Antarctica Flights - Why Sail When You Can Go By Air?

The Drake Passage is the stretch of water you cross when going by boat from the southern tip of South America at Cape Horn to the South Shetland islands of Antarctica and it has a reputation as one of the most turbulent seas in the world.

The crossing has earned the nickname of "the Drake rock and roll" with Antarctica travelers for the simple reason that when the weather is bad you will be doing a lot of rocking and rolling on the waves. Some passengers have reported cruise ships canting over at angles of more than 50 degrees on their trip across the passage.

It does happen that the Drake Passage is calm and then the crossing is a pleasure but the chances of that happening on both the outward and return journey are reasonably slim so if you are using a cruise boat to get to Antarctica be prepared for some turbulence. But there is an alternative...

You can fly to Antarctica and avoid the dreaded crossing altogether. There are two options available to you at the moment for Antarctica flights.

Sightseeing Flyovers

The first one doesn't land and you get to do a sightseeing flyover of the Antarctic continent at 10 000 feet above sea level. The flight departs from Sydney or Melbourne in Australia on a Qantas Boeing 747-400.

The whole trip lasts about 12 hours in total and you will spend four hours over the Antarctic. The visibility is good because the captain plans the route according to weather reports received on the morning of the flight and the scenery is magnificent.

There are talks by Antarctica experts on board and videos screened to give the passengers an informative overview of the white continent. A camera mounted in the cockpit gives passengers an unobstructed view of what the pilot is seeing at all times.

Short Stay Flights

If a flyover is not enough for you and you want to feel the ice under your feet and experience the Antarctic cold first hand then a short stay flight will be the answer for you.

These depart from Punta Arenas in Chile and the airline makes use of light aircraft like the Beechcraft King Air which carries ten passengers and the Dash-7 with a carrying capacity of 44.

Decide between a full day trip and spending a night and two days in Antarctica landing at the Frei Base airport after flying for approximately three and a half hours.

These are the Antarctica flights ticket prices for flyovers and short stays to the white continent.

This is a collection of trip reports and reviews by past Antarctic travelers describing what it's like to experience Antarctica tours and flights.