Why is Everyone Booking Trips to Antarctica?

By Andrea Mansfield

There are two options when thinking of trips to Antarctica. Firstly, you could fly to Antarctica and stay on land, or you could take a cruise or yacht for a variable length of time. Cruising to Antarctica has become the most popular option and has been around since 1966. There is a handful of cruise companies who offer luxury, adventurous and off the beaten track itineraries to suit every travellers needs.

Most travellers decide to cruise on a small ship vessel because of their ability to dock at the Antarctic port. These vessels hold between 6-500 passengers at a time. Larger vessels hold anywhere between 500 and 3,000 passengers making these ships much larger than the small vessel option.

Larger ships do not have the option to land at the Antarctica port and so these larger cruises tend to be of a sightseeing nature. Although the difference is being able to get off the ship versus not, these ships do see the same scenery as they both cruise along the same path, which is through the Antarctic Peninsula Region from either the Ushuaia port or Port Stanley. Visits to South Georgia and the Falkland Islands may also be included in some itineraries. Smaller cruise ships are more popular among those who enjoy excursions and would like to explore the mainland.

Before you book your Antarctica tours you should consider the time of year you would like to travel. Travelling to Antarctica is extremely pricey and so going at the right time is very important. Hardly anyone goes to Antarctica over their winter as the temperature plummets below -50C and there is darkness for nearly 24 hours. The Antarctica summer is the best time to go, however waiting to late in the summer could be a mistake as most of the wildlife goes back to sea at this time.

From November to March is the best time for trips to Antarctica. Each month offers something exciting, as mating season begins in November, hatching and feeding starts in December and January, when it is the austral summer which brings sunlight for nearly 20 hours as well as warmer temperatures. For Whale lovers, February and March are the best months to go as whale watching is best in these late summer months. February and March are also interesting months for penguins as the chick begin to grow their wings and the adults begin to shed their old feathers to make room for new growth.

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