Check off a travel milestone by crossing the Antarctic Circle. Maximize your adventure by skipping the ocean transit and flying over the Drake Passage by charter plane. Simply combine our exciting Crossing the Circle: Southern Expedition itinerary with a direct round-trip flight from Chile to your polar-ready ship, to get our Antarctic Express: Crossing the Circle voyage. Then, explore the wonders of the Antarctic Peninsula by sea, and continue further to reach 66⁰33´ south. Check other achievements off your bucket list as well, such as sea kayaking through channels dotted with icebergs.
Your adventure begins in Punta Arenas, Chile, the most populated city in Patagonia. If you arrive early, there are many museums, restaurants and shops to keep you busy for days. By early afternoon, an operator representative will bring everyone together to your starting hotel, where you’ll enjoy a welcome dinner and be briefed about preparing for your embarkation day.
There are few places in the world as evocative as Antarctica. The Antarctic Continent is indescribable and can only be fully appreciated through your own eyes.
Even more exciting are your land excursions. Your first Zodiac landing is something you’ll never forget! Setting foot on a beach inhabited by thousands of penguins is the most intimate way to experience the unique wildlife of Antarctica.
Each landing is different and dependent on weather, but every day presents new sightings and photo opportunities, and it won’t be long before you can tell the difference between an Adélie, gentoo and chinstrap penguin.
You may take a Zodiac cruise in search of whales and icebergs one day, followed by a hike to a penguin rookery the next day. From the booming sound of a calving glacier to the thrill of spotting apex predators like leopard seals and orcas in action, you’ll wake up early and welcome each day with a sense of adventure and a desire to explore this unrivaled wilderness experience.
Your Expedition Team will accompany you along the way, ensuring safety and providing insights into the places you visit. Our expert education team will also provide in-depth explanations of the glaciology, history and wildlife of the region.
Crossing the Antarctic Circle is both a memorable experience and impressive achievement, as few travelers reach so far south. If conditions allow us to cross this famed latitude of 66°33´ S, we’ll toast the first explorers who ventured here, and you can raise a glass and take pride in knowing you’ve made it to a part of the world visited by very few people. This is raw Antarctica, home of the midnight sun, Weddell seals, and your best chances of encountering sea ice – the foundation of the Antarctic marine ecosystem.
Your Expedition Team will always be on the lookout for species of seabirds, seals and whales that may have eluded you on your journey south.
This expedition includes:
This expedition excludes:
