ESSENTIALS

Getting there & around

The main departure points for Antarctic cruises are Ushuaia in Argentina and Punta Arenas in Chile. British Airways flies from Heathrow to Buenos Aires and Santiago, where you can connect to Ushuaia with Aerolíneas Argentinas, or Punta Arenas with LATAM Airlines. ba.com aerolineas.com.ar latam.com Average flight time: 16h to Buenos Aires and 3h35m onward to Ushuaia.

Antarctic expedition ships usually take two days to cruise the Beagle Channel and Drake Passage and spend four or five days around the South Shetlands and Antarctic Peninsula before their two-day return leg. Longer itineraries, including South Georgia and the

Falkland Islands, last two to three weeks. The nearest commercial airstrip to the Antarctic Peninsula is on King George Island in the South Shetlands. It’s served by DAP Airlines charter flights from Punta Arenas, as part of cruise packages designed to skip the Drake Passage. dapairline.com

When to go

Antarctic expedition cruises operate between November and March. In high season (December and January), daytime temperatures around the Antarctic Peninsula average a relatively mild 1.5C, the days are long and penguins can be seen tending their chicks. In later months, the penguins begin disappearing out to sea, but as a consolation, whale sightings increase. South Georgia is colder, with temperatures rarely rising above zero and dipping to -3C by March.

More info

IAATO. iaato.org

Lonely Planet Antarctica. RRP: £18.99 Antarctic Wildlife, by James Lowen (WILDGuides). RRP: £17.99

How to do it

CHIMU ADVENTURES offers a choice of expedition cruises in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, including a 21-day tour of the Antarctic Peninsula, South Georgia and Falkland Islands from Ushuaia, Argentina, from £11,660 per person, excluding flights. chimuadventures.com