Flights to Antarctica

Flights to Antarctica: Fly Over the Antarctic

Interested in flying to Antarctica? Now, more than ever, you can tailor your trip to Antarctica.

Whether you’re looking for information about flights to Antarctica, Antarctic helicopter charters, or Antarctica air-cruise (“fly the Drake”) combinations, we’ve got you.

LANDED compiled this free guide to Antarctica Flights to help you navigate your options.

Antarctica in a Day: Antarctic Flights

You can take a flight to Antarctica and visit the region in as little as one day.

Instead of crossing the Drake Passage from South America to Antarctica by ship—a journey of approximately 50 hours—you can opt to make the journey by plane, bypassing 500 miles of potentially rough sea.

Between October and March, flights to Antarctica from Punta Arenas, Chile get passengers to King George Island in the South Shetland Islands (and vice versa) in approximately 2 hours.

If you’re short on time but longing to visit the Antarctic, contact LANDED about flights to Antarctica and our One-Day Antarctic Program. Between October and March, you can take a flight from southern Chile to King George Island, visit cultural and natural sites in the Antarctic region, and return to Chile on the same day.

Roundtrip flights to Antarctica start at US $6,660 per person. Overnight programs start at US $7,870 per person.

Antarctica Express Sample Itinerary

The itinerary for the express Antarctica programs follows this plan:

• Early morning flight to Antarctica from Punta Arenas, Chile—Fly over the Straits of Magellan, Tierra del Fuego and the Darwin Mountains, Cape Horn, and the Drake Passage. Times vary with weather conditions. Flight time is approximately two hours.
• Land at Frei Station, King George Island in the South Shetland Islands—Visit to Villa Las Estrellas, the island’s colorful Chilean town first populated by civilians.
• Zodiac navigation to Ardley Island to visit the Gentoo Penguin colony (approximately 4,500 breeding pairs)—The island is also home to smaller populations of Adelie Penguins and Chinstrap Penguins, as well as petrels, skuas, and terns.
• Continue by Zodiac to the Collins Glacier—Take in Antarctic views from the sea.
• Lunch or Snack—Depending on the time of flight arrival.
• Visit the Russian Orthodox Church— Located at Bellingshausen Station in Collins Harbor (Russia).
• Flight from Frei Station to Punta Arenas, Chile—Times vary with weather conditions. Flight time is approximately two hours.

Total time on King George Island with the Antarctica Express itinerary is usually around five hours.

All Antarctic activities and flights are subject to weather conditions. Because the programs are weather-dependent, passengers need to be mentally prepared for early or late departures.

When booking a flight to Antarctica, travel insurance is a must.

Overnight Stay on King George Island

LANDED can also arrange an overnight stay at a camp on King George Island, located in the South Shetland Islands off the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula.

These temporary ice camps offer accommodation on a private basis, or for groups of up to 16 guests. The shelters at these camps are basic but comfortable. Meals and transport (via Hagglunds or snowmobiles) can also be arranged.

During your stay, LANDED can arrange wildlife viewing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and Zodiac cruising.

Antarctica Air-Cruise Combinations

Two companies now offer Antarctic flight-plus-cruise options, allowing travelers to fly over the Drake Passage, substituting a 2-hour flight to Antarctica for the approximately 50-hour journey by ship. Some programs offer flights in both directions, or you can fly in and take a ship back out.

Flights to Antarctica operate between the commercial airport in Punta Arenas (in Chile’s far south) and Base Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva (a Chilean base on King George Island in the South Shetland Islands). The “Frei Station” base serves some meteorological functions, but the 1300-meter gravel airstrip (Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Martin Airport; IATA: TNM) is its most noteworthy feature. The airstrip handles approximately 50 intercontinental Antarctica flights and 150 intracontinental flights per season.

Nearby research bases are operated by Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Russia, Korea, China, Poland, and Uruguay. Some Antarctica programs include visits to one of these neighboring bases.

LANDED Antarctica flights are aboard a powerful BAe (British Aerospace) 146: a four-engine jet aircraft with two pilots.

Once you’ve arrived in Antarctica by air, you can board a cruise ship for sailing in the calmer, protected waters between the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula.

An 8-day air-cruise program might have a plan such as this:

Since air-cruise operations began in 2003, approximately 82% have left on time.

Another 14% of Antarctica flights operated either one day early or one day late. Roughly 3% flew with a delay of two days. Less than 1% operated three days late.

Approximately 1% of Antarctic air cruises were canceled (i.e. could not operate by 2 PM on Day 4).

It is not possible to obtain a higher allowance by paying a fee. Instead, excess luggage can be stored in Punta Arenas. Laundry service is available onboard the ships, and the dress code on board is “Stay warm.”

When you fly, you’ll already be wearing your cold-weather gear; that gear will not be counted as part of your checked or carry-on luggage.

Helicopter Charter Flights and Tours

LANDED arranges private helicopter flights to and tours of Tierra del Fuego, Patagonia, and the South Shetland Islands of the Antarctic.

Fleet options include:

Eurocopter AS 355
The Eurocopter AS 355 F2 helicopters have capacity for 5 passengers, not including the pilot. Maximum cargo capacity, with passengers, is 200 kilograms.

BO-105
The BO-105 helicopters have capacity for 4 passengers, not including the pilot. Maximum cargo capacity, with passengers, is 200 kilograms.

Scenic Overflight and Helicopter Flights

Scenic helicopter overflights and tours are available in these locations throughout Patagonia and Antarctica:

• Darwin Mountain Range glacier overflight
• Cape Horn overflight
• Fly fishing helicopter day trips
• From El Calafate, Argentina
• Overflight of El Chalten, with views of Mount Fitz Roy
• Overflight of the Perito Moreno Glacier
• Overflight of Lago Argentino and Mount Buenos Aires
• On the island of Tierra del Fuego
• Fly fishing on Strobel Lake
• From Punta Arenas, Chile
• Day trip to the king penguin colony at Bahia Inutil
• Overflight of Marinelli Glacier
• Fly fishing day trips
• Day trips to Cape Horn National Park

Start your journey today