How do tourists get to Antarctica?
Most visitors reach Antarctica by ship. These voyages last from 10 days to several weeks, and ships range from the basic to the luxurious. Most (except the largest cruise ships, of 500 or more passengers) offer the chance to go ashore. The vast majority of ships visit the Antarctic Peninsula, which is one and a half to two days’ sailing across the Drake Passage from South America. Voyages to East Antarctica are less common, and typically spend 10 days crossing the Southern Ocean en route to the continent, including visits to subantarctic islands, after departing from Hobart (Australia) or New Zealand’s South Island. Each year, some tourists fly to Antarctica. Several hundred board aircraft in South America, and then set off from a base camp to go mountain climbing or skiing, or join a cruise from the ice edge. It’s also possible to do a 12-hour round trip over Antarctica in a jumbo jet (e.g. from Melbourne or Sydney). This form of sightseeing or “flightseeing” is the quickest and cheap
