Antarctica Tours & Trips

104 Antarctica trips. Tours from 62 tour companies. 60 reviews. 4.8/5 avg rating.

104 Trips match your criteria (61 - 80 shown)

Cruise Antarctica & Solar Eclipse 2021 - 15 Days
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Small Group Tour
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Moderate
Trip pace
Balanced schedule

Highlights

  • Total solar eclipse - witness the incredible sight of a total solar eclipse on the 4 December 2021 as we position ourselves along the central axis of this incredible spectacle
  • Ocean Victory - spend your days at sea aboard our expedition cruise ship with amenities including a swimming pool, several restaurants, gym facilities and an observation lounge
  • South Georgia - wander the abandoned streets of Grytviken, spot lumbering elephant seals and watch giant colonies of king penguins huddle together
  • South Shetland Islands - discover this remote cluster of islands, home to a variety of wildlife, volcanic warm waters and snow-covered mountains
  • Ushuaia - begin and end your trip in the 'city at the end of the world' and opt to explore the incredible scenery of Tierra del Fuego
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Themes

Cultural, Nature & Wildlife

What travelers are saying

"Over all fantastic Excellent service, great prices, superb tours, brilliant customer service, highly recommended"

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Antarctic Peninsula Fly and Cruise
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Private Guided
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Very Easy
Trip pace
Full schedule

Themes

Nature & Wildlife, National Parks, Small Ship Cruise

What travelers are saying

"Absolutely amazing two week trip to Mexico. Phoebe was very knowledgeable and helped us plan a fabulous itinerary. The hotels she'd recommended were perfect and in excellent locations. Our guides were helpful, friendly and spoke excellent English and when we contacted the Mexico office to squeeze in another excursion, they were responsive and immediately organised everything. All round brilliant customer service and Mexico was the most interesting and beautiful place to visit! Thank you!"

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Antarctic Peninsula cruise
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Private Guided
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Full schedule

Themes

Nature & Wildlife, National Parks, Small Ship Cruise

What travelers are saying

"Absolutely amazing two week trip to Mexico. Phoebe was very knowledgeable and helped us plan a fabulous itinerary. The hotels she'd recommended were perfect and in excellent locations. Our guides were helpful, friendly and spoke excellent English and when we contacted the Mexico office to squeeze in another excursion, they were responsive and immediately organised everything. All round brilliant customer service and Mexico was the most interesting and beautiful place to visit! Thank you!"

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Custom Designed Trip
Lodging level
lodgingLevelName
Physical level
N/A

Highlights

  • Fully customized trip based on preferences
  • Matched with a local specialist
  • From $150 per person per day
Self-Guided / Independent Tour
Beyond Antarctica: South Shetlands, South Georgia & the Falklands
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Small Group Tour
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Moderate

Highlights

  • I like to spend much of the day exploring
  • Whether walking through historic neighborhoods at a moderate pace or out and about on a coach, I prefer to keep my days full
  • Stairs don’t bother me, and I love to keep up with the group

Themes

Nature & Wildlife, Culinary & Wine, Photography, National Parks, Yoga, Meditation & Wellness, Relaxing Retreats, Holy Land

What travelers are saying

"When I signed up for the Wonders of Costa Rica at a slower pace. The hotel listed in the itinerary for day 8&9 was a 4 star hotel on the beach called the Punta Leona. I'm not sure when but Road Scholar changed the Punta Leona hotel for the 3 star Villa Lapis Jungle hotel. I was shocked when we drove up to this dump. Others in the group wanted to leave and find another hotel. I had black bugs under that shower mat and the shower did not drain, Spiders on the wall and roaches coming out of the cracked in the bathroom. The bed was a thin mattress on a board and was hard as a rock. The food they put out was covered with a wrap but 15 minutes after the plastic wrap was removed it was covered with fruit flies. I passed on the open food bowls. The walls were real thin and the neighbors were real noisy until 11:30 pm. Others in the group complained about the late night noise, spiders and toilet seat being broken. I'm not sure where this place gets 3 stars. After I saw the roaches, I give it a 1 star. Road Scholar put us up in beautiful hotels and then they take us here. You can do better than this Road Scholar. The end the story, Road Scholar customer service called me about my concern and said they have never used the Punta Leona, (I sent her my itinerary that said PUNTA LEONA). She also said they haven't had any complaints about this Villa Lapis dump. After her call, I'm not sure if I'll ever travel with Road Scholar again. Enough said...."

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“Land Ho!” Icebergs and Penguins in Otherworldly Antarctica
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Small Group Tour
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Moderate

Highlights

  • I like to spend much of the day exploring
  • Whether walking through historic neighborhoods at a moderate pace or out and about on a coach, I prefer to keep my days full
  • Stairs don’t bother me, and I love to keep up with the group

Themes

Nature & Wildlife, Culinary & Wine, Photography, National Parks, Yoga, Meditation & Wellness, Relaxing Retreats, Holy Land

What travelers are saying

"When I signed up for the Wonders of Costa Rica at a slower pace. The hotel listed in the itinerary for day 8&9 was a 4 star hotel on the beach called the Punta Leona. I'm not sure when but Road Scholar changed the Punta Leona hotel for the 3 star Villa Lapis Jungle hotel. I was shocked when we drove up to this dump. Others in the group wanted to leave and find another hotel. I had black bugs under that shower mat and the shower did not drain, Spiders on the wall and roaches coming out of the cracked in the bathroom. The bed was a thin mattress on a board and was hard as a rock. The food they put out was covered with a wrap but 15 minutes after the plastic wrap was removed it was covered with fruit flies. I passed on the open food bowls. The walls were real thin and the neighbors were real noisy until 11:30 pm. Others in the group complained about the late night noise, spiders and toilet seat being broken. I'm not sure where this place gets 3 stars. After I saw the roaches, I give it a 1 star. Road Scholar put us up in beautiful hotels and then they take us here. You can do better than this Road Scholar. The end the story, Road Scholar customer service called me about my concern and said they have never used the Punta Leona, (I sent her my itinerary that said PUNTA LEONA). She also said they haven't had any complaints about this Villa Lapis dump. After her call, I'm not sure if I'll ever travel with Road Scholar again. Enough said...."

Trip dates & details
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Expedition Antarctica: Fly to and Discover This Icy World
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Small Group Tour
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Wheelchair Accessible
Trip pace
Full schedule

Highlights

  • Make the most of your journey to Antarctica by flying over the Drake Passage instead of four days at sea sailing across it
  • Observe fjords, icebergs and wildlife like whales, seals and penguins from aboard your ice-strengthened vessel and by Zodiac boat
  • Spend three nights at an eco-camp in Chilean Patagonia and discover dramatic mountains, glaciers and lagoons

Themes

50 Plus, Education / Learning

What travelers are saying

"When I signed up for the Wonders of Costa Rica at a slower pace. The hotel listed in the itinerary for day 8&9 was a 4 star hotel on the beach called the Punta Leona. I'm not sure when but Road Scholar changed the Punta Leona hotel for the 3 star Villa Lapis Jungle hotel. I was shocked when we drove up to this dump. Others in the group wanted to leave and find another hotel. I had black bugs under that shower mat and the shower did not drain, Spiders on the wall and roaches coming out of the cracked in the bathroom. The bed was a thin mattress on a board and was hard as a rock. The food they put out was covered with a wrap but 15 minutes after the plastic wrap was removed it was covered with fruit flies. I passed on the open food bowls. The walls were real thin and the neighbors were real noisy until 11:30 pm. Others in the group complained about the late night noise, spiders and toilet seat being broken. I'm not sure where this place gets 3 stars. After I saw the roaches, I give it a 1 star. Road Scholar put us up in beautiful hotels and then they take us here. You can do better than this Road Scholar. The end the story, Road Scholar customer service called me about my concern and said they have never used the Punta Leona, (I sent her my itinerary that said PUNTA LEONA). She also said they haven't had any complaints about this Villa Lapis dump. After her call, I'm not sure if I'll ever travel with Road Scholar again. Enough said...."

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Antarctic Peninsula – Polar Circle, Deep South Discovery and whale watching voyage
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Small Ship Cruise
Lodging level
Premium - 4 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Flexible schedule

Highlights

  • See Wandering Albatrosses, Grey Headed Albatrosses, Black- browed Albatrosses, Light- mantled Albatrosses, Cape Petrels, Southern Fulmars
  • See Humpback whales here as we approach Fish Islands for a Zodiac cruise and possible landing.
  • See more Adélie penguins among the myriads of icebergs large and small.
  • Enjoy even more Humpback whales.

Themes

Nature & Wildlife, Birding, National Parks, Scuba Diving, Small Ship Cruise

What travelers are saying

"Horrible horrible customer service! Or should I say non-existent?! As a world traveller, I have encountered all types of crappy, parroting, cookie-cutter, idiotic answers from customer services over the last decade; however, I have never EVER had a company ghosting customers let alone one whom we have paid tens of thousands of Euros! The pre-booking phase was just fine and smooth, the laid-back attitude of welcoming on the ship without x-ray machines and asking for passports was amazing. But the nice part ended there. The meals, lectures and general service was mediocre at best. The more important thing is the missing of Kvitoya, which was the main point of the cruise for us. Basically the captain did not want to go there, they used the weather as an excuse because the way the expedition leader put it was: “It would be very uncomfortable and we'd be missing a day and a half of activities.” ! So it wasn't that the weather made it impossible, it was a “choice” by the captain. Mind you, it's no longer possible to visit Kvitoya from January 2025 on due to new regulations, so there is no way to make up for this. So it is a huge huge loss for us. Then, comes the worst part. They wrote a logbook with NO MENTION of missing Kvitoya at all! The only place you find Kvitoya in the logbook is in the name of the voyage! Incredible... Then of course comes the even more incredible part: As Kvitoya was the highlight and the main reason why we booked this voyage, we asked for a partial refund. Mind you, the cruise without Kvitoya is much cheaper than what we have paid for. And what did they do?? They basically did not answer at all! After two weeks, I wrote reminding them our request. We were told that we'd be getting an answer, but within 6 weeks. So we waited six weeks, nothing. 7th week, still nothing. In the end, I wrote again and got an apology from the reception desk “for the inconvenience”! Still 5 more days passed and the Arctic Director deigned to answer. It probably would have been better if he hadn't! It was an indignant answer saying how rightful they were, how it took time to “investigate” (as if they're investigating a murder case!), that the trip was overall successful apart from not getting to Kvitoya (Duh! That's the point of the voyage, it's in the name: “Around Spitsbergen and Kvitoya”), apologizing “nevertheless” (implying there was no need for an apology but he was still apologizing!) and offering us a 20 % discount on a future trip stating specifically that it was valid only for “non-discounted” voyages, that is basically trying to sell us yet another trip which would get money in their pockets, not compensating us the least! Not even offering the difference between the voyage without Kvitoya, that is the one we paid for and the one we got. I naturally replied with a refusal of their offer, and legitimately criticized the response. Well... It's been a week now and no answer. So basically, we are ghosted! Never in our lives did such a thing happen that the customer service did not get back to us after 2 months, not even with small companies let alone a company who has charged tens of thousands euros! And being ghosted??! STAY AWAY from Oceanwide! It's easy to be a good company when things go fine. The calibre and quality of a company shows in the proactive way they solve problems and Oceanwide failed miserably on this!"

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Antarctica Cruise Expedition
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Group Tour
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Balanced schedule

Visits

Antarctic Peninsula, Buenos Aires, South Shetland Islands, Ushuaia

Highlights

  • Explore Buenos Aires City Tour
  • Navigate the Beagle Channel
  • Cross the Drake Passage
  • Traverse Cape Horn
  • See the spectacular South Shetland Islands
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Themes

Nature & Wildlife, 50 Plus, National Parks, Small Ship Cruise

What travelers are saying

"Paid $5000 for trip, smarTours closed and has our money. No contact info, website is gone, social media is gone, CEO, Joe Robinson is ghosting everyone."

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Antarctica Reviews & Ratings

4.8/5  Excellent
60  Reviews
See all Antarctica tour reviews
Excellent
45
Great
7
Average
1
Disappointing
1
Terrible
0
A

Anonymous

Jan 2018

Provided byExodus Travels

ANTARCTIC EXPLORER

What can I say?! The most amazing trip, far exceeding the expectations that I had held for a lifetime! Each experience seemed to surpass the last , and I hold...

A

Anonymous

Jan 2018

Provided byExodus Travels

ANTARCTIC EXPLORER

Exodus and Quark had the perfect recipe for the adventure of a lifetime. Helpful and efficient pre-trip planning. The Vavilov, a great vessel for th...

A

Anonymous

Jul 2017

Provided byExodus Travels

ANTARCTIC EXPLORER

Our trip to the Antarctic Peninsula was simply 'mind-blowing' Any description of Antarctica is always full of 'expletives'. Quite honestly where do you start? ...

A

Anonymous

Jul 2017

Provided byExodus Travels

ANTARCTIC EXPLORER

Wonderful trip.  Well worth the effort despite some stressful moments in the beginning.  Antarctica is a very special place.  Cannot be compared to ...

A

Anonymous

Jul 2017

Provided byExodus Travels

ANTARCTIC EXPLORER

WE had a wonderful experience in the Antarctic and also spending a few days in Ushuaia before our departure on the Clipper Adventurer.    ...

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Antarctica Tour Selection Trips

  • The shortest (and most popular) sea crossing to Antarctica goes from Ushaia, Argentina, to the Antarctic Peninsula, via the often (but not always) tumultuous Drake’s Passage.
  • The Drake’s Passage crossing may take from 24 to 48 hours, and seasickness is common -- though waters in Antarctica itself are generally calm.
  • Some Antarctica tours leave from AustraliaNew Zealand or South Africa and visit the Ross Sea area, on the other side of the continent from the Antarctic Peninsula.
  • While most Antarctica tours go by ship, you can also fly in and/or out via the South Shetland Islands to shorten your trip and/or avoid Drake’s Passage.
  • Antarctica tours can be as short as a few days or as long as three weeks or more. Figure at least 10 to 12 days to complete a typical tour by ship.
  • Some Antarctica tours – primarily those that fly into the interior -- offer adventurous options such as camping, skiing, mountaineering, and trekking.
  • Other adventurous options include visits to emperor penguin colonies and the geographic South Pole. Kayaking and SCUBA diving may be available along the coasts.
  • While any trip to Antarctica is an adventurous trip, you don’t have to rough it. Some ships come with five-star amenities, while some land-tour operators offer luxury tent camping.
  • Cruise ships that carry more than 500 passengers are not allowed to make landings, so to set foot on Antarctica itself, you need to take a smaller vessel.
  • Generally speaking, the smaller your ship’s passenger load, the less time you’ll have to wait to go ashore, because ships are limited to landing 100 passengers at a time.
  • Some tours offer visits to the scientific research stations that are run by a number of different countries, including the United StatesGreat Britain, and Canada.
  • There are no “cheap” trips to Antarctica, but look for value such as included airfare, helicopter flights into the interior, and gratuities for the crew.
  • Prices vary considerably by length of trip, cabin, ship amenities, month of travel and other factors.

Additional details

Traveling to Antarctica is nothing like anything you will have experienced before, and is not for every traveler. The journey can be long, cold, and there are some restrictions that you will have to take into account. However, if you are brave enough to travel to the White Continent, it will make for an amazing dinner conversation. 

What to Expect from an Antarctica Tour

An Antarctica tour will largely be like a lot of other cruise trips. You’ll be on the ship making stops in harbors and exploring. Where Antarctica is vastly different than other cruises is that you’ll be docked longer in some places as there aren’t many harbors and you’ll be on small cruise ships, not large ones. 

You can expect to be in port on the continent of Antarctica for many days trips offered such kayaking, hiking, penguin watching, or Zodiac tours. You are able to get close to the wildlife on the island and kayaking right next to whales. 

You won’t be visiting any major cities on an Antarctica cruise. The only major city you’ll be in is Ushuaia, and that city isn’t large compared to most. Most inhabitants of Antarctica and surrounding islands are penguins and seagulls.

There are some smaller research stations and tourist towns, but the human population you will be interacting with will predominantly be your fellow travelers. Most of the ships are capped at around 100 people. 

Some activities unique to Antarctica tours are polar plunges into the polar waters, whale watching from the deck with the captain, and hear lectures from onboard scientists explaining about the beautiful and different world that is Antarctica.


Packing List for Antarctica

When researching which tour company you will be going with, double-check to see if they provide weather-proofed clothing. There are some cruises that provide waterproof boots, jackets, and pants for free (others you can rent). If you want to save some room in your suitcase, this may be something to consider when packing and planning your trip. 

Layers, layers, layers. The most important word to remember when starting your packing list for Antarctica. Layers mean taking along multiple fleeces, jackets, thermal clothing, and socks. If you weren’t aware, Antarctica gets cold, very cold. On the ship, you won’t need as many layers, but when you are on a Zodiac cruise or kayaking around Paradise Bay, these will come in handy. 

Hats, jackets, and scarves will also be very helpful. Comfortable clothes you can easily move around in will make your trip more comfortable. You don’t have to overpack as you will have multiple layers, but bringing some of these key items is essential. 

A note on electronics. Many of the activities on Antarctica cruises are in and around water. Make sure to pack a dry bag to keep your cameras and phones dry and safe from the cold. 

To Fly or Not to Fly the Drake? 

This will largely depend on how long your trip is and whether you want to see the Drake up close.

The Drake Passage is the stretch of water between South America and the Antarctica Islands. It is a vast body of water teeming with sea life and also one of the roughest waters in the world. This is why the Drake can be considered a double-edged sword for travelers, no matter how adventurous you feel. 

Flying the Drake offers you the chance to reach Antarctica in a few short hours and avoid the tumultuous waters of the Drake. You’ll be able to see the water and Antarctica from above before meeting a small cruise ship in Antarctica. However, when flying you won’t be able to see the whales or penguins swimming just off the side of your boat when you are in the air. Antarctica cruises that are shorter in duration often fly the Drake to save time. 

Sailing the Drake does take longer and can be rougher than flying. However, on the Drake, you get to experience the waters that Sir Francis Drake sailed in the 1600s and really feel what these waters are truly like, along with amazing sites off of the bow. Longer Antarctica tours typically include sailing the Drake.

The Drake Passage is infamous for rough waters, so if you are even slighly worried about getting seasick, the safest recommendation is to fly. 

Always Find the Best

On Travelstride you can find 104 trips to Antarctica and more than 20,000 trips worldwide ranging from budget to luxury and private guided to group tours and everything in between. Only on Stride can you find and compare expert-planned trips from 1,000+ tour operators, cruise lines and local experts. Read traveler and professional reviews so you can confidently find your perfect trip.

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