Planning Your Antarctica Cruise from Australia

In simple terms the Antarctic Peninsula, Falkland Islands and South Georgia open up for exploration in late October and early November and the season runs through until March (i.e. our Australian summer) when the shortening days and encroaching sea ice close this magical place to all but the hardiest visitor.  There is no bad time to go on an Antarctica cruise from Australia and below you’ll find a summary of the three seasons and the benefits of travelling at those times.

ANTARCTIC PENINSULA

In October and November the pack ice starts to break up and allows ice-strengthened ships to access a pristine landscape unexplored by humans since March the previous season. So this makes for a unique experience for your Antarctica Cruise from Australia.

As the season progresses more and more penguins (Adelie, chinstrap and gentoo) return to their colonies and are busy at first with courtship and mating and not long after settle to incubate their eggs.

SOUTH GEORGIA

If you would like to witness the dominant bull elephant seals battling for control of a harem of females on the beaches of South Georgia, you must take an early season voyage – leave it too long and the bulls will have headed out to sea. On the Peninsula the penguins are arriving and beginning their courtship displays.  Just as on the Antarctic Peninsula the penguins are also busy courting, mating and laying eggs.  Last seasons juveniles will still be in the colonies.  Wandering Albatross may also be seen re-establishing their bonds with their life-long partners.  Fur seals will be particularly active with females mating soon after giving berth to the new season’s young.

FALKLAND ISLANDS

Just as on the Peninsula and South Georgia activity on the Falklands Islands is well underway in October (being a little further to the North).  Five species of penguin (Rock-hopper gentoo, Magellanic, macaroni and king) will all be busy.  Several migratory bird species will also have arrived.

HIGH SEASON: LATE DECEMBER, JANUARY & EARLY FEBRUARY

ANTARCTIC PENINSULA

As the season progresses the daylight hours increase which all of the Antarctic peninsula’s wildlife makes use of; the beaches and hillsides are now hectic with tens of thousands (sometimes more) of penguins (Adelie, gentoo & chinstrap).  Not all penguins chicks hatch at the same time, as you go further south they generally hatch a little later (also as the tops of hills clear of snow and ice earlier than the base the penguins that grab the ‘top spots’ often have chicks earlier than those at the bottom of the hill).

With both parents at first taking turns to incubate and soon making ever more frequent fishing trips the colonies get busier and the chicks larger.  Chicks grow very quickly and as soon as they are mobile it can be very entertaining, quite chubby, slightly ungainly, hungry juveniles chasing their parents for some more krill.

Seals, skuas, petrels and penguins are all busy attending to their sub-adult young as the short Antarctic ‘summer’ will soon be over. Whales are ever present and as the season progresses they start to become more inquisitive (partially as they’ve been feeding for the last 2 months).

SOUTH GEORGIA

The early season snow will slowly be lost at lower levels (fresh snow can fall at any time), only the peaks will remain snow-capped. This can mean trekking opportunities from your Antarctic cruise from Australia are increased and the weather will always determine what’s possible (safe). Temperatures can vary significantly and over a very short period of time; if it’s sunny and the winds are lights (a relatively rare occurrence) it will be quite warm (10-15 degrees Celsius), if it’s cloudy and there are strong winds and snow it can feel bitterly cold (we’ll advise so you have appropriate clothing).

The beaches of South Georgia are soon littered with fur seal pups. The adult males of fur and elephant seals having completed their task have returned to the southern ocean for a much needed meal (the large bull elephant seals can lose over a third of their body weight during the breeding season).

King Penguins

Many of South Georgia’s beaches are also home to vast colonies of king penguins, several in their tens of thousands. Due to king penguins unsynchronised breeding and a 13-16 month breeding cycle you can usually witness courting, penguins with eggs in pouches above their feet (laid from November to April), brow fluffy chicks and adults throughout the year. The number of young in the colonies fluctuates (highest number in Dec/Jan/Feb) with larger brown fluffy juveniles forming large crèches whilst their parents are ‘gone fishing’.

South Georgia’s other penguins (chinstrap, Gentoo, macaroni) and four albatross species (black-browed, grey-headed, light mantled & wandering) will all be busy raising their chicks during the short Antarctic summer.

FALKLAND ISLANDS

As with South Georgia the days are long and the temperatures generally higher (average 12 degrees Celsius). The same systems that eventually reach South Georgia will also affect the Falkland Islands and a warm summer’s day can feel quite like a southern Australian coast (Phillip Island comes to mind) and it can still very occasionally drop below freezing.

Seals (seal lions and elephant seals), penguins (king, Gentoo, rock-hopper, macaroni & Magellanic) and perhaps over half a million black –browed albatross will all be busy raising their young.

LATE SEASON: LATE FEBRUARY & MARCH

ANTARCTIC PENINSULA

Please don’t assume ‘late season’ equates to bad time to go on an Antarctic cruise from Australia – it isn’t. The days are a little shorter and it’s still light for more than 12 hours of the day, plenty of time for all your excursions.

The penguin colonies will have large chicks that are losing their down and preparing to enter the place they are most at home in – the great southern ocean.

Leopard seals are also quite prominent during this time; simply as they know that sub-adult penguins learning to swim are easy prey. Fortunately for the penguins the number of these apex predators is relatively low.

Whales

It seems that by the end of February and during March most of the whales that are there for the summer feeding have achieved that goal and have more time to be inquisitive of the other visitors that don’t dive below the surface. Spy-hopping humpbacks are probably the most common easily seen whale species. Six other species can be seen (minke, orca, sei, sperm and very occasionally blue).

The other wonderful place to see whales is near the Antarctic convergence, where the warm northern waters meet to called southern water and this causes an upwelling of nutrient rich water which the whales love.

SOUTH GEORGIA & FALKLAND ISLANDS

Given both Island groups lie much further north (than the Antarctic Peninsula) the breeding seasons are extended a little. King penguin colonies will have sub-adult chicks and late season chicks.

Whales, who have been busy feeding throughout the Antarctic summer, seem to have more time now to investigate their visitors (us!); leopard seals have an easy time catching juvenile penguins who are taking their first swim – and then the brief season abruptly comes to a close.

So, when you are ready to take your Antarctic Cruise from Australia, there are a range of times to choose from, each with varying benefits.

ROSS SEA AND SUB-ANTARCTIC ISLANDS OF AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND

Ross Sea cruises operate in January and February; once the sea ice has broken up a little and before the Antarctic winter closes in again.  The Ross Sea region needs time and experience to successfully operate.  Our two favourite ships here are the Heritage Adventurer and Greg Mortimer.

The sub-Antarctic Islands (Macquarie (Australia), Auckland, Campbell, Enderby and Snares (New Zealand) are amazing destination in themselves. Some voyages just explore these islands, others combine with an expedition cruise to the Ross Sea.  We have experience of the region and the ships so please call 1300 784 794 and we’ll help you find the best cruise for you.

It’s difficult to provide a weather chart that would be valuable as Antarctica is a place of extremes. That said, on the Peninsula the daytime temperatures are often well above freezing. There is a saying that is quite apt – “There’s no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing”. We will advise what you should pack for your Antarctica Cruise from Australia (and what will be provided to you on board) to ensure the above maxim does not apply to you.

The Drake Passage can be the ‘Drake Lake’ (calm) or the ‘Drake Shake’ (rough) although, surprisingly, many voyages have relatively smooth crossings.

We have access to a wide range of wholesale airfares and have excellent relationships with our key airline partners.
Our main airline partner is LATAM Airlines.

Irrespective of whether you book directly with us or with your preferred travel agent, we’ll want to know the details of all of your fights – flight times frequently change and we want to make sure your transfers and other arrangements are amended accordingly.

NOTE: We only book flights in conjunction with tailor-made land (and sea) arrangements booked through us – we don’t book just flights, sorry.

There are a wide range of ships to travel on your Antarctica Cruise from Australia.  Visit the ships page to find out what makes each vessel unique.