The hardest thing about getting to Antarctica has now been made easy

September 5, 2026 — 5:00amTravellers keen to see Antarctica, surely cruising’s ultimate destination, are often put off by grim accounts of crossing the Drake Passage between the southern tip of South America and the Antarctic Peninsula, which takes two days – and another two back.Social media is full of spectacular videos of cruise ships plunging through violent seas as wind howls and waves the size of hills wash over the decks. Crockery smashes, furniture slides. They’re enough to alarm even the most stalwart cruiser, never mind anyone susceptible to seasickness.A flight with DAP Antarctic Airways, which operates out of Patagonia, can eliminate a crossing of Drakes Passage.I must admit I’m one of them. I was put off visiting Antarctica myself for many years. The thought of having to endure rough seas for four days isn’t my idea of pleasure, no matter the rewards of frozen landscapes and penguin colonies.I plucked up courage in the end, and Antarctica proved an undoubtedly great sight. But I was lucky: the crossing of the Drake Passage – and the South Atlantic to South Georgia – proved uneventful, if not an entirely smooth sailing.There is a way around the Drake Passage however – or more accurately, a way over it – with more and more travellers opting for fly-cruise packages.Sign up for the Traveller newsletterThe latest travel news, tips and inspiration delivered to your inbox. Sign up now.With Silversea, for example, guests fly from its new resort in Puerto Williams in Chile to King George Island in Antarctica on a charter plane that takes two hours instead of two days. They get a scenic overview of snow-covered mountains on the approach, and Silversea’s expedition ship awaits in the bay.Silversea’s luxury expedition cruise ship Silver Explorer.The flights cut out four days of travel, which means anyone short on time can fit in Antarctica; Silversea offers six-day itineraries. That has been a boon to increasingly younger expeditioners, many of whom are still working.Other cruise lines that offer fly-cruise or fly-fly options, usually from Punta Arenas in Chile, include AdventureSmith Explorations, Atlas Ocean Voyages, Aurora Expeditions and Quark Expeditions. Polar Latitudes is introducing fly-cruise options in the 2027-28 season.One of the leading fly-cruise operators and a pioneer of the concept, Antarctica21, is responding to demand by adding another ship, the 76-guest Magellan Discoverer, to its fleet in 2026-27.Lindblad has added more departures to its fly-cruise packages in Antarctica.Gentoo penguins are the wildlife stars of a trip to Antarctica.iStockAnd Lindblad Expeditions has added many more departures to its Antarctica fly-cruise program, which only launched in late 2024 with four itineraries. That’s now up to 24 itineraries, with options to fly one or both ways from Puerto Natales in Chile, which is the gateway to Torres del Paine National Park for those wanting a land extension.There are drawbacks. Flights, which are operated by Antarctic Airways (DAP), are an expensive extra add-on to what are already among the world’s most expensive cruises. And in a region of unpredictable weather, flights can be cancelled.The Drake Passage is often called a rite of passage. If you want to be rolled about, seasick or perhaps even confined to your cabin, then, by all means endure it. If not, then do Antarctica the easier way.Brian Johnston seemed destined to become a travel writer: he is an Irishman born in Nigeria and raised in Switzerland, who has lived in Britain and China and now calls Australia home.From our partners