<\/p>\n The most common way to travel to Antarctica is by cruise ship from South America<\/strong>, usually Ushuaia (Argentina) or Punta Arenas (Chile). Departing from Ushuaia is by far the most popular route to take when going to Antarctica, as this port city is located closer to Antarctica than Punta Arenas, hence less time is spent traveling to Antarctica and more time is spent on the continent itself. In most cases, these trips (ranging from 9 to 25 days) are offered by smaller companies specialized in expedition cruising, such as Lindblad Expeditions<\/a>,\u00a0G Adventures<\/a>, Hurtigruten Expeditions<\/a>, Oceanwide Expeditions<\/a> and\u00a0Intrepid Travel<\/a>. Over the past years though, several more-traditional cruise line – including Silversea Cruises<\/a>,\u00a0Viking<\/a>\u00a0and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises<\/a> – have entered the Antarctica travel market with expedition ships specifically built for travel to the polar regions. It\u2019s important to realize that with a cruise ship, your visit is ‘limited’ to the shore of the Antarctica Peninsula, where you\u2019ll see icebergs, glaciers and wildlife.<\/p>\n The biggest disadvantage (or advantage for some) of traveling by ship from South America to Antarctica is that the Drake Passage needs to be crossed, an oceanic journey which takes about 2 days (one way) for the average cruise ship. It means that at least four full days will be spent on open sea when traveling by cruise to & from Antarctica. On top of that, the Drake Passage is often hit by violent storms, earning the waterway its reputation as one of Earth’s roughest seas (with waves that can be up to 18 m or 60 ft tall). It is possible though to avoid the sailing across the notoriously choppy Drake Passage by choosing a flight-cruise package<\/strong>. First, you\u2019ll fly from Punta Arenas in Chile to Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva base on King George Island in the South Shetland (flight time is only two hours as opposed to two days of sailing). The airport has a gravel runway that is just long enough to handle smaller jets. Next, you\u2019ll be transferred by a Zodiac boat to an awaiting expedition ship for a cruise along the western Antarctica peninsula, where waters are calmer and where you\u2019ll see the same wildlife and landscapes as you would with a longer cruise. At the end of the exploration, a plane will fly back to Punta Arenas.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also possible to travel to Antarctica by boat from Australia or New Zealand<\/strong>, which involves an eastern approach via the Ross Sea. However, there are fewer vessels departing from Australia or New Zealand as compared to South America, and thus less choice with regard to dates and itineraries. Also, because it takes longer to reach the peninsula from the east than it does from the west (sailing to Antarctica and back takes around 12 days), the entire trip takes about a month and tends to be more pricey. The journey between Oceania and Antarctica is more of a true expedition than a the traditional type of a cruise, and you will probably not see any other ships and you almost certainly won’t see any people apart from those on your ship and the scientists in research stations. The polar experience is staggering though as you\u2019ll see huge icebergs, Mount Erebus (an active volcano), the Ross Shelf, emperor penguins, scientific bases and the sites of historic 20th century Antarctic expeditions.<\/p>\n Most people visit the Great White continent on a cruise ship, hereby exploring the shoreline of the Antarctic Peninsula, which stretches toward South America. However, the company White Desert<\/a> takes a totally different approach and takes it guests by private plane to the majestic interior of Antarctica, home of spectacular mountains and the magnetic South Pole. These flights are operated in privately chartered jets<\/strong> – either a Gulfstream G550 or an Airbus A340 – with White Desert\u2019s staff members accompanying the guests all the way from Cape Town, South Africa to Wolf\u2019s Fang blue ice runway, a journey which takes around 5 hours. Guest can book the flight as a day trip (with three hours on the ground in Antarctica) or opt to stay at one of White Desert\u2019s luxury camps in Antarctica (more on that below). Visiting Antarctica\u2019s inland is an incredible privilege experienced by only a few hundred travelers per year as compared to the 120,000 visitors who explore Antarctica by cruise. Read here<\/a> my review of my flight with White Desert to Antarctica.<\/p>\n![\"antarctica](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/turkeyalwan.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/antarctica-travel-guide-1.jpg?resize=678%2C381&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/p>\n
\nHOW TO GET TO ANTARCTICA<\/strong><\/h5>\n
![\"antarctica](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/turkeyalwan.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/antarctica-cruise.jpg?resize=678%2C382&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/p>\n