Antarctica: how to choose a ship and a month

Almost everyone who goes to Antarctica goes once. That makes the two big decisions, which ship and which month, feel heavier than they do for most holidays. They are also more consequential. On an expedition voyage, the ship is not just where you sleep. It decides how much time you spend on the ice, and the month decides whether you see courting penguins, fluffy chicks or whales feeding in the bays.

The good news is that both choices follow a clear logic once you understand the rules that govern landings.

Why ship size matters more than anything else

Tourism in Antarctica is tightly regulated. The Antarctic Treaty's guidelines for visitors, which IAATO, the association of Antarctic tour operators, applies across its members, set out a handful of rules that shape every voyage:

• Ships carrying more than 500 passengers may not land anyone. They cruise past the scenery but nobody goes ashore.
• No more than 100 passengers may be ashore from a ship at any one time, and some sites set a lower limit.
• Only one ship may visit a landing site at a time. Operators coordinate their schedules so that ships do not overlap.
• Guides must be on shore in a ratio of at least one to every 20 passengers.

The UK takes the same line. The government will not authorise British operators to run any off-ship activities from vessels carrying more than 500 passengers.

Put those rules together and the effect of ship size is obvious. On a ship with 100 passengers or fewer, everyone can go ashore at once, for as long as the landing allows. On a ship carrying 200, passengers go ashore in two groups and each gets roughly half the time. On a ship carrying close to 500, the rotation is so long that a single landing can take up most of a morning, and each person's time on land is short.

What small ships give you

• More time ashore. Often the difference between one landing a day and two.
• More flexibility. A small ship can change plan quickly when the weather or ice shifts, and can fit into narrower channels and bays.
• A quieter experience. Fewer people in the Zodiacs, on the trail and at the rail when a whale surfaces.

What larger ships give you

• More stability in a big sea, which matters on the Drake Passage.
• More facilities, such as larger lecture theatres, more dining choice and sometimes a pool or spa.
• A lower cost per person, as a rule.

For most people, we recommend a ship carrying somewhere around 200 passengers or fewer. It is the point where landings stay generous without giving up all the comfort. If time ashore is the priority, look for ships of 100 or under.

The Drake Passage or a fly-cruise

Most voyages to the Antarctic Peninsula begin in Ushuaia, at the southern tip of Argentina, and cross the Drake Passage. This is the stretch of ocean between Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands, and it has a reputation. Crossing takes around two days each way.

Sometimes the Drake is calm, a long, slow swell with albatrosses gliding alongside. Sometimes it is not. There is no way of knowing in advance, and it is worth being honest with yourself about how you cope with seasickness.

Sailing the Drake

For: it is the classic way, and the crossing is part of the experience. The seabirds are extraordinary, the lectures on board prepare you well, and the moment the first iceberg appears is one you earn. Voyages that sail both ways are also the more widely available and usually less expensive option.

Against: you lose around four days of a ten-day trip to sea days, and if the crossing is rough those days can be hard work.

Flying over it

The alternative is a fly-cruise. One operator, Antarctica21, flies guests from Punta Arenas in southern Chile to King George Island in the South Shetlands, in about two hours. You board a small ship there and start exploring almost at once.

For: far more of your trip is spent in Antarctica. You avoid the rough crossing entirely, which for some people is the difference between going and not going. The ships used are small, which suits the landing rules.

Against: the flights depend on the weather at King George Island, and delays of a day or more can happen. Build in spare days at both ends, and do not book tight onward connections. Fly-cruises also tend to cost more for the same number of days.

Early, mid or late season

The season follows the brief Antarctic summer, running from about November to March. Each part of it has a different character.

Early season: November to early December

The ice is at its most dramatic. Snow still lies thick on the land, and icebergs and sea ice are bright and clean. Penguins are back at their colonies building nests of pebbles and courting noisily. For Adélie penguins, the Australian Antarctic Program notes, two eggs are usually in the nest by mid-November.

This is a good time for photographers who love white landscapes. Sea ice can block some routes, and the days are long but can be colder.

Mid season: mid-December to January

The warmest, lightest weeks and the most popular. Penguin chicks hatch in December and grow fast through January, and the colonies are at their busiest and noisiest. Days are very long, with only a few hours of twilight around midnight.

This is when demand is highest, including around Christmas and New Year, so book early. If penguin chicks are the reason you are going, this is the window.

Late season: February to March

The chicks lose their down and, at seven to nine weeks old in the case of Adélies, head to sea. The colonies are messier and smellier, but the wildlife is highly active. Whales are often seen in greater numbers as the season goes on, feeding on krill in the bays and channels. The light softens, with proper sunsets returning. The ice has retreated, which can open up routes further south.

Late season can also be better value than the busy weeks around Christmas. It suits travellers who care more about whales than penguin chicks.

How the rules protect the place

The same guidelines that limit landings also shape how you behave on shore. Visitors keep at least 5m from wildlife on land, further from fur seals, which can be aggressive. You give animals right of way, and never block a penguin's path to the sea. You clean boots and kit before each landing so that seeds and soil do not travel between sites. It sounds strict. In practice it makes the experience better: the animals behave naturally because they are not disturbed.

If you are travelling with a tour operator, you will usually not need to arrange any permit yourself. The UK government's guidance notes that the operator would normally handle this.

Questions to ask before you book

Two ships of the same size can offer very different trips. Before you commit, it is worth asking the operator a few direct questions:

• How many passengers does the ship actually carry on this voyage, and how are landings rotated if there are more than 100?
• How many landings and Zodiac cruises do they aim for each day, weather allowing, and how many days are spent at sea?
• Is kayaking, camping or snowshoeing offered, and does it need booking in advance?
• What is the expedition team's background, and how many naturalists, historians and guides are on board?
• What happens if the weather cancels a landing or delays a flight?

Good operators answer all of these readily. Vague answers are a warning sign.

How we would choose

Start with the month, because it fixes what you will see:

• Penguin courtship and pristine ice: November.
• Penguin chicks and the longest days: late December to January.
• Whales, softer light and value: February to March.

Then choose the ship, favouring the smallest you can afford, and decide how you feel about the Drake. If seasickness would spoil the trip, a fly-cruise is worth the premium. If it would not, a crossing on a well-run small ship is the more complete experience.

Finally, think about time. Allow a night or two in Buenos Aires, Santiago or Punta Arenas before you depart, so that a delayed flight from London does not cost you the voyage. Our adventure ideas show how we build the whole journey, with Patagonia on the way there or back if you have the time.