Onto the Antarctic Ice
- Gallery
- Itinerary
- Ships
- Activities
- Prices & Departures
With three medium-sized expedition ships to pick from and regular departure dates throughout the season, this well-priced voyage is a popular option. Across striking landscapes and icy seas, your company includes penguins, seals, whales and skuas. For the adventurous, optional kayaking and camping come highly recommended by past customers.
Trip Summary
- 4-5 full days in Antarctica = 8-10 planned ‘off ship’ excursions depending on your preferred departure
- Wide selection of well priced voyages to choose from
- Antarctic operational experience since 1996
- Expedition staff to guest ratio of 1:10
- Kayaking & camping. Diving on limited departures (additional cost for each)
- Complimentary snowshoeing on early season departures when snow conditions allow
Trip Overview
From
$6,700 - $17,400
Daily zodiac excursions are a real highlight
Your expedition vessel
Gentoos are one of three penguin species you'll see
Witness icebergs the size of apartment blocks
Humpbacks are commonly sighted
Snowshoeing in Antarctica
Camping on the Antarctic ice
Experience the wildlife at close quarters
Kayak amongst icebergs (optional)
Operator's Itinerary
Where the world drops off in Ushuaia, your voyage begins. Located on South America's far southern tip, this destination is the world's southernmost city. You'll embark on your vessel in the afternoon and sail into the mountain-fringed Beagle Channel for the remainder of the evening.
Over the next two days, you’ll enjoy some of the same experiences encountered by the great polar explorers who first charted these regions: rolling seas, cool salt breezes and maybe even a fin whale spouting up sea spray. After passing through the Antarctic Convergence - the continent's natural boundary, where north-flowing cold waters collide with warmer sub-Antarctic seas - you are in the circum-Antarctic upwelling zone. Both marine and avian life changes here. Wandering albatrosses, cape pigeons, southern fulmars and blue petrels are a few of the birds you might see.
Towers of broken blue-white ice and grey stone peaks sketched with snow welcome you to Antarctica. You first pass the snow-capped Melchior Islands and Schollaert Channel, before sailing between Brabant and Anvers Islands.
Sites you may visit include:
Danco Island - There are gentoo penguins nesting on the island, and Weddell and crabeater seals to be found nearby.
Neko Harbour - With mammoth glaciers and endless wind-carved snow, Neko Harbour offers opportunities for a zodiac cruise and a landing that affords the closest views of the surrounding alpine peaks.
Paradise Bay - You may be able to take a zodiac cruise in the ice-flecked waters, with a good chance that you’ll encounter humpback and minke whales.
Pléneau & Petermann Islands - If the ice allows, you could sail through the Lemaire Channel, searching for Adélie penguins and blue-eyed shags. You may also encounter humpback and minke whales here, as well as leopard seals.
Port Lockroy - After sailing through the Neumayer Channel, you may get a chance to visit the former British research station - now a museum and post office - of Port Lockroy on Goudier Island. You may also be able to partake in activities around Jougla Point, meeting gentoo penguins and blue-eyed shags.
Wilhelmina Bay & Guvernøren - A great place to spot humpback whales, you also may embark on a zodiac trip ending at the ghostly wreck of the Guvernøren, a whaling vessel that caught fire here in 1915. Amid a frozen landscape, around the Melchior Islands, you may encounter more whales, leopard and crabeater seals. Conditions on the Drake Passage will determine the exact time of our departure.
Your return voyage will be far from lonely. While crossing the Drake, the vast number of seabirds from the passage south will greet you again, but this time, they'll seem a little more familiar.
Your adventure must eventually come to an end, so it’s now time to disembark in Ushuaia. You'll depart with memories that will accompany you wherever your next adventure lies.
Swoop. Your adventure story.
Market-leading expertise
Harness our 400,000 hours of Antarctic experience. There’s no question we can’t answer.
Impartial advice at no extra cost
Expert advice on over 1500 voyages to help you discover your perfect trip - and we don’t charge a fee.
B Corp certified
We care deeply about protecting Antarctica, that’s why 1% of our revenue goes to conservation.
A full concierge service
Access our exclusive pre-travel webinars — one of the many ways we make sure you’re Antarctica’s best-prepared travellers.
Ortelius
- A 3-4* expedition vessel for 108 guests
- All cabins have been recently updated
- A broad, heavy design = great stability
- High 1A ice class rating
- Camping, kayaking and snowshoeing available on select departures
- Rubber boots are provided on loan
What our customers think of Onto the Antarctic Ice
Onto the Antarctic Ice trips scored 4.8/5 from 93 reviews
Prices & Departures
Quoted prices are per person based on 2 people sharing. Cabin availability changes all the time, so please contact us for up-to-date details and information on specific cabin availability.
- Voyage aboard the vessel as indicated in the itinerary
- Accommodation and meals during the voyage on full board
- All shore excursions and zodiac activities
- Educational lectures by expert onboard polar guides
- Access to an onboard doctor and basic medical services
- Loan of rubber boots and snowshoes for the voyage's duration
- Luggage transfer from pick-up point to the vessel on the day of embarkation, in Ushuaia
- Pre-scheduled group transfer from the vessel to the airport in Ushuaia (directly after disembarkation)
- Comprehensive pre-departure information
- Port taxes and any entry fees to landing sites
- Daily allowance of 1.5GB of free internet connectivity, which resets every 24 hours. For guests requiring additional access beyond this inclusion, supplementary vouchers are available to purchase on board at extra cost
- Flights to and from points of embarkation/disembarkation
- Any additional pre/post land services, including meals
- Transfers not specified in the itinerary
- Optional adventure activities (e.g. kayaking)
- Visa, passport and any vaccination expenses
- Airport arrival or departure taxes
- Personal travel insurance
- Items of a personal nature - laundry, beverages, etc
- Customary staff gratuity at the end of the voyage
- Additional onboard purchases (i.e. gift shop)
The 23rd March 2026 and 26th March 2027 voyages are 10 days long. All other departures are 11 days long.
The following voyages have a whale watching focus:
- 10th March 2026
- 23rd March 2026
- 7th March 2027
- 17th March 2027
- 18th March 2027
- 26th March 2027
The departure on 22nd January 2026 includes a complimentary workshop where guests will learn about the history, theory and practice of land and sea navigation.
Please note that the following itineraries include long hikes across pristine Antarctic Peninsula landscapes as an optional complimentary activity:
- 29th December 2026
- 3rd February 2027
- 8th February 2027
These walks last up to six hours on semi-rough, rocky and snowy terrain with distinct changes in elevation. You will hike at a steady and manageable pace, but conditions can be demanding and fast-changing. A good level of fitness and a willingness to walk for extended periods are required. Please speak to a Polar Expert about signing up when you book your expedition.
Alternative activities or shore landings will be available during this time if you would prefer not to participate in the long hikes.
Please note that the 3rd February 2027 voyage takes a slightly different route than the itinerary listed above. After arriving in Antarctica via the Drake Passage, you will spend a few days in the lesser visited Weddell Sea region on the eastern side of the Antarctic Peninsula before exploring its western part for the remainder of your time on the continent.
Single Supplement And Child Policy
For solo travellers who want their own cabin, the single supplement is 1.7 times the cost of a single berth. Please contact us for details. There is no single supplement for passengers willing to share a cabin.
Children aged 8 years old or over are permitted on this trip. On select departures, children under 16 may receive a 40% discount. Please contact us for details.
