Best Antarctica Cruises 2026–27: 10 Picks by Trip Type

1. Lindblad–National Geographic: Journey to Antarctica

The safest all-round pick for a first trip.

Lindblad has run Antarctic voyages longer than almost anyone, and the standard 12-day Journey to Antarctica is the trip most first-timers should compare everything else against. You sail from Ushuaia on National Geographic Endurance, Resolution or Explorer, all small expedition ships well under the 200-guest mark.

What sets it apart is the people. Every voyage carries a National Geographic photographer and a Lindblad photo instructor, plus naturalists who actually stay with you on landings. Kayaking is offered, and the itinerary is loose enough that the expedition leader will chase a pod of orcas instead of sticking to a schedule.

The catch: you cross the Drake Passage both ways. If that worries you, read how rough the Drake really is before you rule it out.

2. HX (Hurtigruten Expeditions): Highlights of Antarctica

The lowest fare that still gets you onto the ice.

HX's 12-day Highlights of Antarctica starts at about $8,830 per person, and that price includes the round-trip flight between Buenos Aires and Ushuaia, a hotel night in Buenos Aires, and wine, beer and spirits on board. That's a lot of trip for under $9,000.

The trade-off is size. MS Roald Amundsen and MS Fridtjof Nansen carry several hundred guests, so landings run in rotation and you'll usually get less time ashore than on a 100-guest ship. The ships make up for it with hot tubs, a science center and hybrid-electric engines.

If price is the main filter, also read the cheapest way to get to Antarctica from the US.

3. Oceanwide Expeditions: Antarctica Basecamp

Camping, kayaking and mountaineering at no extra cost.

On most ships, kayaking and camping are paid add-ons that sell out months ahead. On Oceanwide's Basecamp voyages aboard m/v Hondius, every activity offered is free: overnight camping, guided kayaking, snowshoeing, mountaineering, hiking and a photo workshop.

Hondius is a polar class 6 ship with simple, comfortable cabins. The cheapest berths are shared quads, which is how the fare stays low. Book a twin if you want privacy; it still usually costs less than a comparable trip with activities bought à la carte.

4. Antarctica21: Classic Antarctica Air-Cruise

Skip the Drake Passage with the company that has flown it most.

Antarctica21 has been flying guests from Punta Arenas, Chile, to King George Island since 2003. The flight takes about two hours; the same distance by ship takes about two days each way. You land, board by Zodiac and spend the trip in the South Shetlands and along the Peninsula.

Groups are capped at 88 guests, so everyone lands at once. In 2026–27 you can sail on Magellan Explorer or the new Magellan Discoverer, a hybrid-electric ship where every cabin has a balcony.

Weather can delay the flight, so leave a buffer day at home. We compare this trip head to head with Quark's version in Quark vs. Antarctica21.

5. Antarctica21: Antarctica Express Air-Cruise

Six days, one flight, one Drake crossing.

The Antarctica Express is the shortest real expedition to the continent. You fly one way between Punta Arenas and King George Island and sail the other way across the Drake. It runs only in November and March, at the edges of the season, which is why it's the cheapest Antarctica21 trip.

You get fewer landing days, so it's a sampler, not the full experience. For a sense of how many days are enough, see how many days you need for Antarctica.

6. Quark Expeditions: Antarctica by Helicopter

Crossing the Antarctic Circle with flightseeing included.

Quark's Ultramarine carries two twin-engine helicopters, and the new 14-day Antarctica by Helicopter: Crossing the Circle & the Peninsula builds them into the fare: two flightseeing trips and one heli-landing per guest, weather permitting. You also cross the Antarctic Circle, which most 10–12 day voyages don't reach.

Helicopter operations depend on wind and visibility. Ask what happens to the included flights if weather cancels them.

7. Quark Expeditions: Antarctic Marine Mammals

Late-season sailings built around whales and seals.

Whale numbers peak late in the season, from February into March, when humpbacks and minkes feed hard on krill before heading north. Quark's 11-day Antarctic Marine Mammals: The World of Whales and Seals is timed for it, and guests can join a science program run with the Friedlaender Lab at UC San Diego, which studies whale behavior.

Read up on what you'll see in our humpback whale guide.

8. Scenic Eclipse: Antarctica in Depth

A six-star yacht with helicopters and a submarine.

Scenic calls Eclipse a "discovery yacht," and for once the marketing isn't far off. Every suite has a balcony, butler service is standard, and nearly every drink on board is included, minibar too. The 12-night Antarctica in Depth starts with an overnight in Buenos Aires and a charter flight to Ushuaia.

The ship carries two helicopters and a submarine. Both cost extra and depend on weather, medical approval and regulations, so treat them as a possible bonus, not a promise.

Comparing suites? See luxury Antarctica cruises with private balcony suites and submarine tours of Antarctica.

9. Ponant: Emperor Penguins of the Weddell Sea

The best shot at emperors without flying to the interior.

Emperor penguins live on sea ice that ordinary expedition ships can't push through. Le Commandant Charcot can. It's a polar class 2 hybrid icebreaker, and Ponant's 14-day Weddell Sea voyages head into the pack ice in spring, when emperors are still near their colonies.

No ship can guarantee emperors; sea ice decides. Departures are few and sell early, which is exactly where an agent's inventory access helps.

10. Aurora Expeditions: Falklands, South Georgia & Antarctica

The long trip most people wish they'd taken.

If you can give it three weeks, add South Georgia. Its king penguin colonies at St Andrews Bay and Salisbury Plain run into the hundreds of thousands, and nothing on the Peninsula compares. Aurora's 22-day voyage on Sylvia Earle covers the Falklands, South Georgia and the Peninsula. The ship's X-BOW hull is designed to ride waves more smoothly, which helps on a voyage with this many sea days.

Meet the stars of South Georgia in our king penguin guide.