Adventure at Sea: An Explorer’s Guide to Antarctica

By Roxanne Hoorn

Let a fresh breath of pristine air ignite your sense of adventure as you sail into the world’s most remote and unexplored region: Antarctica. Towering glaciers and migrating whales welcome you as you embark on the experience of a lifetime. With 98 percent of its surface covered in ice, the landscape you’re entering feels otherworldly, with truly nowhere else like it on Earth.

Whether you’re kayaking among icebergs, spotting rare wildlife, or following in the footsteps of legendary Antarctic explorers, Silversea’s various Antarctic Expedition cruises take travelers to the polar region’s most inspiring locales. Join Silversea’s seasoned explorers and expert scientists for 6 to 15 days of thrilling yet luxurious adventure at the ends of the Earth, during the austral summer from October to March. Put on your parka and snow boots to check these six thrilling destinations off your Antarctic bucket list.

1. King George Island

Lying just outside the Antarctic Circle, King George Island is the largest of the South Shetland archipelago, and is home to a rich history. Your arrival here will give you your first glimpse of the natural beauty of the Antarctic, with striking cliffsides, gleaming glaciers, and glimpses of the region's iconic wildlife to leave you in awe.

To reach the island, travelers traditionally embark on a one-or-two-day journey through the famously unpredictable Drake Passage, a stretch of unruly sea below the tip of South America. Following in the footsteps of seafaring Antarctic explorers of centuries past, the trip across the passage is a thrilling expedition of its own — though the time at sea isn’t for everyone. For those more keen on reaching the ice smoothly than riding out towering waves, Silversea now offers a convenient option to skip the passage and maximize your time taking in the Antarctic landscapes.

The new Antarctica Fly Cruise whisks guests over the unpredictable ocean, providing breathtaking aerial views of the famous Drake Passage. This seamless travel package includes top-tier service starting right at your front door, featuring private charters and luxurious accommodations, so you can focus on enjoying the journey. Starting in January, 2026, The Cormorant at 55 South℠ — Silversea’s newest exclusive hotel in Puerto Williams, Chile — will serve as your gateway to the Antarctic. A quick two-hour flight transports travelers to the Last Continent, giving eager explorers more time amongst the penguins.

On King George Island, the colorful, internationally-staffed research stations belonging to nearly a dozen countries from around the world aren’t the only structures that may catch your eye. Standing in stark contrast to the flat, rugged landscape is a towering Russian Orthodox Church, reaching nearly 50 feet tall. The building made of Siberian pine was dismantled, shipped to the island and rebuilt to service the Russian-staffed Bellingshausen Station in 2002. The church still stands today, and is always manned by at least one priest. A short walk away from the Russian station is the Chilean Villa Las Estrellas, one of only two civilian settlements on the island (and in Antarctica!), complete with a post office, gym, souvenir shop—and another church!

Of course, the adventure doesn’t end here: King George Island serves as your gateway to the Antarctic, and from there you can go even further into the wilderness.

2. South Shetland Islands

A series of quick jaunts on the ship lands you among a constellation of more sub-Antarctic islands, with no shortage of geological wonders and opportunities for adventure. Step into explorer mode as you hike through a collapsed volcano caldera on Deception Island, formerly home to rugged whaling stations. For the full Antarctic experience, follow your hike with a soak in Pendulum Cove’s geothermal baths, or take on the adventurer’s rite of passage with a quick polar plunge among the icebergs off a black sand beach — where Silversea staff wait with warm towels and dry clothes.

In the outskirts of the South Shetland Islands, cruise past elephant seals basking on Elephant Island, a remote rock named for its boisterous residents. First spotted and named in the 1820s, this desolate speck in the ocean was later called home by the stranded crew of Shackleton’s Endurance, who survived four and a half months through the harsh Antarctic winter of 1916 — and miraculously lived to tell the tale.

3. Falkland Islands

Home to shipwrecks, a close-knit town of local residents, and five species of penguins and other iconic wildlife, the Falkland Islands are a favorite stop along several of Silversea’s cruises starting or ending in Puerto Williams. In the easternmost reaches of the islands, Bertha’s Beach — named for an eponymous ship wrecked there long ago— is a birdwatcher's paradise. The rocky beach is the perfect place to spot the largest breeding population of Gentoo penguins in the world, plus flocks of Magellanic penguins, terns, geese, and even the Falklands’ very own flightless ducks.

Port Stanley, the capital of the Falkland Islands, boasts a strong British influence, complete with quaint pubs, classic red phone booths, and plenty of stops for fish and chips. The town is home to three churches, including the southernmost Anglican cathedral in the world, as well as a stone church accompanied by an arch made of the jaw bones from two blue whales. Just outside of town, Boot Hill boasts a mysterious collection of abandoned shoes impaled on fence posts. You can also visit the Falklands’ Totem Pole, a collection of handmade signs listing various hometowns and their distance from these remote isles. Originally started by British troops, researchers, explorers, and visitors alike now leave their own mark in the Antarctic with signs of their own.

4. South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

This volcanic archipelago is home to diverse wildlife, along with a rich human history retold in the South Georgia Museum. Explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton played a role in four expeditions to Antarctica in the early 1900s, three of which he led personally. The fearless adventurer’s first voyage to the little-known land was as a lieutenant on the Discovery Expedition at the turn of the 20th century, a mission that paved the way for a new generation of Antarctic exploration. When it came time to take command of his own expeditions, Shackleton soon became famous for his many impressive feats, including coming within 100 miles of the South Pole in 1908 on the Nimrod expedition, and then in 1916 keeping the entire crew of the Endurance alive through winter after their ship was ravaged by ice. With the men still stranded on Elephant Island, Shackleton sailed 800 miles across the Southern Ocean in a lifeboat with a small crew, then landed on South Georgia and crossed towering, uncharted mountains on foot to alert the whaling station at Grytviken of the expedition’s predicament. After meeting his end from a heart attack in 1922 on his final expedition South, Shackleton’s wife insisted he be buried on South Georgia, in Grytviken’s cemetery— laid to rest amid a landscape he truly loved. His grave can still be seen there today.

At the time of Shackleton’s adventures the island was a hub for the British whaling industry. Over 175,000 whales were processed there, eventually decimating local cetacean populations. But since the decline of the industry in the 1960s, the region’s population of humpbacks, blue whales, and southern right whales have made impressive comebacks, and can be spotted swimming freely off the shores today. On land, colonies of tall king penguins and their shorter macaroni, gentoo, and chinstrap relatives number in the millions, often stretching as far as the eye can see.

5. The Antarctic Sound

Pops, crackles, and deep rumbles form an icy cacophony as your ship sails by tabular icebergs in this dramatic frozen seascape on the edge of the Weddell Sea. It’s not the vessel, but the glaciers themselves that produce the land’s music, ranging from low moans to thunderous roars as they melt, shift, and fracture. The massive ice chunks — calved from the Larsen Ice Shelf — form a formidable scene. But look closer, and the sea springs to life: penguins dive from stadium-sized icebergs, while seals and other wildlife thrive in the harsh environment they call their home.

Get an up-close look at the icy world’s surprising natural details by hopping in one of the fleet's smaller Zodiac boats, perfect for exploring hidden nooks and caverns. Your seasoned guide will expertly maneuver the vessel along ice cliffs and untouched shores teeming with diverse wildlife and ever-changing glacial features, igniting a sense of true discovery.

6. Antarctic Peninsula

Soak in the raw beauty of the polar south with two or more days in the Antarctic Peninsula, whether on Silversea’s Antarctica Fly Cruise or traditional sea-going expeditions. Break out your binoculars or your trusty camera to spot Weddell seals, pairs of Adélie penguins, and a wide array of other wildlife — both overhead and underfoot. Onboard, lectures by Silversea’s resident naturalists, biologists, and geologists bring the frozen world around you to life, with fascinating zoological facts as well as riveting true tales of past exploration and adventure.

While there’s endless beauty to admire from the ship, Silversea’s peninsula itineraries are packed with optional excursions designed for the true explorer. Get safely up close and personal with skyscraper-sized icebergs on a Zodiac cruise, or stretch your sea legs on a hike through snowfields and icy coastlines. Whatever path you choose, be sure to bask in the brilliance of the beauty around you. Let time on the seventh continent redefine what it means to be truly a resident of this planet, while making memories to last a lifetime.