica usually begin with a two-hour flight from Punta Arenas, Chile, to a Chilean analysis base on Antarctica’s King George Island, thus skipping a ship crossing of the Drake Passage. Base Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva, because it’s identified, has a gravel runway simply lengthy sufficient to deal with some comparatively small, hardy jets.

After touchdown at King George Island, passengers on fly-cruise journeys stroll to a close-by bay for a Zodiac boat switch to an awaiting expedition cruise vessel. From there, they’re shortly off on a five- or six-night exploration of the close by Antarctic Peninsula and its environs.

On the finish of the exploration, they fly again to Punta Arenas from the identical base on King George Island at which they arrived.

The variety of tour corporations providing such journeys is far more restricted (although it consists of Silversea Cruises, Lindblad Expeditions, Antarctica 21 and Quark Expeditions). About 90% of vacationers to Antarctica nonetheless arrive by ship.

Benefits of a fly-cruise journey

There are two large benefits to a fly-cruise journey to Antarctica. First, you get to skip the Drake Passage, which, as famous above, could be a very large deal for these liable to seasickness. For people who find themselves significantly delicate to movement, flying there actually is the one viable possibility for a visit to Antarctica, until you need to threat being depressing for as much as 4 days (you will should cross the Drake twice on an all-cruise journey).

For the report, these post-flight sailings do not fully take away the opportunity of experiencing tough seas. After leaving King George Island, expedition ships should cross the 60-mile-wide Bransfield Strait — one other notoriously uneven physique of water — to achieve the Antarctic Peninsula. That is one thing I noticed firsthand on the primary evening of my fly-cruise journey with Silversea in 2022; we hit waves round 10 ft excessive within the strait, leaving many passengers feeling queasy or worse.

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However the excellent news is that the Bransfield Strait crossing is comparatively fast. We entered it within the night and have been via it by the point we wakened the subsequent day. As soon as on the Antarctic Peninsula, the seas are comparatively calm.

The second large benefit of fly-cruise journeys to Antarctica is that they’re shorter than what’s typical for an Antarctica journey — one thing that ought to enchantment to would-be Antarctica guests who’re restricted within the variety of days they will get away from work.

Antarctica journeys that embrace ship crossings of the Drake Passage normally are no less than 10 nights in size, not together with the time it takes to get to and from the southern tip of South America. By reducing out the times crossing the Drake Passage, fly-cruise tour operators are in a position to provide an equal period of time exploring Antarctica on a visit lasting simply eight nights, together with two nights in a Punta Arenas lodge — one earlier than the flight to Antarctica and one afterward.

Disadvantages of a fly-cruise journey

The massive knock on fly-cruise sailings to Antarctica is the chance that poor climate on the touchdown web site at King George Island can delay flights to and from the island. Landings on the tough airstrip on the Chilean base require pilots to have a visible sighting of the runway.

Some corporations, comparable to Silversea, take this under consideration when planning itineraries. To permit for delays brought on by shifting climate, Silversea has constructed a large “climate window” for the constitution flights to and from Antarctica into its schedule. Silversea’s journeys presently start and finish with an evening at a lodge in Punta Arenas, with downtime there constructed into the itinerary to create wiggle room for flight timing.

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If the climate is true, the flights to Antarctica will happen the morning after passengers arrive in Punta Arenas. However they will additionally shift earlier or later if the climate is not cooperating. The flights again to Punta Arenas from King George Island will be equally adjusted.

As well as, Silversea books additional nights on the lodge it makes use of in Punta Arenas at its personal expense, simply in case flights are considerably delayed and passengers should spend an additional evening in Punta Arenas on the best way in or out — although such occurrences are uncommon.

I noticed this weather-window technique in motion myself throughout my fly-cruise journey to Antarctica in 2022. The day earlier than we have been purported to fly again from King George Island, a big storm entrance moved into the world with low-lying clouds and fierce winds. The storm not solely made it troublesome for the constitution planes that have been purported to take us again to Chile to land on the island, but in addition made it troublesome to function the Zodiac boats that will shuttle us from the ship to shore.

As per the plan, we arrived again on the bay early and waited for a break within the climate that will permit our flights house to happen. Such a window lastly appeared within the late night of the final day of the journey. We took off for Chile at round 11 p.m. — about 9 hours later than we’d have if the climate had been supreme.

One other attainable draw back to fly-cruise journeys to Antarctica is that they’re usually costlier on a per-day foundation than all-cruise journeys.

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At Silversea, which gives each varieties of Antarctica journeys, fly-cruise itineraries begin at $14,880 per individual for six nights on a vessel — practically $2,500 per evening of crusing.

Fares for Silversea’s conventional Antarctica sailings that contain a crossing of the Drake Passage begin at $14,760 per individual for 10 nights on a vessel, about 40% much less on a per-night-of-sailing foundation.

Notice that for Silversea’s fly-cruise possibility, the fares embrace the constitution flights between South America and Antarctica, in addition to the pre- and post-flight in a single day lodge stays in Punta Arenas.

Beginning subsequent season, Silversea plans to shift the in a single day lodge stays portion of this system from Punta Arenas to Puerto Williams, Chile, the place it’s constructing its personal lodge — The Cormorant at 55 South — particularly for this function.

Backside line

There isn’t any proper reply to the query of the right way to get to Antarctica, whether or not by ship or airplane. I do know which manner I lean. I want to go by ship, as I relish the expertise of following within the footsteps of the good explorers in crossing the generally tough Drake Passage. However different vacationers may discover the fly-cruise possibility a more sensible choice, whether or not as a result of they’re liable to seasickness even in average seas or simply cannot take all that many days off for journey.