Antarctic Cruises

Antarctica adventures are shaped by activity, access and time spent off the ship. Travelling aboard small expedition vessels allows you to land in places larger ships can’t reach, step onto the ice, and experience the continent up close - not just from the deck.

These voyage-based adventures focus on daily exploration. Zodiac landings, shore walks and close wildlife observation are central to the experience, with itineraries designed to maximise time ashore and adapt to changing ice and weather conditions.

It’s an active, immersive way to experience Antarctica, guided by specialists who understand how to operate safely and responsibly in polar environments.

World Expeditions offers a curated selection of one-stop Antarctica adventures through On Water Expeditions, bringing together voyages across multiple small ships and expedition styles.

Each option is chosen for its emphasis on exploration, small-group access and minimal impact - giving you the freedom to choose the expedition that best matches your interests, while maintaining a consistent standard of experience in one of the world’s most fragile regions.

South Georgia's breathtaking scenery and huge numbers of wildlife make it a 'must see' | Richard I'Anson

About Antarctica

Accommodation Leaders Responsible Travel

Comfortable vessels

Our vessels are specifically designed with expedition cruising in mind. Cabins range from quadruple berths right through to spacious suites, accommodating all budgets and tastes. Most cabins have private bathrooms, however some share a bathroom between a small number of other cabins. Public areas include dining quarters, lecture theatres, a bar and a library and some of our ships also have spas and gymnasiums aboard.

Expedition Staff

Our polar expedition leaders and crew are specialists in wilderness environments with years of experience in the field. Your Expedition Leader will be highly skilled in communication and decision making, along with wilderness first aid and safety. It will be their job to ensure the expedition runs smoothly and that as many of our itinerary objectives are met whilst ensuring all participants safety and wellbeing. Your tour leader will be assisted by an expedition team, which may include a variety of polar specialists including geologists, ornithologists, marine biologists, naturalists and historians. There is also a resident medical officer on board each voyage. During the trip all of the team will impart their knowledge of the environments, as well as acting as zodiac drivers, lecturer’s, dinner companions and all round great travel buddies!

Environmental protection

On Water Expeditions works with carefully selected expedition operators that are members of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO). Established in 1991, IAATO promotes safe and environmentally responsible travel to Antarctica, helping to protect the world's largest wilderness region. Before going ashore, travellers receive comprehensive briefings on environmental guidelines and the science behind them, ensuring they can experience Antarctica while minimising their impact on its fragile ecosystems.

Minimal impact

Our voyages have a maximum of 140 passengers on board, ensuring to ensure minimal impact to the environment.

Traveller education

We provide educational lectures and experiences on board to ensure our travellers understand the natural elements of Antarctica, including the environmental code of conduct and the scientific explanations behind them.

Useful Antarctica Info

Antarctica offers towering icebergs, vast glaciers and extraordinary polar wildlife, with the best regions to explore including the Antarctic Peninsula, the South Shetland Islands, the Weddell Sea, the Ross Sea and the Antarctic Circle.

Antarctic Peninsula: The Antarctic Peninsula’s glacier-covered mountains and iceberg-filled bays provide spectacular expedition cruising, Zodiac landings and close encounters with penguins, seals and whales.

South Shetland Islands: The South Shetland Islands offer dramatic volcanic landscapes and rich wildlife colonies explored through Zodiac cruises and shore landings.

Weddell Sea: The remote Weddell Sea reveals immense tabular icebergs and pristine polar wilderness where expedition voyages explore one of Antarctica’s most dramatic ice landscapes.

Ross Sea: The Ross Sea region combines historic expedition sites, immense ice shelves and remarkable wildlife colonies in one of Antarctica’s most remote environments.

Antarctic Circle: Crossing the Antarctic Circle brings travellers into the heart of Antarctica where expedition cruising navigates vast icefields and remote polar waters.

The best time to travel to Antarctica for expedition travel, wildlife viewing and kayaking is during the short summer season, November-March, when sea ice retreats and access improves.

Antarctica has a polar climate with long cold winters and short cool summers. Temperatures typically range between -30°C and 5°C (-22°F–41°F) depending on the season.

Outside the summer season the region becomes colder and more remote, yet the scenery is striking with glaciers, sea ice and vast polar landscapes.

Spectacular views from the ship - <i>Photo: Scott Pinnegar</i>

There are numerous time zones across the Antarctic continent, however the Ukraine research station of Vernadsky which is located on the Antarctic Peninsula is -3 hours behind UTC/GMT.

There is no official language for the Antarctic continent.

Payment of incidental expenses aboard most ships can be paid for with US dollars cash or with Visa and Mastercards.

We recommend taking a universal adapter.

Whilst visa's are not required to visit Antarctica many passport holders may require visa's for countries they transit en-route to the voyage. Please check with your reservations consultant or travel agent to determine if visa's are required for your journey.

Your safety is our number one concern. Our safety track record is exemplary thanks to careful management and thorough consultation with local partners. Our industry leading risk management procedures have become a skill that we continue to refine. Our leaders in the field are highly trained and have safety as their number one priority. Expert leaders, risk assessments, quality inclusions and your financial security all come standard when you travel with us.

Please refer to our Travel Advisory page for updates on recent events, travel warnings and advice.

We strongly recommend that all clients take out travel insurance at the time of booking to cover against sickness, accident, loss of baggage, unexpected alterations to travel arrangements and travel disruption, emergency evacuation, cancellations, etc. Insurance information is enclosed with your pre-departure information. Please contact us if you would like to obtain a quote for your trip duration.

We suggest that you consult your doctor, local government inoculation centre or a travel medical specialist in order to get the most current advice regarding vaccination requirements.

Money and valuables should always be stored safely when travelling. Keep your passport with you at all times and do not leave it in your main luggage. You will need it to change money and check into hotels. Where safety deposit boxes are available, we recommend that you use them. Keep jewellery and valuables to a minimum.

People and Culture First

Travel with purpose, placing local communities at the heart of your adventure.

Led by experienced local guides and supported by regional crews and partners, your trip helps sustain livelihoods, build skills and strengthen long term partnerships.

Every adventure is designed to encourage respectful cultural exchange and ensure the benefits of tourism are shared with the communities you visit.

Our Sustainability Commitment