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Off the beaten track is a relative term. Though tourists are allowed to visit some 200 sites in Antarctica, most choose to stop at the top thirty-five. Even these sites receive only hundreds of visitors each year, not thousands, attracting travelers with environmental and wildlife interests, who aren’t deterred by a little cold weather. Antarctica is one of the least visited tourist destinations on the planet.
Choose Antarctica Cruises by Itinerary | Choose Antarctica Cruises by Class of Vessel
The shortest route to Antarctica is from Argentina’s most southerly city, Ushuaia, a 386-mile cruise across Drake Passage to the Antarctic Peninsula that juts out from the mainland. The peninsula is the primary destination of Antarctica tours due to its proximity and because here the coast tends to be free of ice during the five month November to March tourist season. All of the ships on Southern Explorations’ Antarctica tours embark from Ushuaia.
Many Antarctica travel itineraries embarking from Ushuaia also visit islands in the vicinity that lie within or just beyond the Antarctic Convergence, including South Georgia, the South Shetland Islands and the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas). Visitors come to South Georgia to observe its abundant wildlife that arrive during the summer season, including 95% of the world’s fur seals, 50% of the world’s southern elephant seals, and millions of penguins and other marine birds. The South Shetlands have many accessible landing sites of historic significance, and the islands provide an opportunity to see a wide array of marine animals and bird species. The two Falkland Islands are a haven for seals, penguins and albatrosses as well as being home to a small human population, primarily of British descent. The largest Antarctic vessels travel to more distant destinations in Western Antarctica such as the Weddell Sea that borders the peninsula and the Ross Sea. To give you a general idea of the types of trips we offer, please read about our itinerary categories.