Overview
Crossing the Drake Passage on your trip to Antarctica.
Stretching from Tierra del Fuego to the Antarctic Peninsula, the Drake Passage is a traveller’s gateway to Antarctica. Crossing the narrowest stretch of sea surrounding the seventh continent, expedition ships built for these rough and remote waters ferry eager adventurers to the earth’s most jealously guarded natural wonder. Scanning the horizon, you’re likely to see a wide variety of bird, whale, and dolphin species, including varieties of albatross and petrels, playful hourglass dolphins, or even the mighty blue whale in its natural habitat.
Departing Ushuaia at the foot of Argentina, the Drake Passage crossing typically takes 48 hours, depending on weather conditions. This part of an Antarctic journey is all about marine life, attracted to the passage’s plankton-rich waters. With the guidance of your expedition team, you’ll learn about how this unique eco-system flourishes through dramatic seasonal changes. Keep your eyes peeled for pods of baleen whales, or their toothed cousins including the sperm whale.
Modern explorer vessels are built for navigating the Drake Passage’s infamously choppy seas, but conditions can still be unpredictable and may require last-minute changes to your itinerary. The best and calmest time of year to cross the Drake Passage is during the southern summer, between November and March—the only practical season for Antarctica travel. You might be lucky, but pack seasickness medications just in case, along with clothes for a wide variety of weather conditions, including strong winds and rain.
Temperatures, even on Antarctica’s fringes, rarely go above 0°C (32°F). November offers superb iceberg viewing before the near 24-hour sunlight of December and January arrives, while February and March are ideal for whale-watching.
To minimize stress during your trip, consider booking a couple of nights in Ushuaia before embarking. This gives you a buffer against any flight or connection mishaps. You can devote any spare time to exploring Tierra del Fuego, a spectacular untouched wilderness on Ushuaia’s doorstep that’s sure to whet your appetite for the polar adventure to come.
What do the experts say?
Antarctica feels like visiting another planet; endless white landscapes, towering icebergs, and wildlife thriving in one of Earth’s harshest environments. It’s pure, untouched beauty that humbles you.
While there are no cultural festivals, witnessing the penguin chick hatching season (December–January) is a natural spectacle that feels like a celebration of life.
What I loved most about visiting Antarctica is how pristine and untouched it still is. The landscape's calm and peacefulness are truly unlike anywhere else, and being surrounded by unspoiled wildlife made the experience unforgettable.
Humpback Whales
Expedition Vessel
Southern Giant Petrel
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ExcellentBased on 5,160 ReviewsWe recently completed a custom Vietnam tour organized by Goway, and it was everything we asked for and more. We would definitely choose Goway again. The true highlights of our trip, however, were our two guides: Vu Dang and Thien. They truly made our experience unforgettable. Both were incredibly knowledgeable, thoughtful, and kind. Their pride in their Vietnamese heritage shone through in every conversation, making our learning experience both deep and engaging. We learned so much in such a short time, and it was always fascinating. I would highly recommend these two guides to anyone visiting Vietnam!Laura DerbyshireEverything was expertly planned, from the drivers to the hotels to the tours to the flights. We particularly enjoyed Hobart and the animal sanctuary, Adelaide and the trip to Kangaroo Island, Melbourne and the evening tour with dinner and drinks, and Sydney with the private boat cruise of the Harbour. We will definitely use Goway again.SARA WiebeThere were 4 travelers on this trip. All of us were in our late 70's. We started planning this trip 6 months prior to our travel date and had a lot of questions regarding this trip. Our Goway Travel Specialist, Karen Larrota, always answered our questions in a timely and complete manner. We traveled to Quito, Ecuador, the Galapagos, The Sacred Valley in Peru, Machu Picchu, and Cusco in Peru. Not only were the destinations and accommodations excellent, but every tour guide and driver were beyond excellent. The entire trip went smoothly every step of the way, which was amazing given the fact that there were numerous flights and hotels included in our package. We found out that the tour company that Goway used, Condor Travel, checked on us with our guide to make sure we were doing OK which we thought was very nice but also amusing as we are fairly fit older adults. Would also like to mention that we did a cruise thru the Galapagos on the Galapagos Legend which was arranged thru Go Galapagos - Kleintouurs. This portion of our tour was also excellent as were the wildlife guides and staff. We continue to discuss how wonderful this trip was with our family and friends and how wonderful this experience was. Would definately use Goway for our travel needs in the future.DianneAfter spending some time with our agent, we felt that she understood exactly what we had in mind as far as the level of service, etc, we were hoping for. The trip exceeded our expectations. Lori kept us busy(not too busy!) and we had many, many very exciting experiences. Bruce BelshawAylin is an exceptionally proficient advisor. Coordinating my clients simultaneously often feels like herding cats, but she has remained patient and accommodating through every modification and delay. Goway continues to be my go-to for complex itineraries, and they never disappoint.Nick Cron, ACCMahalo Goway Travel for helping in planning our group Japan's trip. Lawrence was very helpful & patient with all the changes & additions we did. Also, mahalo to Natasa who helped planned my Australia trip past November. The planning from transportation to tours to hotels worked very smoothly. I'll continue to use Goway travel for all my International trips. I'll also will recommend to my friends & family to use Goway...MahaloTanya LaguatanMaria Spitman was wonderful to work with. She was very helpful in designing our trip to Japan and equally wonderful when we had to cancel it. I loved the service she gave us.Sandy WarrenMy daughter and I had a wonderful 2 weeks in New Zealand! The country is so beautiful and the people so friendly. Our destination specialist did a great job with planning and organizing the itinerary, choosing our hotels, and organizing transportation. The hotels were absolutely beautiful and we had great views. We felt right at home and found all of the staff to be friendly and accommodating. There were no issues with our itinerary and our excursions we were always on the list. Our transportation was always ready and waiting for us.
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