Skip to content
Seventh
Continent
Plan my expedition

Route · from Punta Arenas, Chile (flight to King George Island)

Two hours in the air instead of two days at sea. A charter flight from Punta Arenas to King George Island in the South Shetlands, where you board your ship already in Antarctic waters — ideal when time is short or the Drake is a worry.

Plan this route
Mountain peaks rising above a layer of cloud seen from the air
Peaks emerging above cloud on the flight south
6–8 days
Fly over the Drake
Dec · Jan · Feb
From $12,000
Fly-cruise voyages trade the Drake crossing for a short flight across it. You board in the South Shetland Islands and are among glaciers and penguin colonies within hours rather than days, which makes a week-long trip genuinely worthwhile.
From Punta Arenas, Chile (flight to King George Island)
to Punta Arenas, Chile (flight from King George Island)

The trade-off is weather: flights to King George Island depend on conditions at a gravel runway at the edge of the world, and delays of a day or more do happen. We'll explain how each operator handles delays, and what your contingency days look like, before you book.

ANTARCTIC CIRCLE 66°33′ SDRAKE PASSAGEPunta ArenasSouth ShetlandsLemaire Channel
Indicative route · not to scaleDashed = flight

Placeholder — verify durations, prices and inclusions with partner operators before launch.

Duration

  • 6–8 days
  • Embark: Punta Arenas, Chile (flight to King George Island)
  • Disembark: Punta Arenas, Chile (flight from King George Island)

The Drake

  • Not crossed by sea
  • Flight to King George Island

Wildlife

  • Gentoo penguins
  • Chinstrap penguins
  • Humpback whales
  • Fur seals
  • Elephant seals

Best months

  • Dec
  • Jan
  • Feb

voyages

Tell us when, who and what you dream of seeing. One polar specialist will shortlist the right voyages, free and without obligation.

Plan my expedition