The number one question I have been getting about Antarctica is well how much did it REALLY cost to visit Antarctica? The short answer is a LOT. It is definitely the MOST expensive vacation I have ever been on and probably will ever go on (until I go back one day and do the 30+ day cruises). This post will break down the total cost to visit Antarctica and give ideas on ways to save or stretch your dollars.
Table of Contents
What is the Minimum Amount I Might Spend?
Antarctica cruises themselves range anywhere from $2100 to upwards of $45,000+. How much you spend depends on a large variety of things including the following criteria.
- Do you want to get off on land?
- How large of a ship do you want to be on?
- How long do you want to spend in Antarctica?
- What excursions do you want to be included?
- How luxurious of a cruise line do you want to be on?
Our total cost for visiting Antarctica was about $10,000. This included our round-trip flights from Los Angeles to Buenos Aires, the Antarctica cruise itself, onboard expenses, and a few nights in Buenos Aires post-cruise. This price does NOT include other expenses we had in Buenos Aires such as meals and activities.
Booking and planning EARLY for Antarctica (think 1.5-2 years in advance) will help you save a bundle of money. Conversely, if you have the time and flexibility, you can also score some decent last-minute deals.
What do I Need to Pay for to Visit Antarctica?
Note that different cruises may require different things. I visited Antarctica with Hurtigruten, so these costs are from my experience. They may vary depending on the company you use. Not sure which company to travel with? Read this post for more information on Antarctica cruise companies.
Accident/Evacuation Insurance
Cost: $0-$200ish
This is a mandatory cost to visit Antarctica. The majority of the expeditions require you to have additional evacuation insurance in case something happens to you on the continent. It is not cheap to be medi-vaced from Antarctica as it is so remote.
We were covered for this extra insurance thanks to my Chase Sapphire Reserve Card, so we did not have to buy an extra plan. It was totally worth keeping this card for the annual fee this year because it covered this extra insurance. Other travel credit cards may cover the extra insurance you need, but make sure to call the credit card company to confirm.
If you do not have a credit card that covers this extra insurance, your cruise line will have recommendations for you. It usually costs around $200.
Travel Insurance
Cost: $0+
Our Cost: $0
With how much an Antarctica trip costs, it is highly recommended that you get some extra travel insurance to cover it. Again, my travel credit cards covered this extra insurance. When our first cruise was canceled in December 2020, I had no problem getting refunds on the things that I booked.
Medical Declaration Form
Cost: $0-$200ish
Our Cost: $0
Most Antarctica Cruises will have you fill out a medical declaration form that has to be signed by your primary doctor. Since I am covered by insurance from my job, I did not have to pay anything for this. If you opt not to fill it out beforehand, you can have an onboard doctor do it but it will cost you a couple of hundred dollars.
The Cruise Itself
Cost: $2100 and up
Our Cost: $8200
The cruise itself is the bulk of the cost to visit Antarctica. This is not something you can really get at a discount or use points on. If you do NOT want to step foot on the continent, scenic cruises start at $2100 with Celebrity Cruises. I do not recommend this as if you are going to go all the way to Antarctica, you may as well get off and step foot on the continent.
However, if you opt to do one of the expedition voyages where you are able to step foot on the continent, these start at $5000. The cost varies depending on the month you travel to Antarctica and the length of the cruise. Since we went during the holiday season during the peak time to travel to Antarctica, ours was a little bit pricier than others.
To save money, you will want to go in November or March, on a shorter cruise. Quark has some of the cheaper expedition cruises. Also, you can save money by booking far in advance. We originally booked March 2019 for December 2020 and got a 15% discount for booking early.
Onboard Costs
Cost: Varies by person
Our Cost: $32
When on your cruise, you may or may not spend money onboard, so it is something to account for. On larger cruise ships, you will need to pay for things like all drinks, dining in specialty restaurants, or special events held onboard.
With expedition cruises, many include beer and wine with lunch and dinner. Ours did and we spent minimal money outside of that onboard. To be fair, we did have about $500 in shipboard credit that we used but had we not had that, we would not have bought as many drinks and other things on board.
Flights to Buenos Aires
Cost: $1000+
Our Cost: $1200
Flights to Buenos Aires were a HUGE cost. Originally for our cruise in December of 2020, I had found $800 flights round trip from Los Angeles to Buenos Aires. We ended up having to pay way more than that.
Depending on where you fly from you can find flights for a better deal. For example, Miami typically has some decent South America flight deals. New York and Houston are also pretty major South America hubs. So, you can always look into scoring a cheap flight to one of those cities if you find an amazing flight deal from there.
Another way to save on airfare is to use points. Buenos Aires is a major South America route, so you can typically find some decent routes to use points on if you plan far enough in advance. Using cars like the Venture X or the Chase Sapphire Reserve can help you accumulate the points you need to book your flights.
Flight to Ushuaia
Cost: $150-$300
Our Cost: $0
Another cost you may have is flying to Ushuaia, the main cruise port for Antarctica cruises. Our company included a charter flight to Ushuaia, so we did not have to work about that cost. However, the majority of the companies require you to get your own flights down to Ushuaia which range from about $150-$300. My friend Kay from The Awkward Traveller scored hers for $150.
You can also use points to book this flight if you want to save some money on your visit to Antarctica.
Excursions in Antarctica
Cost: $50+
Our Cost: $0
Another cost to visit Antarctica is any extra excursions you may want to do. This includes things like camping, kayaking, and snowshoeing. Each company does this differently. On Hurtigruten, you were only able to book excursions once you boarded the ship where a lottery was held. Therefore, we did not get to do any excursions.
On other cruises, you may book excursions when you book your cruise, or they may be included as part of your voyage. Depending on what activity you want to do, the costs will vary.
Extra Hotel Costs
Cost: $40 and up
Our Cost: $55
I highly recommend booking a pre and post cruise hotel. Depending on which cruise line you use, this could be in Buenos Aires or Ushuaia. I always make sure I have buffer time before and after the cruise in case something happens with the flights.
We flew in the day before our tour started in Buenos Aires and booked a very inexpensive hotel to stay at since we got in after midnight. The Hotel Waldorf cost us about $55 for the night and was one of the cheaper options I could find. Hotels in Ushuaia start at around $40.
Additional Cost to Visit Antarctica
Cost: Varies
Other costs to consider when planning an Antarctica trip include any extra time you may want to spend in places like Ushuaia, Patagonia, Buenos Aires, or across South America. We opted to spend 5 days in Buenos Aires and then another 5 days in Santiago, Chile in conjunction with our Antarctica trip.
When extending the time, make sure to factor in costs for transportation, meals, hotels, and any other activities you may want to do. For example, we opted to take a day trip to Colonia, Uraguay from Buenos Aires and did a wine-tasting tour from Santiago.
So How Do I Save Money on an Antarctica trip?
Kay from The Awkward Traveller has some money-saving tips for Antarctica in this post.
My advice is as follows:
- Book early (1+ year in advance)
- Book the slightly larger ship
- Book the shortest cruise
- Go in the Antarctica shoulder season (November and March)
- Use points for your airfare
- Use points for your pre/post-cruise hotels
- Utilize the Blue Market in Argentina
Overall, the cost to visit Antarctica is 100% worth it. We saved for several years to make this happen, and I did a couple of extra tasks at work to save a little extra money. While the cost is very high, make it a priority if you REALLY want to visit Antarctica, as it may not be around forever!
