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The trip to Antarctica is, in a nutshell, a lifelong dream. Honestly, as early as the second day in Antarctica I had already begun to think that the expectations, which were high, had already been exceeded. At the end of the four days on the Antarctic Peninsula these same expectations were far exceeded!

In this post, then, I describe my trip to Antarctica. I start by recounting the itinerary, with a couple of maps that may be helpful. Finally, I leave room for all the information: the last paragraph of the post is dedicated to the FAQ about the Antarctica trip!

Before I begin to describe this magnificent trip to Antarctica, I leave you with a VIDEO that describes the experience.

Trip to Antarctica: Beagle Channel and Drake passage

I boarded the ship G Expeditions on Saturday, March 14, 2025 at 4 p.m. The ship G Expeditions is a gem of G Adventures, the same company for which I work as a tour guide. The ship was anchored in Ushuaia, the port of departure and one of the most southern cities in the world (the title of southernmost population center goes to Puerto Williams, a Chilean town of about 3,000 that I visited in 2024, before embarking on the magnificent Dientes de Navarino trek, the most austral in the world).

The first six hours of the trip were uneventful: we sailed into the Beagle Channel, passing precisely in front of Puerto Williams after a couple of hours of travel. After these six hours, however, we entered the infamous Drake Passage. Crossing this stretch requires at least 36 hours. We were relatively lucky: the sea was at level four on the Beaufort scale, out of a maximum of 12. This level, however, brought me and many of the 130 participants in the expedition to their knees. Personally, I wasn’t too bad: the seasickness pills kicked in and I slept a lot. The continuous sleep forced me to miss a good part of the science lectures, given by the G Adventures team.

Antarctica trip: Port Charcot and Beascochea Bay

On Monday morning, therefore, 17, we arrived on the Antarctic Peninsula. We started our discovery of the sixth continent from Booty Island, Port Charcot to be precise. The first excursion lasted about two hours: we were able to see some beautiful panoramic views and the first gentoo penguins. In addition, we had the great fortune to observe an elephant seal!

In the afternoon we took a second excursion, using only zodiacs. We were able to see humpback whales-the sight thrilled me, but I could not imagine what I would see two days later! This excursion was made to Beascochea Bay, which at 65 degrees south was the southernmost point reached during the entire expedition.

Antarctica trip: Cuverville Island and Neko Harbour

At night we moved on to Cuverville Island. This island is renowned touristically for its large colony of Gentoo penguins. Walking alongside these animals was an incredible feeling. I was able to admire the penguins (about five thousand) getting to know the cold Antarctic waters for the first time. In fact, the young are generally born in December and after three months they start diving.

In the afternoon we made a second excursion, to Neko Harbour. In this case, under a heavy snowfall, I climbed up to a viewpoint. Despite the difficult weather conditions I was able to admire a beautiful Antarctic panorama, with icebergs everywhere.

Antarctica trip: polar plunge and the whales of Fournier Bay

The third morning began with a moment of collective madness. In fact, I and 94 others of the 130 expedition participants jumped into the cold Antarctic waters. The temperature on Melchior Island was consistently zero degrees Celsius: both in the water and out. My endurance in the Antarctic water was about two seconds, however, the goal was achieved: polar plunge mission successful!

The day had already been unforgettable. Little did I know, however, what awaited us in the afternoon. In fact, Fournier Bay was the place where we observed, literally less than a meter away, humpback whales. This encounter was truly indescribable. The hour-long zodiac excursion was one of the moments I will never forget! This, in fact, was a sight not only for the eyes, but also for the ears: the whales, in fact, kept making sounds. I felt like I was part of a National Geographic report. Truly, there are no words to describe the beauty of these encounters!

Antarctica trip: Paradise Bay and orcas

The last day in Antarctica began with a wonderful awakening. At night, in fact, the ship arrived at Paradise Bay. Seeing the icebergs, the ice, the Antarctic colors was spectacular: it was hard to imagine a better awakening.

The last hike took us to a final viewpoint, near the Argentine scientific base Brown. This base was burned down in 1984 by a member of the base itself: he had not liked the news of spending an entire winter on the base and decided to set fire to the base itself. Today the base has been rebuilt, but it hosts scientists only during the two months from mid-December to mid-February. When I arrived, the only owners of the island were the beautiful gentoo penguins!

After making our last excursion, we set off north again. The surprises, however, were not yet over: in fact, near the Strait of Gerlache we admired, totally by chance, orcas, very close to the ship!

Antarctica trip: the return to Ushuaia

The crossing of the Drake Passage was relatively smooth. In fact, following the Beaufort scale the wave level reached scale 3 out of 12. The seasickness pills kicked in, but I tried to take as few as possible in order to participate, possibly awake, in the interesting science lectures.

We arrived in Ushuaia around 6 p.m. on March 22. Before disembarking, however, we celebrated in the G Expeditions bar: beers, wine and fernet were not lacking! At 8:30 a.m. on the 23rd I disembarked in Ushuaia: the expedition was over, largely successfully!

Antarctica trip map

Here is the map of my trip to Antarctica, with the various points touched during the expedition.

BEFORE USEFUL INFORMATION, IN ADDITION TO THE TRIP TO ANTARCTICA YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN ….

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Everest Base Camp and the three steps!

Trekking O Torres del Paine!

USEFUL INFORMATION ABOUT A TRIP TO ANTARCTICA

• How much does an expedition to Antarctica cost? The cost is very variable. My expedition, the classic one to the Antarctic Peninsula, can cost between $4000 and $9000, depending on the company, service and extra activities. I personally paid $4500, so I was definitely lucky: I shared a cabin with three other people. I did not do the kayak excursions, which cost about $1,000. These are the prices from Ushuaia: to these you have to add round-trip flights from your home. It is possible to find some lastminute discounts, directly from Ushuaia. There is, however, the risk of not finding any place.

• Is there only one possible route? No, expeditions that reach Antarctica in various ways. The first major difference is that there are cruises that reach Antarctica, without going down-I, on the other hand, have made as many as six excursions, touching the Antarctic Peninsula as many as four times. Moreover, there are different itineraries: some also touch the Malvinas and South Georgia, others go beyond the Antarctic Circle. The cost of these expeditions, however, can easily reach as high as $15,000. This was my itinerary, booked with G Adventures, a company I work for: if you have further questions, please contact me.

• The same travel itinerary changes depending on weather conditions. Although the Antarctic Peninsula is more sheltered than the Drake Passage, it is not always possible to do the shore or zodiac tours. The itinerary, therefore, changes all the time: hardly the same expedition goes to the same places on two consecutive tours. Flexibility is necessary on a trip to Antarctica: programs can change all the time.

• What does one do aboard an Antarctic expedition? As mentioned, I went on as many as six excursions: on the four Antarctic days there is not much time left to do anything else. On the remaining days, which are the days of Drake’s passage, the G Adventures expedition offers the opportunity to participate in real science lessons, which may be about penguins, birds, whales or the history of Antarctica.

• How do you eat on board? Excellently! The service on the G Expedition is truly top-notch. Breakfast and lunch are buffet style, and there is an a la carte menu at dinner. The menu is of a high standard and I never had the same dish in the nine days of the expedition.

• How long is the trip to Antarctica? Mine was the shortest expedition, nine days long. Other expeditions, with different routes, reach as long as twenty days.

• How cold is it in Antarctica? I answer only on the Antarctic Peninsula. Temperatures are relatively mild: it is difficult to expect temperatures below minus five degrees Celsius. In the middle of the continent, however, temperatures are quite a bit colder even in the summer season.

• When can people visit Antarctica? Expeditions begin in late November and end in late March. In the various lectures, they explained to us that Antarctica changes every three weeks. What you see in November is, therefore, different from what you see in March. In November and December you can see a picture-postcard landscape, with snow and ice everywhere. The best season to visit Antarctica is March, if the goal is to observe whales up close: and indeed what I saw exceeded all expectations, and by quite a bit!

• What can be found on board the G Expedition? There is a sauna, a well-stocked library, a gym, and a bar-it is hard to get bored! I subscribe, however, to what the tour leaders said: the best way to spend time is to be outside, admiring the incredible nature.

• What animals can you see on an expedition to Antarctica? I got to see gentoo penguins, an elephant seal, various seals (including the leopard seal and Weddell’s seal), orcas, humpback whales, and other whales, such as the sei whale and minke whale. In addition, I was able to see many albatrosses, especially when we crossed the Drake Passage. There is an opportunity to see other types of penguins, such as adelia, chinstrap and even emperor (the latter, however, with more southern routes).

• Is it possible to sleep in Antarctica? You could spend a night on the continent, however, recently companies are suggesting less of this type of activity as it could be harmful to the environment. In fact, there are very strict rules when landing on Antarctica: any object that comes into contact with Antarctic soil must be thoroughly disinfected before and after ground operations.

• Are expeditions to Antarctica sustainable? Tourist numbers in Antarctica are higher than you imagined. In fact, about 100,000 people travel to the sixth continent every year. The tourist impact then may be there, unfortunately. The ships themselves, with their noise, can stress the animals’ lives. Penguins also get very close to human beings. There is a company, IAATO, which provides very specific rules, and which all participants in Antarctic expeditions must follow carefully.

• Distances are not trivial. Between Ushuaia (all the information on what to do here) and the Antarctic Peninsula there is a distance of about 1,000 kilometers, or 48 hours of navigation. Even on the Antarctic Peninsula itself, distances are significant: we happened to sail as much as 12 hours between places.

• On board we were about 170 people. 130 tourists, about 30 captains, waiters, chefs and handymen, a dozen tour leaders and scientists. I was the only Italian on board!

BRIEF HISTORY OF ANTARCTICA

The history of Antarctica deserves a closer look. James Cook was the first explorer to pass 70 degrees south latitude, in 1773. For the first sighting of the Antarctic continent, however, we have to wait an additional 47 years. In fact, three different expeditions (one Russian, one British and one American) reached the Antarctic Peninsula during the same time period.

Later, there was the great challenge between Amundsen and Scott, won by the former. In 1912, in fact, Amundsen was the first explorer to reach the South Pole. Scott was literally beaten by about 40 days: when he reached the South Pole he wrote in his diary that it was the saddest day of his life. The sight of the Norwegian flag planted in the South Pole, however, was only the first part of his misfortune: the return, in fact, cost all the members of his expedition their lives.

I mention, finally, the legend of Shackleton’s Endurance. This is a true story, but in my opinion it is a legendary feat that gives me chills. The Endurance wrecked while trying to cross Antarctica. Shackleton set out with only part of the group in search of help: he passed the Drake Passage by sailing on a lifeboat and, after seven months in prohibitive conditions, was able to call for help. Chilean Captain Pardo granted the call for help and managed to rescue all the members of the Endurance. Pardo’s statue is one of the things to see in Punta Arenas..

Finally, one last question and answer. How much do I recommend a trip to Antarctica? So much, it is a real once-in-a-lifetime trip!