Antarctica is one of the planet’s last true frontiers of exploration. For centuries, it has drawn people from all over the world who wanted to discover the unknown.
Gondwana Ecotours is running Antarctica tours, with the inaugural departure in early 2028. We are thrilled to offer our guests this incredible opportunity to experience Terra Australis, the great southern land. This blog outlines what you can expect to see on the tour, provides details of the itinerary, and explains what makes this Gondwana Ecotours Antarctica tour so special.
What can guests expect to see on the Antarctica tour?
On this Antarctica tour, guests can expect an extraordinary combination of abundant wildlife, dramatic scenery, and fascinating history.
The wildlife that thrives in the rich waters of the Southern Ocean is remarkable. The cold waters are teeming with krill, which sustains populations of humpback and minke whales. And of course, there is the thrilling possibility of spotting orcas. You may spot Weddel seals and crab-eater seals swimming through the water or hauled out on the ice. We may also encounter huge leopard seals, an apex predator in the Antarctic polar regions.
Penguins are icons of the Antarctic, and the groups of Adélies, gentoos, and chinstraps will be hard to miss. We’ll also encounter seabirds like albatrosses and petrels, watching their high-speed aerial acrobatics from the ship. All of this unfolds in a landscape made up of an ever-changing palette of blues and whites, surrounded by 360-degree views of mountains and glaciers.
As well as natural history, we’ll learn about human history on the great Southern Continent. With shipwrecks, historic sites, active research stations, and huts preserved from past adventures, there is so much to learn about Antarctica’s fascinating history of exploration. Our guests will experience the remarkable intersection of science, history, and untamed wildlife.
What does the trip entail?
Gondwana Ecotour’s Penguins and Polar Frontiers Antarctica tour has been designed as a fully integrated expedition rather than a standalone cruise. This journey includes far more than simply time on the ship.
This fully comprehensive experience starts when you arrive in Buenos Aires, with private airport transfers and time to relax after a long journey. While we’re in Buenos Aires, we’ll enjoy a guided tour of the city’s most iconic landmarks and neighborhoods. In the evening, we’ll be introduced to Argentina’s vibrant culture with a traditional tango show.
The next day, we get one step closer to Antarctica when we fly to Ushuaia, known as El Fin Del Mundo — the “End of the World”. During our time in Ushuaia, we’ll explore Tierra del Fuego National Park, where our guides share insights into the region’s history, wildlife, and landscapes.
Ushuaia is the gateway to Antarctica. This is where we board the ship, our home for the next nine days. After being greeted by the Expedition Team and settling in, we’ll celebrate the beginning of our Antarctic Voyage with the Captain’s Welcome Dinner. Once we have sailed our way down the Beagle Channel, we pass into the open ocean and begin our journey across the legendary Drake Passage, keeping watch for albatrosses, petrels, and whales.
This voyage is an enriching experience. You’ll have the opportunity to attend engaging presentations from naturalists, historians, and scientists, take part in photography workshops, and contribute to citizen science projects to enhance your understanding of the Antarctic environment. There are also lots of opportunities to enjoy the ship’s onboard amenities, including a jacuzzi, library, bar, and wellness center, complete with a spa and a gym.
Then, we’ll cross the Antarctic Convergence, the biologically rich transition zone that marks our true entrance into Antarctic waters. The first land we’ll see is the South Shetland Islands, a volcanic archipelago teeming with wildlife. Our route is crafted by the Expedition Team to highlight the best opportunities for wildlife viewing, Zodiac cruising, and shore landings.
During your adventure, we’ll explore Antarctica in a range of ways. From the ship, and even the balconies of our rooms, we’ll take in the expansive, awe-inspiring vistas. We’ll also go on cruises in Zodiac boats, weaving among sculpted icebergs, towering glaciers, and dramatic coastlines. These excursions provide another perspective, allowing us to explore narrow channels and iceberg-rich bays that larger vessels cannot access. On land, we’ll discover hidden beaches and rocky outcrops teeming with life, perhaps coming across penguin colonies. For a more immersive experience, we offer an optional kayaking trip. This is unforgettable — a quiet, personal way to explore Antarctic waterways at eye level.
Every cruise and landing offers a new perspective and deepens your connection to this remarkable environment, highlighting the diverse wildlife, dramatic landscapes, rich history, and scientific importance of the Antarctic Peninsula. Whether from the ship, a Zodiac, a kayak, or on foot, we will discover and appreciate the wild beauty of one of the planet’s most extraordinary regions.
Once our time on our Antarctica tour is done, we set sail back toward the South American continent. When we land back in Ushuaia, we have time to relax and enjoy our accommodation at “the End of the World”, and the opportunity to hike in the beautiful forest of Lengas and Guindos, taking in views of the Andes. From Ushuaia, we fly back to Buenos Aires and onwards towards home.
Meet Dani Cantania: Expert Antarctic Guide
Dani Cantania is Gondwana Ecotours’ Head of Guiding and Operations and is an expert wildlife guide.
Dani has been guiding Antarctica tours for over 10 years and has completed 34 expeditions to the continent. He has worked on expedition teams and as an Assistant Expedition Leader, overseeing logistics, safety, and shore operations. Dani will be leading Gondwana Ecotours’ trips to Antarctica. His wealth of experience in coordinating landings and activities, and delivering lectures and briefings, will ensure a smooth, safe, and inspiring experience for our guests.
“Antarctica represents the last frontier. It is one of the few places on Earth that I can return to, again and again, and still feel the same sense of awe and wonder. I have fallen deeply in love with everything about it—the silence, the scale, and the purity of this pristine white world.”
What makes Gondwana Ecotour’s Antarctica tour special?
As with all the experiences Gondwana Ecotours offers, this Antarctica tour is designed with great care and intention. We carefully select our partners to ensure they align with our values, culture, and long-term vision. The ship we sail on is smaller than most cruise ships, offering a more intimate, personal experience. There are opportunities on the ship to hear from expert naturalists and historians, and to take part in citizen science projects. On board, we plan shared moments with our guests such as special lectures, informal talks, and fun activities to foster connection, learning, and a true sense of community throughout the journey.
Beyond the voyage itself, we also customize experiences for our guests before and after the Antarctic tour. From arrival in Buenos Aires—complete with airport transfers, a hotel stay, guided touring, and a tango experience—through internal flights, curated time in Ushuaia, and a small-group Antarctic expedition led by a Gondwana Trip Leader, the experience is thoughtfully comprehensive. This means our guests experience Argentina and Antarctica in a deeper, more authentic way.
In Antarctica, all zodiac cruises, landings, expert guides, crew gratuities, and an optional guided kayaking outing are included. This gives you the peace of mind to avoid worrying about logistics.
This Antarctica tour is special because of the way we travel. We journey together as friends, sharing experiences, learning from one another, and connecting deeply with the place and with each other. It’s about teaching, learning, and celebrating the beauty of our planet—coming together as one group to experience something extraordinary.
Why has Gondwana Ecotours decided to run trips to Antarctica?
Gondwana Ecotours has decided to offer Antarctica tours because we know we can provide our guests with the opportunity of a lifetime. This is about more than checking something off a bucket list — the otherworldly environment of Antarctica truly offers an adventure like nowhere else. We know that Antarctica is somewhere our community wants to travel to, and we know what a phenomenal experience visiting Antarctica is from our team’s first-hand experiences.
We also know there are many logistics involved in an Antarctica cruise, and that we could make the process easier and more enjoyable by thoughtfully designing a comprehensive adventure that allows guests to focus purely on the experience of the expedition. Our in-house expertise and first-hand experience in the Antarctic enable us to craft an experience that offers our guests the best of Antarctica and a taste of Argentina.
