How to Go to Antarctica: A Guide for the Serious Expeditioner

You are considering Antarctica. Good. Before you are lost in images of emperor penguins and calving glaciers, there is a fundamental question you must answer for yourself: how do you intend to experience it?

The answer is not a minor detail; it is the foundation of your entire endeavour. It dictates the cost, the preparation, and the very nature of the journey. You have two primary paths: an expedition cruise ship along the coast, or a specialised aircraft that takes you deep into the continent’s interior for a land-based expedition.

Forget about kit lists for a moment. The single most important first step is to be honest about what you want from this.

Are you drawn by the idea of watching whales breach from the deck of a ship as it navigates icy channels? Or is your aim a raw, human-powered ski expedition towards the South Pole? These are two completely different worlds, each with its own logistics, cost, and physical demands.

This initial decision will filter every choice you make from this point. It sets your budget, your timeline, and the level of physical and mental resilience required.

A coastal expedition cruise is how most people first see the White Continent. These trips almost always depart from Ushuaia, Argentina, before making the infamous crossing of the Drake Passage to explore the Antarctic Peninsula. Here, the focus is on wildlife and landscapes, with daily Zodiac landings to approach penguin colonies and seals. It is a remarkable way to witness the continent’s raw, coastal beauty. If you're curious about the animals you may encounter, we have covered them in our guide to animal life in Antarctica.

A land-based expedition, on the other hand, is an entirely different undertaking. These journeys typically begin with a flight from Punta Arenas, Chile, landing at the Union Glacier Camp ( 79° 46′ 40″ S, 83° 19′ 15″ W ), which serves as the main logistical hub for deep-field operations. From this base, adventurers set out on ski expeditions, such as the classic "Last Degree" ski to the Geographic South Pole. This is not a casual trip; it means hauling a pulk weighing 45-50kg for weeks across the high polar plateau.

This graphic breaks down the basic flow for each approach.

As you can see, your entry point and mode of travel depend entirely on whether you are aiming for coastal observation or an inland challenge.

Choosing the right expedition organisation is not about finding a bargain. It is about entrusting your safety—and the success of your objective—to a team whose competence has been proven where it matters: on the ice.

Antarctica is a place where credibility is earned, not claimed. A slick website means nothing when you are facing a whiteout at -30°C . Your vetting must be ruthless, focusing on an operator’s real-world logistics, safety protocols, and the depth of experience in their guides.

The term 'Antarctic expedition' can mean many things. It is vital you understand the different levels of commitment and intensity so you can align your physical and mental preparation with the reality of what is ahead.

Two of the most common human-powered journeys are:

• The Last Degree: This is where you are flown to the 89°S latitude line to ski the final degree—about 111 kilometres (69 miles) —to the Geographic South Pole. It is an immense challenge, typically taking 8-12 days on the ice, skiing for 8-10 hours daily whilst pulling a pulk.
• Coast to Pole: A completely different beast. This is a far more demanding, classic expedition in the spirit of Amundsen and Scott. You start from a coastal point like the Ronne Ice Shelf or Hercules Inlet and ski the entire 1,130+ kilometres (700+ miles) to the Pole. This is a 45-60 day commitment, a challenge undertaken by explorers like Ben Saunders and endorsed by figures such as Jordan Wylie MBE.

The physical and psychological demands of these two routes are worlds apart. A Last Degree requires serious fitness and resilience. A full coast-to-pole expedition demands a level of endurance and mental fortitude that few possess.

When you begin speaking to potential operators, your questions must be sharp and specific. If you receive vague answers, that is a red flag. An experienced, transparent team will have clear, immediate answers for these fundamentals.

You must ask:

• Guide Experience: Who are the guides? What are their specific polar qualifications? How many Antarctic seasons have they completed? Crucially, have they led this exact route before? You are looking for leadership experience, not just someone who has been a participant.
• Guide-to-Client Ratio: What is the ratio on the ice? A lower number, like 1:2 or 1:3 , is what you want. It allows for far better risk management and individual support when conditions are difficult.
• Medical and Evacuation Plans: What is their exact contingency plan for a medical emergency? How does their medevac protocol work from the high plateau, and what is a realistic timeframe for extraction? Who makes the final call to remove someone from the ice?
• Provided Training: Do they provide a mandatory training programme? A serious operator will insist on it. Pre-expedition training, like the courses we run in Iceland or Svalbard, is designed to build hard skills in navigation, camp craft, and team dynamics before you ever set foot in Antarctica.

Ultimately, you are looking for an organisation built on quiet competence. The teams that have genuinely been there and done it do not need to shout about it. Their track record, the calibre of their guides, and the clarity of their safety procedures should speak for themselves.

This due diligence is a non-negotiable part of your journey, and it begins long before you fly to your logistical hub. You can learn more about the final launch point for most inland expeditions in our detailed look at the gateway to Antarctica, Punta Arenas.

When it comes to Antarctica, timing is not just a detail—it is everything. You cannot decide to go on a whim. The continent’s gates open for an incredibly narrow window, dictated entirely by the raw, uncompromising polar environment.

Antarctica is only accessible to expeditioners during the brief austral summer, which runs from November through to February. The rest of the year, a combination of brutal cold, unending darkness, and impassable sea ice makes any meaningful travel impossible. Your entire plan must pivot around this short, intense season.

Even within this short season, conditions can shift dramatically month by month. Picking the right time depends on what you are trying to achieve.

• November: This is the start of the season. You will find pristine, untouched snow after the long winter and get 24 hours of daylight . But it is cold. Temperatures often drop below -30°C (-22°F) .
• December: The temperatures begin to ease slightly. It is a popular time for Last Degree expeditions, with many teams aiming to reach the Pole around Christmas.
• January: Often seen as the 'peak' of the season, January can offer more stable weather windows. This is critical for anyone attempting a summit like Vinson Massif or for teams on long traverses who need to make consistent progress day after day.

Choosing your month is a tactical decision. If you wish to dive deeper into this, have a read of our more detailed breakdown of the best time to travel to Antarctica for your expedition.

Antarctica is not owned by any single country. Instead, it is governed by a unique international agreement called the Antarctic Treaty System. This framework dedicates the entire continent to peace and scientific research, with strict environmental protection at its heart. Any expedition—no matter how small—must abide by these rules.

For British nationals, this means going to Antarctica requires more than a plane ticket. You are legally required to secure a permit from the UK Government.

Obtaining the permit is a serious process. It is designed to ensure your trip is environmentally sound, that you have a robust safety and contingency plan, and that you are properly insured for search and rescue and medical evacuation. A good operator will guide you through the paperwork, but the responsibility is ultimately yours.

This formal process continues a long tradition of organised British exploration. Think of it as stepping into the boots of Britain's Antarctic pioneers like Robert Falcon Scott. His Discovery Expedition of 1901-1904 was the first official British deep-dive into the frozen unknown since James Clark Ross's voyage sixty years earlier. This monumental journey, costing £90,000 —around £7.25 million in today's money—was meticulously planned and partly government-funded. It set the precedent for the structured, permitted expeditions we undertake today.

You can learn more about this history and the UK's Antarctic timeline on britishantarcticterritory.org.uk.

An Antarctic expedition is not won on the ice. It is won in the months of relentless, intelligent preparation that come before it. The continent itself is the final examination, not the training ground. Arriving unprepared, physically or mentally, is to invite failure.

Your physical preparation must be specific and functional. General gym fitness is a good start, but it is not sufficient when you are hauling a 50 kg pulk through sastrugi for eight hours straight in high winds. The bedrock of polar fitness is long-duration, low-intensity cardiovascular endurance .

This is about building an engine that can simply go all day, day after day. It means hours on your feet, not minutes in the gym.

Your training needs to mimic the specific stresses of the trip. That means getting off the treadmill and getting comfortable with being uncomfortable.

• Weighted Pack Marches: Begin by slinging a 15-20 kg rucksack on your back and heading out for long, multi-hour treks over whatever rough terrain you can find. This builds the core and stabiliser muscles you will need for pulling.
• Tyre Pulling: It is a classic for a reason. This is the single most effective way to simulate hauling a pulk. Rig a harness to an old car tyre and drag it for hours across fields, trails, or beaches. It is not glamorous, but it is brutally effective at building both the specific strength and the mental grit required.
• Functional Strength: Beyond pure endurance, you need practical strength for setting up camp and living on the ice. This means core work like planks and deadlifts for shifting heavy gear, and upper-body strength for tasks like wrestling a Hilleberg tent up in a gale.

If you wish to know where you stand, some professional VO2 Max testing can provide critical data on your aerobic fitness. It gives you a hard number to work from.

A solid training plan is your first line of defence against the physical demands of Antarctica. Below is a table outlining the key areas to focus on during your preparation.

This table summarises the key physical and mental training components for a human-powered Antarctic expedition.

This framework is not just about getting fit; it is about systematically building the competence and confidence you will rely on every single day on the ice.

The physical challenge is only half the story. The Antarctic high plateau is a vast, isolated, and unforgiving place. Your mind will be tested far more than your muscles. Mental preparation is not an abstract concept; it is a skillset you must actively develop.

The history of polar exploration offers the starkest lessons here. Think of the Terra Nova Expedition (1910-1913), where Robert Falcon Scott arrived at the South Pole on 17 January 1912 , only to find he had been beaten by Roald Amundsen's team by 34 days . On the return journey, hunger, illness, and -40°C blizzards claimed the entire party. That history underscores the absolute necessity of preparation.

You must train your decision-making. This means finding structured environments where you can test yourself before the stakes become life and death. It involves learning to manage group dynamics when you are confined with the same few people for weeks on end.

This is the core philosophy of our training at the Pole to Pole Academy. Confidence without proven competence is dangerous. We use places like Iceland and Svalbard to build these skills in a systematic way.

Our programmes are designed to expose you to controlled hardship. You will learn to navigate in a whiteout, manage your layering system to prevent hypothermia, and execute flawless tent routines when your fingers are numb. This is how you build real resilience—by facing and overcoming challenges in a structured setting, guided by people who have done it for real.

The goal is to make these skills so automatic that when you face them in Antarctica, you react with calm efficiency, not panic. You learn that you do not fight nature; you learn to live within it. This is the foundation upon which every successful expedition is built.

Let us be clear: in Antarctica, your equipment is not just gear. It is an extension of you. It is your life support system.

Every single item, from your innermost base layer to the tent that shields you from the wind, has a critical job. There is no room for subpar kit or untested theories here.

The entire game in an environment where temperatures regularly drop below -30°C is layering. But it is not just about warmth; it is about aggressively managing moisture. Sweat is your biggest enemy. Once it freezes inside your clothing, your insulation is compromised, and hypothermia becomes a very real, very rapid threat.

This is why we build our clothing systems from the inside out. It all starts with high-quality merino wool or synthetic base layers (such as those made by Fjällräven) that pull moisture away from your skin. Over this, you will add multiple mid-layers—fleece, down—giving you the flexibility to regulate your temperature as you ski, build camp, or stop for a break. It is not about one big, thick jacket; it is a versatile system you constantly adjust.

Your hands, feet, and face are non-negotiable priorities. Frostbite is a constant and insidious risk, and you must be vigilant. Your setup here should be multi-layered and robust:

• Gloves and Mitts: You need a system. Thin liner gloves for dexterity, insulated fleece gloves for warmth, and massive, oversized expedition mitts (down or synthetic) as your final fortress against the cold.
• Footwear: Insulated polar boots are the standard, but your sock system is just as crucial. A thin liner sock paired with a thick wool or synthetic sock is a proven combination. The key is ensuring your boots are not too tight—that restricts blood flow and is a fast track to cold injury.
• Headwear and Goggles: A warm beanie, a balaclava, and a neck gaiter or buff create overlapping layers to protect your head and face. You will need high-quality, category 4 glacier goggles to prevent snow blindness from the intense reflected sunlight.

Your shelter, likely a robust tunnel tent like a Hilleberg, is your refuge. These tents are designed to withstand the ferocious katabatic winds that scour the high plateau. Knowing how to erect one efficiently in high winds, whilst wearing gloves, is a skill you must practise until it is pure muscle memory.

Your physical readiness is just as vital as your equipment. Before any reputable operator takes you on, you must pass a comprehensive medical examination signed off by your doctor. This is not a box-ticking exercise.

You must be completely honest about any pre-existing medical conditions. Hiding something to get on the team is irresponsible and puts not only you but everyone else in danger. Medical evacuation from the Antarctic interior is incredibly complex, entirely weather-dependent, and a last resort. It is never guaranteed.

One mandatory requirement people often overlook is dental clearance. An issue like an abscess or a broken filling is a simple problem at home. On the ice, it is a serious, potentially expedition-ending crisis. A full dental check-up and sign-off within six months of your departure is standard protocol. You must have it done.

We have covered the broader strategy of getting to Antarctica, but it is the practical details that often make the difference. Here are direct answers to the questions we hear most from people ready to take the next step.

The cost for an Antarctic journey varies massively depending on what you are trying to achieve. A tourist cruise can start around £5,000 and climb past £20,000, driven by the trip's length and the ship's level of comfort.

A true expedition is a different matter. A guided ‘Last Degree’ ski to the South Pole is a huge logistical operation, and the cost reflects that, typically falling between £50,000 and £70,000 . If you are aiming for a full coast-to-pole ski, that figure can easily push past £100,000. These numbers cover the complex safety infrastructure, world-class guides, specialised gear, and provisions required to operate safely in one of the most hostile places on Earth.

For many guided trips, including a ‘Last Degree’ trek, you do not need a CV filled with polar expeditions.

What you do need—and this is non-negotiable—is a high level of physical fitness, proven mental resilience, and a serious commitment to learning the required skills. Reputable operators make these journeys accessible to motivated individuals by providing mandatory, in-depth training. These courses are where you will learn everything from how to operate a stove at -30°C to navigating in a whiteout. Your determination to prepare is far more valuable than a logbook of past trips.

You need to be thinking and booking at least 12 to 18 months in advance . This is a hard requirement.

There are a few critical reasons for this long lead time:

• Permits: Applications with government bodies like the UK’s FCDO are lengthy and detailed.
• Preparation: This timeframe gives you a realistic window to dedicate yourself to the physical and mental training programme required.
• Equipment: You will need time to source, purchase, and—most importantly—test every piece of your specialised kit.
• Availability: Expedition operators only have a handful of spots each season, and they often sell out more than a year before departure.

Your expedition is a reflection of your preparation. At Pole to Pole , we provide the structured training and expert guidance necessary to build competence before confidence. Explore our signature challenges and Academy courses. Learn more at poletopole.com.