Why Antarctica?
It was never really on my “bucket list”. I didn’t think it was possible for an average Jane like me to go there, let alone secure an affordable trip to Antarctica. It was January of 2019 and I was already half way into my sabbatical.
One late night, something evoked me to google it. To my surprise, I was pummeled with blogs after blogs of Antarctic chronicles written by adventure-seekers like me. It was a revelation: it is indeed possible for an average Jane to reach the White Continent… but it won’t be cheap.
Here, I’ll take you through the steps I took to secure an affordable trip to Antarctica.
Starting Point
There are ways to reach Antarctica by plane from Chile (Punta Arenas) or South Africa. But the most popular and cost efficient is via an expedition cruise to the Antarctic Peninsula from Ushuaia, Argentina.
Oh, and you’ll want to plan to stay a few extra days at the beginning or at the end of your trip in Ushuaia. As the southernmost city in the world, Ushuaia has a quaint, ski-resort town charm that I absolutely love. It’s worth a separate blog post of its own (check it out here).
Early Bird or Last-Minute
There are two common ways to secure an affordable trip to Antarctica. Option #1 works best if you’re a hyper-planner and you know exactly where you’re going to be a year in advance. You can find Early Bird Specials as early as 1-2 years before a scheduled departure. And the good news is, you don’t even have to pay for the entire cost of the trip upfront. However, there is a deadline date a few months before departure where you will need to pay 100% of the ticket otherwise you risk forfeiting your spot.
In the event Early Birds forfeit their tickets (which happens often as you can imagine), they then become open slots for “Last-Minute Deals”. This is Option #2. If you are flexible and can get to Ushuaia on a whim, you might be able to secure one of those “Last-Minute” tickets. And the more last-minute, the cheaper. Tickets sold the day before a cruise’s scheduled departure is usually the cheapest.
I’ve read about many last-minute deal hopefuls flying to Ushuaia without a confirmed itinerary. They would then visit travel agency boutiques in Ushuaia, in person, for available special deals. And usually if you have 3-5 days to shop around, you’ll land a very good deal. The length of the trip can vary but most of the trips that actually reach the Antarctic Peninsula is a minimum of 10 days. So it is a serious time commitment if you plan to shop around in person.
I decided to shop around online. I googled incessantly and found around 6-8 travel agencies that offered a range of itineraries with departure dates in February to early March 2019.
Locking it down
Most of the standard fares at that time were upwards of $10,000 USD for one bed in a shared cabin for two. I signed up for all of the travel agency mailing lists and followed their Facebook pages in the event they have a flash sale. And this does happen frequently. A flash sale is when they send a discounted offer to their mailing list. These are usually sold out in a matter of minutes so I made sure all of my notifications were set to on.
Two weeks have passed and it was now the first week of February and I finally received the email I’ve been waiting for; a flash sale departing in approximately one week for a 10-day trip to the Antarctic Peninsula for $6,000 USD. This was a great deal and a bonus: I was still comfortably at home at this time.
I met two guys on the trip who secured $5,000 USD tickets booked the day before departure. They arrived in Ushuaia a week prior and visited multiple travel agencies in person. You would be hard-pressed to find a more affordable trip to Antarctica than $5,000 USD. This is the lowest it’ll go from what I’ve gathered from fellow travelers.
Shopping in person is definitely the best way to lock down the cheapest ticket to Antarctica, but I preferred having the peace of mind knowing that I’m traveling to Ushuaia with a confirmed trip.
What’s included?
- one twin bed in a shared ensuite cabin for two
- daily housekeeping and turndown service
- all buffet meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
- morning and afternoon snacks
- expedition gear (boots and life vest) to use during landings
- educational lectures by the expedition leaders and scientists
- all port and landing fees
- pre-departure orientation
- optional: polar plunge
The Devil is in the Details
There are many itineraries with varying durations and ship sizes. Don’t be fooled, read them carefully. Some trips may have the word “Antarctica” in the title but may not actually reach the peninsula. It takes no less than 10 days roundtrip to reach the mainland of the continent. Any less than that and you may only be reaching the South Shetland Islands.
Ships also vary in sizes. According to IAATO (the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators) no more than 100 people are allowed on the continent from a vessel at any given time. If you’re on a 100-200 passenger vessel, everyone on the ship will have a chance to make a landing. For 200-passenger vessels, half will be cruising on zodiacs while the other half are on land and vice versa. Any more than that and you’re likely not allowed to land ashore.
Best Time to Go
Most of the initial offers I received were between $6-8,000 USD but with a departure date in March. Antarctica only has 2 seasons, Summer (November-February) and Winter (March-October). The ice that accumulates in the Winter months usually starts to melt in late October-early November and cruise ships can finally reach the peninsula. This marks the beginning of “expedition season”.
There are pros and cons to visiting Antarctica in the shoulder seasons. As you know, it’s not a zoo so wildlife sighting isn’t guaranteed.
If you visit in the beginning of the season, you will have the opportunity to marvel in the largest icebergs and freshest powder of untouched snow. But you also run the risk that not all of the ice has melted and you may not be able to make some landings.
If you visit too late in the season, you’ll find a lot of the penguins have started molting and therefore vulnerable and not approachable or that the colonies are slowly disbanding.
I visited in late February and had the best weather. I witnessed all expected wildlife from Gentoo Penguins, Chinstrap Penguins, to Fur Seals, Leopard Seals, Minke Whales, and even a Humpback Whale.
If you’ve ever had any doubt in your mind that it’s possible to reach Antarctica without breaking the bank, let this be your proof.