Highlights of Antarctica
A complete 12-day journey combining five expedition days in Antarctica with a Buenos Aires hotel, return flights to Ushuaia and the space of HX’s modern hybrid-powered ships.
Why we picked it
We picked Highlights of Antarctica because it adds a genuinely different option to our collection. The five Antarctic expedition days sit inside a particularly complete package, while the larger ships provide more space, more facilities and a steadier platform for travellers concerned about comfort on the Drake.
The trade-off is important. With up to 490 guests, landings must operate in rotations under the 100-person ashore limit. Choose HX for its combination of expedition time, onboard comfort, science programme and convenient inclusions—not because it will operate like a ship carrying fewer than 100 guests.
Travellers wanting a comfortable, all-inclusive expedition with fewer separate arrangements to organise.
Five Antarctic days plus the Buenos Aires hotel, domestic flights, drinks and extensive onboard facilities.
Expect structured landing rotations and extra charges for optional kayaking, snowshoeing and camping.
The Expedition Advisory difference
Why book this voyage with us?
Choose your voyage and cabin with confidence. We’ll help with the rest of your journey.
Operator Pricing
You pay the expedition operator’s fare. We check applicable offers and promotions for your voyage. Our advice and booking support cost you nothing extra.
Independent Advice
Compare this voyage with other Antarctic options. We match the ship, season and cabin to your priorities. We search all available itineraries from our partner operators, including voyages not listed on our website.
Field Experience
Our polar guiding experience helps you understand the crossing, time ashore and daily expedition life before you choose.
Beyond the Cruise
Your trip overview brings together recommended flight routes, buffer days, travel and packing tips. You can also book a hotel and transfer package through us.
Personal advice · No obligation · No advisory fees
Voyage overview
The journey begins with an included night in Buenos Aires before the group flies south to Ushuaia. Two days crossing the Drake Passage allow time for lectures, biosecurity, the mandatory IAATO visitor briefing and practical preparation for the first excursion.
Five days are allocated to the Antarctic Peninsula. The captain and expedition leader shape the programme around weather, ice and wildlife, normally combining escorted landings with cruising among ice in small expedition boats. Back aboard, the Science Centre, lectures and generous public spaces keep the expedition going between outings.
Day-by-day plan
Buenos Aires
Check into the included hotel and begin the journey in Argentina’s capital. The night provides a useful buffer before the early flight south, although international timings may make an additional hotel night sensible.
Fly to Ushuaia and embark
Transfer from the included hotel to the airport and fly to Ushuaia in economy class. After boarding, meet the expedition team, locate the Science Centre and become familiar with the ship before sailing through the Beagle Channel.
Drake Passage southbound
The outward crossing is used for wildlife watching, lectures and expedition preparation. Everyone attends the IAATO visitor briefing and completes biosecurity checks so that outerwear, bags and equipment do not carry foreign material ashore. The team also explains expedition-boat boarding, landing procedures and how the activity rotations work.
The ships’ greater mass can reduce movement compared with a smaller vessel, but no hull removes the motion of open ocean. These sea days are also time to explore the lounges, pool, hot tubs, sauna and Science Centre.
Five days in Antarctica
Each morning begins with the latest assessment of ice, wind and wildlife. One group may be ashore while another cruises among ice, attends an activity or spends time aboard, with the schedule rotating through the day. Possible experiences include penguin-colony visits, viewpoints above glaciated bays, historic sites and quiet time watching seals or whales from the small boats.
IAATO permits no more than 100 visitors ashore at a landing site at one time. On a ship carrying up to 490 guests, that means several groups rather than one simultaneous landing. HX’s large expedition operation creates meaningful alternatives, but the programme is necessarily more structured than on a sub-100-guest ship.
The exact route is deliberately flexible. December and January bring nesting penguins and chicks, while February and March are often strongest for whales. Conditions and wildlife—not a fixed port list—determine the final experience.
Drake Passage northbound
Return towards South America with time for final lectures, reviewing photographs and using the ship’s facilities. The return crossing often feels calmer in pace as the expedition team draws together the wildlife, science and history encountered during the voyage.
Ushuaia and Buenos Aires
Disembark in Ushuaia and take the included flight back to Buenos Aires. We will help you judge whether your international connection needs another hotel night and advise on the travel required to reach and leave the included arrangements safely.
More ship, more structure
These ships provide far more room on sea days and can feel reassuring in rough water. In Antarctica, their size requires carefully managed landing rotations. That is neither automatically good nor bad—it is the central trade-off we help clients understand before booking.
Dates, cabins and your quote
October 2026–March 2028
HX operates this voyage repeatedly aboard MS Roald Amundsen and MS Fridtjof Nansen. Public fares vary materially by date, ship and cabin, and promotions are capacity controlled.
MS Roald Amundsen & MS Fridtjof Nansen
Sister ships built in 2019 and 2020, each carrying up to 490 guests. Both combine hybrid propulsion with a Science Centre, multiple dining spaces, pool, hot tubs, sauna, fitness room and generous observation areas.
Life aboard MS Roald Amundsen
MS Roald Amundsen entered service in 2019 and carries up to 490 guests. Its outside cabins, balcony choices and suites sit alongside a Science Centre, lounges, restaurants, pool, hot tubs, sauna and gym. The larger platform offers comfortable sea-day facilities, while shore visits and small-boat outings are managed in groups. Highlights of Antarctica also operates aboard sister ship MS Fridtjof Nansen. These photographs show MS Roald Amundsen; we confirm your ship and exact cabin layout for the selected departure.
Choose your cabin
Compare the representative categories below, then request a quote for the actual cabin and view. Some balcony cabins have restricted views. MB and MF suites have large windows rather than balconies; a private hot tub is a feature of selected categories, not every suite.
Polar Outside · RR
Window · twin or double arrangement
An outside cabin for travellers who plan to spend much of the day on deck or ashore.
More photos
Arctic Superior · XT
Private balcony
A balcony cabin with seating space. Some Roald Amundsen cabins have a restricted view; ask us to check the cabin number.
More photos
Expedition Suite · ME
Private balcony · seating area
A suite with more room to unwind, plus the operator’s suite dining and service benefits.
More photos
Corner Suite · MC
Private balcony with hot tub
A corner suite for travellers who place a high value on private outdoor space.
More photos
Extra-Large Suite · MA
Private balcony · separate seating
A spacious corner suite with generous windows and a separate living area.
More photos
What the voyage includes
- One Buenos Aires hotel night with breakfast
- Return economy flights between Buenos Aires and Ushuaia
- Transfer from the included hotel to the airport
- Accommodation and all daily meals aboard
- Coffee, tea, soft drinks, wine, beer and spirits
- Planned landings and expedition-boat cruising
- Lectures, Science Centre and citizen science
- Windproof and waterproof expedition jacket
- Wi-Fi, with streaming unsupported
- Professional voyage photographs and use of ship facilities
Let’s find your expedition
Tell us your wishes, dates and questions. We’ll help you choose with confidence.