These Information Cruises Let You Fly to Antarctica and Skip the Infamous Drake Passage

In 2024, over 120,000 vacationers visited Antarctica, and most reached the White Continent by way of the notoriously treacherous Drake Passage, a 600-mile stretch of turbulent water between the southern tip of South America and Antarctica’s South Shetland Islands. “Endurance: Shackleton’s Unbelievable Voyage” writer Alfred Lansing as soon as described it as “essentially the most dreaded little bit of ocean on the globe.” 

There are a handful of itineraries that provide personal jet switch over the Drake Passage and now, there is a new various for vacationers who wish to expertise Antarctica with out the fun (and seasickness) of crusing it.

On Dec. 3, Nationwide Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions Cruises accomplished two new itineraries: the Antarctica Direct: Fly the Drake Passage expedition and the Antarctica Direct: Sail and Fly the Drake Passage voyage. With the brand new cruises, Nationwide Geographic-Lindblad Cruises now has eight-, nine-, and 10-day journey choices that provide a mixture of crusing, flying, or a mix of crusing/flying to the White Continent. Not solely are these quicker than conventional routes, however the brand new journeys additionally maximize time on the continent since cruising the Drake Passage can take as much as two days.

“Now we have 11 other ways you possibly can journey in Antarctica with us — totally different lengths, totally different mixtures of locations, some so long as 23 days, some as brief as per week,” Sven-Olof Lindblad, Lindblad Expeditions CEO and founder, instructed Journey + Leisure through the inaugural voyage.

Sven-Olof Lindblad, whose father, Lars-Eric Lindblad, pioneered non-scientific journey to Antarctica beginning in 1966, defined the brand new itineraries would permit time-crunched vacationers, or those that want to keep away from the Drake Passage, the chance to expertise Antarctica. Sven-Olof Lindblad and his workforce have been brainstorming methods to fly vacationers to the continent for over a decade, however their plans had been all the time sophisticated by an absence of the appropriate plane and correct climate forecasting expertise — till now.

The corporate is at the moment partnered with Chilean airline, Aerovías DAP, to constitution passenger flights to King George Island, the biggest of Antarctica’s South Shetland Islands.

Moreover, Nationwide Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions is the one expedition cruise operator providing flights out and in of Puerto Natales — most flights to Antarctica function solely out of Punta Arenas. Puerto Natales, situated in Chilean Patagonia, is residence to a number of boutique resorts and charming espresso outlets. The small city can also be thought-about the gateway to the attractive Torres del Paine Nationwide Park, giving vacationers the chance for much more journey after their Antarctican journey.