Antarctica is one of the last frontiers of travel and it is slowly but surely opening up to tourism. Reaching this vast frozen continent is not easy or cheap, but it is possible. So, despite the extreme year-round weather conditions and lack of travel infrastructure, you can fly to Antarctica, but only at certain times of the year. Flights to Antarctica are typically only available during the Austral Summer between December and February.
Our guide below will look at the options for flying to Antarctica. We’ll also look at the other options for getting there, including travel by boat. So read on to find out everything you need to know about flying to Antarctica.
Antarctica is located in the southernmost region of the Earth. It is a continent surrounded by the Southern Ocean and is situated at the geographic South Pole. Almost all visitors to Antarctica travel there from South America, given its proximity. Most visitors visit King George Island, which lies just north of the mainland. Separated from South America by the Drake Passage, it is the most developed and accessible part of Antarctica.
Almost all flights to Antarctica depart from Punta Arenas in Chile. Given the short flying season and limited infrastructure in Antarctica, there are no scheduled flights. Therefore the only way to fly is by taking a charter flight, which will need to be booked as part of a tour or package.
Charter flights are commonplace during the flying season between December and February. This period is the Southern Hemisphere Austral Summer when temperatures are mildest and the weather is at its most predictable. This provides a strong degree of certainty that your flight will depart and arrive on time.
Flights from Punta Arenas in Chile to King George Island in Antarctica typically take 2 hours. If you’re undertaking a more ambitious trip to the South Pole, then expect the flight to take 10 hours. Such flights are rare and incredibly expensive so you’ll need to make plans and arrangements significantly in advance.
There are several reputable tour providers to Antarctica, including Quark Expeditions and Swoop Antarctica. Both tour providers offer a range of different trips to Antarctica. These range in duration from 1 day to 10 days. Tour packages with these providers are not cheap and typically cost $10,000 per person for flight-based tours. Boat-based tours are significantly cheaper and are often half the price. However, boat travel necessitates several days at sea in each direction rather than just 2 hours on a plane.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to fly to Antarctica independently. The tour companies arrange and manage all the charter flights, and will only allow you to fly as part of a tour package.
Almost 90% of the people who visit Antarctica get there by boat. The 1,000 km journey takes around 48 hours to complete and departs from the southern Argentinian port city of Ushuaia. The route takes you through the inhospitable Drake Passage before you land on King George Island in the Antarctica Peninsula. Rough seas are commonplace so make sure you bring some motion sickness tablets. The final destination of King George Island is the same as for flight-based tours unless you’re flying to the South Pole.
There are several advantages to choosing to sail rather than to fly. Firstly, the season for sailing is significantly longer, spanning the period from October through March. Secondly, sailing is considerably cheaper, with tours often half the price of a flight-based tour. Sailing tours start at $5,000, half the price of a flight-based tour. Both Quark Expeditions and Swoop Antarctica offer sailing-based tours.
Sailing to Antarctica from either Australia or New Zealand is also possible. However, departures from these destinations are rare, and the trip is considerably longer because of the far greater distances that need to be traveled. We don’t have any up-to-date information on such trips, but the Cool Antarctica website is a useful resource if you’re considering it.
A final alternative way of seeing Antarctica is via a scenic flight. These flights depart from southern and eastern Australian cities during the Southern Hemisphere Austral Summer. The total length of these trips is anywhere up to 12 hours and the flight covers some 10,000 km. You’ll typically spend between 3 and 4 hours flying over Antarctica, with the rest of the time spent over the Southern Ocean. Flying aboard a 787 Dreamliner is a very comfortable way of seeing this fascinating continent. Unfortunately the plane doesn’t land in Antarctica, so you won’t be able to step onto the continent.
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