Antarctica
Antarctica
Antarctica: Expedition Landings by Small Boat
- Port traffic
- QuietNext 30 days
Good to know
What to Expect
There is no cruise port in Antarctica: expedition ships carry passengers ashore in sturdy inflatable boats, often called Zodiacs. About 98 percent of tourist voyages go to the Antarctic Peninsula, a few days' sail from ports in South America.
- The season runs through the austral summer, from about October to April.
- Bad weather or moving ice often changes the plan, and a landing can be called off at short notice. Expect the itinerary to shift from day to day.
Going Ashore
Landings are made by inflatable boat, so follow the crew's directions getting in and out. Landings are run by the expedition staff, not done on your own.
- Only a limited number of guests may be ashore at one time, with at least one staff member for every 20 guests.
- Each approved landing site has its own guidelines on where visitors may walk and where they may not.
Rules Ashore
On voyages run by members of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators, visitors keep a gap of at least five meters between themselves and wildlife on shore, and the rule covers cameras and other equipment too. The other rules exist to keep the continent free of litter, pests and disease.
- Move slowly and quietly around penguins and seals.
- Ship passengers may not eat ashore or relieve themselves on land, and that holds near research stations and historic sites as well.
- Boots and equipment are cleaned and disinfected before and after every landing, to keep out non-native species and disease.
- Operators give mandatory briefings before the ship reaches Antarctica and send pre-departure advice on not bringing non-native species with you.
- Recreational drones are not allowed in the coastal areas where wildlife lives.
History
People first saw the Antarctic mainland in 1820, reached the South Pole in 1911, and agreed in 1959 to keep the whole continent for peace and science. Tourist ships have been coming since the late 1950s.
- In late January 1820, a Russian expedition sighted the ice of the continent, and days later, on 30 January, Edward Bransfield and William Smith sighted the Trinity Peninsula, the northern tip of the mainland.
- Sealers worked the nearby islands in the early 1820s. The first landing on the continent is usually credited to the crew of the American sealer John Davis, on 7 February 1821.
- Roald Amundsen reached the South Pole on 14 December 1911. Robert Falcon Scott's party arrived 33 days later and died on the way back.
- Ernest Shackleton's expedition of 1914 to 1917 set out to cross the continent. When it failed, he and five others sailed an open boat, the James Caird, to South Georgia to bring help.
- The first overland crossing of the continent, by way of the South Pole, was completed in 1958.
- The Antarctic Treaty opened for signature on 1 December 1959 and took effect on 23 June 1961. It set the continent aside for science and banned military activity there.
- The Protocol on Environmental Protection, signed on 4 October 1991, took effect on 14 January 1998.
- A few hundred tourists came each summer in the early 1990s. Now more than 100,000 visitors arrive a year.
- The treaty nations gathered their rules for visitors in a single tourism manual in 2021 and updated the general guidelines for visitors in 2025. Most tour operators belong to the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators, which takes part in the treaty meetings as an invited expert.
Port crowds
Next 30 days
Traveler photos
Photos from travelers
Reviews
Traveler reviews
Be the first to share your experience.
Suggest an edit
See something missing or incorrect?