Antarctica Cruise | Travel to Antarctica - TravelQuest International
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Antarctica Cruises

To cruise with TravelQuest is to cruise with a purpose—to witness a total eclipse of the Sun. Pretty much everything you’d expect to find on a regular cruise, you’ll find on a TravelQuest eclipse cruise: intriguing shore excursions, numerous shipboard activities, excellent dining options, and more. But on a solar eclipse cruise, there is an additional commitment. At some point during the cruise, the ship will sail to a predetermined spot in the ocean where we will witness one of the most awe-inspiring spectacles in nature—totality, when the Moon hides the face of the Sun for a few exhilarating minutes.

To see totality, you need to be in the right place at the right time. On December 4, 2021, a total eclipse touches one of the most challenging places on Earth to reach: Antarctica. TravelQuest’s Antarctica, South Georgia & Falklands Total Solar Eclipse Expedition Cruise includes a total solar eclipse and an Antarctica cruise—a rare combination that will not repeat for another 18 years.

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Why Cruise in Antarctica?

Antarctica is one of the last great wildernesses on Earth. It’s a place few have visited. A cruise in Antarctica is the best way to fully experience the White Continent. On TravelQuest’s 20-night cruise, you’ll enjoy first class service and amenities aboard National Geographic’s newest ship, the Endurance. As a fully stabilized, highly strengthened, ice-class Polar vessel, she is designed to navigate polar passages year-round. The day-by-day shipboard itinerary is flexible, so we can take advantage of rare wildlife sightings or perfect conditions for a late-day kayaking excursion. And thanks to the long hours of daylight (it’s late spring in the region), you can make the most of your time on the White Continent.

Your Antarctic expedition experience can be tailored to the activity level you choose. Daily programs on and around the Antarctic ice may include Zodiac cruises, easy hikes, and walking tours, with options for more physical activities such as longer hikes, biking, or kayaking, dependent on conditions. The Endurance’s fleet of both Zodiacs and kayaks means you’ll have a choice of activities each day and the option to join the naturalist whose interests mirror yours. This means you will not be just sailing past Antarctica, as so many other Antarctica cruises do. Instead, you’ll be spending six days on the islands and mainland of the Antarctic Peninsula, with their glacier-lined bays and snow-covered peaks.

Antarctica is a photographer’s paradise, and sailing with us will be a National Geographic photographer. You’ll get their insights on the challenges of photography in polar conditions and learn how to shoot great images from the very beginning of your trip. Icebergs, ice flows, ice-capped mountains, seals, penguins, sea birds, and possibly even whales. Incredible scenes abound, and you’re sure to return home with memory cards full of incredible scenes.

A Unique Cruise

As a company specializing in solar eclipse travel, we journey to specific locations where we can watch the Moon completely cover the Sun. On a TravelQuest eclipse cruise, an astronomy component is added to the normal cruise activities. Our on-board astronomers discuss the latest discoveries in astronomy, explain the science of eclipses, and describe what to expect on eclipse day. This is particularly important if you have never seen a total solar eclipse. Our astronomers have witnessed numerous totalities, and they will help you get the best images of this mind-bending event. Since they’re present during the entire cruise, you can pick their brains about the eclipse at meals, or after talks, or any time during our days at sea.

For this 20-night cruise, Lindblad Expeditions takes care of all the cruise logistics and expedition programming. Most of the 69 outside-facing cabins on the Endurance feature small balconies with floor-to-ceiling sliding doors that bring in the spectacular views and ample natural light. An open bridge features comfortable spaces to sit, enjoy the view, drink your coffee, and chat with the Captain and the ship’s officers.

Our Antarctica cruise isn’t limited to the White Continent. We will also sail to breathtaking South Georgia Island, the final resting place of Sir Ernest Shackleton, the renowned Antarctic explorer. The island teems with Antarctic wildlife including a vast penguin colony, home to tens of thousands of king penguins. After the solar eclipse, we’ll stop in the Falklands, islands that boast a wide array of seabirds, including albatross and king cormorants, plus large colonies of rockhopper and Magellanic penguins.

Our preferred eclipse-viewing position is near the start of the eclipse track, roughly halfway between the Falkland and South Georgia Islands. This places us outside the gloomiest parts of the Southern Ocean, at a location where the cloud cover is not as obstinate. We’ll keep our sailing plans flexible, and take advantage of real-time satellite images as well as hour-by-hour numerical models of the atmosphere. Working with the ship’s Captain, our astronomer-meteorologist can use the ship’s mobility to nearly double our chances of seeing the eclipse.

A total solar eclipse, a cruise in Antarctica, and a visit to a pair of amazing islands in the South Atlantic. This is a unique opportunity, not to be missed.

The Endurance’s Bistro Observation Lounge has floor to ceiling windows that maximum views of the stunning scenery. (Illustration courtesy Lindblad Expeditions)
Our cruise takes us to remote landscapes, including South Georgia Island, that few travelers have ever explored. (Photo by TravelQuest)
The cozy Lounge on the Endurance’s Observation Deck is a favorite spot to review the day’s adventures and plan tomorrows. (Illustration courtesy Lindblad Expeditions)

Join Us on Our Cruise in Antarctica

If you’ve never been on a cruise, this unusual voyage to Antarctica, South Georgia, and the Falklands, topped off by a total solar eclipse at sea, is an extraordinary way to start. If you have cruised previously, this amazing Antarctica cruise will surely rank as one of the best you’ve ever experienced. And for those who have previously journeyed far and wide to stand in the Moon’s shadow, our Antarctica, South Georgia & Falklands Total Solar Eclipse Expedition Cruise is a rare opportunity to combine totality, a cruise, and a visit to Antarctica. Extraordinary adventure is a guarantee every day of this Antarctic solar eclipse cruise. Very few cabins remain, so if this journey appeals, contact TravelQuest to learn more.

Header credit: Illustration courtesy Lindblad Expeditions.

The “diamond ring” signaling the conclusion of totality in 2009. The eclipse was viewed from a ship, which maneuvered just before totality in order to avoid clouds. (Photo by Rick Fienberg/TQ)

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