Exploring Antarctica: A Guide for First-Time Visitors

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Antarctica is the coldest, driest, and most remote continent on Earth, covering roughly 14 million square kilometres beneath a permanent ice sheet averaging 2.3 kilometres thick. It has no permanent human population, no cities, and no roads between destinations. Getting there requires commitment, but those who make the journey encounter landscapes and wildlife found nowhere else on the planet.

Getting There: The Drake Passage

Nearly every tourist expedition to Antarctica departs from Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world. From there, ships cross the Drake Passage, roughly 1,000 kilometres of open Southern Ocean separating South America from the Antarctic Peninsula.

The Drake has a reputation. It sits in the Roaring Forties and Furious Fifties, latitude bands where westerly winds circle the globe unobstructed by any landmass. Swells of four to six metres are common; ten-metre swells are not unusual in storms. Expedition ships are purpose-built and stabilised, and most crossings take 48 hours in each direction. Motion-sickness medication is worth packing.

On occasion the Drake behaves more gently, a crossing mariners call the “Drake Lake.” There is no way to predict which version you will encounter. Either way, the passage is part of the experience, and many travellers regard it as the moment the journey becomes real.

An alternative is to fly from Punta Arenas, Chile, directly to King George Island and join a ship there, skipping the Drake entirely. This option reduces total travel time significantly but is more expensive and subject to weather-related cancellations.

Where to Visit

The Antarctic Peninsula is the most accessible part of the continent and hosts the majority of tourist landings. The peninsula extends northward toward South America, keeping temperatures relatively milder than the interior. Its west coast is studded with channels, bays, and islands that provide sheltered anchorages and extraordinary concentration of wildlife.

The Ross Sea lies on the opposite side of the continent and is considerably harder to reach, requiring a longer voyage. It holds McMurdo Station, the largest research facility in Antarctica, as well as the Ross Ice Shelf, the largest floating body of ice on Earth at roughly 487,000 square kilometres – an area approximately the size of France. The Ross Sea is often called the most pristine marine ecosystem remaining on the planet; it was designated a Marine Protected Area in 2016.

Deception Island is a collapsed volcanic caldera on the South Shetland Islands that ships can enter through a narrow gap called Neptune’s Bellows. The caldera contains a natural harbour called Whalers Bay, which holds the ruins of an early twentieth-century whaling station. Geothermal activity warms shallow sections of the beach, and on the right day it is possible to dig a shallow pit in the sand and sit in water that is genuinely warm.

Paradise Bay on the Peninsula is frequently cited by guides and passengers alike as the most visually striking anchorage in Antarctica. Glaciers calve directly into the water, and the bay is often calm enough to reflect the surrounding peaks and ice.

Lemaire Channel, sometimes called the “Kodak Gap,” is a narrow passage flanked by steep cliffs and glaciers. Ships slow to almost nothing to navigate it, and passengers line the decks.

Penguins

No aspect of an Antarctic visit is more talked about than the penguins, and they rarely disappoint. Several species breed on the Peninsula and surrounding islands.

Chinstrap penguins are identified by the thin black band under the chin. They breed in large colonies on rocky hillsides and are notably assertive in defending their nesting territories, showing little concern for human observers.

Gentoo penguins are the fastest swimming penguins and are distinguished by the white patch above each eye. They build nests from pebbles, and males compete for the best stones, occasionally stealing from neighbouring nests. Gentoo colonies are typically calmer and more curious than chinstrap colonies, and individuals will sometimes approach visitors closely.

Adelie penguins breed further south and are only encountered on certain itineraries. They are smaller and more compact than gentoos, with an entirely black head and a white eye ring.

Macaroni penguins, recognisable by their dramatic yellow-orange crest feathers, breed in large numbers on South Georgia, which is included on some extended itineraries.

The IAATO guidelines that govern tourist behaviour require visitors to stay at least five metres from penguins. In practice, penguins frequently ignore this rule entirely and walk directly toward groups of people. When that happens, visitors are expected to move aside and let them pass.

Watching penguins for an extended period reveals a complex social environment. There is persistent noise, ongoing territorial negotiation, regular highway-style commuting to and from the water, and a surprising amount of what can only be described as disagreement among neighbours.

Wildlife Beyond Penguins

Antarctic waters support large populations of seals and whales. Leopard seals, which are among the apex predators of the Southern Ocean, are regularly seen hauled out on ice floes or surfacing near Zodiac boats. They are large – females can reach 3.5 metres – and can appear to track the inflatable boats with sustained interest. Guides are trained to maintain safe distances.

Weddell seals are far more placid and can often be found sleeping on ice near the shore, apparently indifferent to everything. Crabeater seals, despite the name, feed almost entirely on krill.

Humpback and minke whales are frequently encountered, sometimes feeding very close to expedition ships. Orca sightings occur but are less predictable.

Eating and Accommodation

Antarctica has no restaurants or hotels accessible to tourists. All meals are provided aboard the expedition ship. Quality varies between operators, but most modern expedition vessels serve food that would be unremarkable in any decent hotel: soups, grilled proteins, salads, pasta, desserts. Fresh produce diminishes as the voyage progresses and a ship does not resupply.

The ships themselves range from converted research vessels carrying 50 to 100 passengers, to purpose-built expedition ships holding up to 500. IAATO regulations limit the number of passengers ashore at any one landing to 100 at a time, which is why smaller ships are generally preferred by experienced polar travellers. Time on the ice is more generous when fewer people are waiting their turn.

Cabins on expedition ships range from compact twin-share berths near the waterline to larger suites with private balconies. The lower-priced berths are functional and adequate for sleeping; the ship itself is where passengers spend most of their time when not ashore or on Zodiacs.

Activities

Zodiac cruises are the primary means of reaching shore and exploring areas too shallow or ice-choked for the main vessel. Zodiacs carry 10 to 12 passengers and a driver, moving slowly along coastlines, past icebergs, and through sea ice. Being low to the water changes the scale of everything; a tabular iceberg that looks manageable from the ship’s deck becomes enormous at Zodiac height.

Shore landings follow a biosecurity protocol: all clothing and gear that contacts the ground must be cleaned before and after each landing to prevent the introduction of seeds or pathogens to the continent. Brushing and vacuuming kit, and washing boots in disinfectant, becomes a routine part of the day.

Camping is offered on some itineraries as an optional overnight experience. Participants sleep in bivouac bags on the snow with no tent. Temperatures typically drop to around minus 10 Celsius overnight, but with proper gear it is manageable, and the silence and light of an Antarctic night are unlike anything on offer elsewhere.

Kayaking is available on a growing number of expeditions as a paid add-on. Paddling at water level through brash ice in near-silence, with a sleeping leopard seal 30 metres away, is an experience that is difficult to replicate.

Polar plunge involves jumping from the ship’s platform into the Southern Ocean, which sits at around 1 or 2 degrees Celsius. The experience is brief, involuntary in its intensity, and universally described afterwards as worthwhile.

Photography is treated seriously by most Antarctic travellers, and ships typically carry professional photographers who give presentations and accompany landings. The light in Antarctica is unusual: long golden hours in summer (November through January), flat overcast days that eliminate shadows on snow, and occasional dramatic contrasts between dark water and white ice.

Practical Tips

Season: The Antarctic tourist season runs from November to March. Early November brings the most ice but also penguin courtship and egg-laying; December and January offer the best wildlife activity, including penguin chicks and seal pups; February and March bring whale activity and changing light.

Layering: Temperatures on the Peninsula range from around minus 5 to plus 5 Celsius during the season, but wind chill drops the effective temperature considerably. Waterproof outer layers over mid-layers over base layers is the standard approach. Guides will advise in detail before the first landing.

Sun: The Antarctic summer brings extended daylight, sometimes 20 hours or more near the solstice. UV intensity at these latitudes is high, and sunburn is a genuine risk even on overcast days.

Flexibility: Weather governs everything. A planned landing may be cancelled due to wind or sea conditions, and a different location may be substituted. Itineraries are treated as intentions, not schedules.

Gratuities: On expedition ships, tipping guides and crew at the end of the voyage is standard practice. Operators typically provide guidance on amounts.

Antarctica is the most extreme destination most travellers will ever visit, and one of the few places on Earth where the environment is genuinely in charge. That condition – the absence of any illusion of human control over the surroundings – is a large part of why people who go once tend to look for ways to return.