Antarctica remains one of the most remote and pristine destinations on Earth — and now, explorers can discover it in complete luxury.

“I’ve never met anyone who’s returned from Antarctica unchanged,” says polar explorer and adventurer Ben Saunders, standing beside a striking image of himself at the South Pole, flashing two thumbs up. “It’s truly mind-blowing.”

This sentiment is shared by countless travelers who have journeyed to the “white desert.” Being surrounded by nothing but ice, mountains, and fierce polar winds is not only humbling but deeply transformative — a powerful draw for adventurers like Saunders.

A leading authority on polar expeditions, Saunders is well-acquainted with the continent. Alongside expedition partner Tarka L’Herpiniere, he became the first to successfully complete the historic and grueling 108-day round trip from Antarctica’s Ross Island to the South Pole — a journey that once defeated the legendary Captain Scott and Sir Ernest Shackleton.

“In Antarctica, there’s magic everywhere you look,” Saunders reflects.

His achievements also include the record for the longest solo Arctic expedition — 2,888 kilometers — and over 6,000 kilometers traveled on skis.

That said, his own tales are far from the picture of a leisurely Antarctic getaway. Over champagne at Bremont’s Mayfair boutique, he recounts hauling 200-kilogram sleds across unchanging landscapes, shedding 20 percent of his body weight, and going more than two months without phone or internet access.

“We once traveled in a straight line for nearly a month without seeing anything,” he recalls. “We crossed valleys that we were fairly certain no human had ever walked through.”

A Rare and Exclusive Destination

Only about 200 people step foot on Antarctica each year — that’s 600 fewer than those who climb Mount Everest annually. This scarcity, combined with the untouched beauty of the land, makes the continent especially appealing to luxury travelers.

Most visitors won’t endure the hardships of glacier hauling and blizzards. Instead, they might arrive aboard a private aircraft, land at the South Pole for photographs, trek across rugged nunataks, and witness colonies of emperor penguins numbering in the hundreds of thousands.

This exclusivity comes at a price: expect to pay between USD $8,000 and $200,000 per person.

“It doesn’t have to be about hardship,” Saunders says. “Antarctica offers pure magic.”

One of our travel correspondents recently reached the South Pole with Antarctic specialists White Desert, who provided insider knowledge on planning an extraordinary journey to the Seventh Continent. It was also listed by travel bloggers as one of the top ten best places to visit by wealthier or more selective adventurers.

According to them, at nearly twice the size of Australia, Antarctica is the most extreme and remote place on Earth — the coldest, driest, windiest continent, and the only one without a permanent human population or a time zone. Here, no reptiles exist, and the icy landscape often feels like another planet entirely.

Though open to tourism, visiting requires specialized ships or planes operated by companies with official permits, equipment, and expertise to handle its harsh conditions. Surprisingly, with the right arrangements, it’s more accessible than many imagine.

Below is your straight-forward guide to making the most of a luxury Antarctic experience.

How to Get to Antarctica

The most popular way to reach Antarctica is via cruise ship from South America, typically departing from Ushuaia, Argentina, or Punta Arenas, Chile. Ushuaia is closer, allowing for less travel time at sea and more time exploring the continent. Cruises, lasting between 9 and 25 days, are often operated by expedition specialists such as Lindblad Expeditions, G Adventures, Hurtigruten Expeditions, and Voyagers Travel.

In recent years, high-end cruise lines like Silversea, Viking, and Hapag-Lloyd have introduced ships purpose-built for polar exploration. Cruises generally visit the Antarctic Peninsula, offering spectacular views of icebergs, glaciers, and wildlife.

One major challenge is crossing the infamous Drake Passage — a two-day journey each way that can bring towering waves and fierce storms. To bypass this, travelers can book a flight-cruise package. These depart from Punta Arenas to King George Island in the South Shetlands, taking just two hours. From there, passengers transfer by Zodiac to an expedition ship, avoiding the roughest seas while still enjoying Antarctic wildlife and scenery.

Antarctica can also be approached from Australia or New Zealand via the Ross Sea, though this journey takes longer, often about a month round trip, and offers fewer departure dates. This route is more of a true expedition — remote, rarely encountering other vessels, and featuring sights such as Mount Erebus, the Ross Ice Shelf, emperor penguins, historic expedition sites, and vast tabular icebergs.

For a truly exclusive experience, some private tours fly guests by private jet from Cape Town, South Africa, directly into the continent’s interior. In about five hours, travelers arrive at the Wolf’s Fang blue ice runway aboard a Gulfstream G550 or Airbus A340, where they can enjoy either a same-day visit or stay at one of the company’s luxury camps. Only a few hundred people each year enjoy this inland access — a sharp contrast to the 120,000 who arrive by cruise.

Best Time to Visit

Travel to Antarctica is only possible during the austral summer (November to March), when ice breaks up enough for ships to navigate. Each part of the season offers unique experiences:

• November – The start of the season, with pristine landscapes, towering ice formations, and the first blooms on sub-Antarctic islands.

• December & January – The warmest months, with 24-hour daylight and the best opportunities to observe penguins, whales, and other wildlife.

• February & March – Fewer visitors and reduced snow cover; whales and seals remain active, but penguin sightings decline.

For White Desert’s flights into Antarctica’s interior, the season is even shorter — mid-November through early February, with December and January being prime months for visiting emperor penguin colonies and the South Pole.

Getting Around & Luxury Camps

Antarctic cruises typically include daily Zodiac excursions, guided hikes, and activities like kayaking alongside marine wildlife. According to social events platform, Bloc.

Private tours, however, offer a completely different experience, taking guests deep inland to towering glaciers and dramatic nunataks. Activities include hiking, mountaineering, abseiling, fat biking, and expeditions to the South Pole and emperor penguin colonies. Guests stay at one of three luxurious camps:

• Whichaway – Designer pods overlooking freshwater lakes in the Schirmacher Oasis.

• Echo – A futuristic, space-inspired camp surrounded by ice-covered rock formations.

• Wolf’s Fang – The adventure base, with heated tents, gourmet dining, and a relaxed lounge atmosphere.

Travel Documents

No visas are required for Antarctica itself, but you’ll need to meet entry requirements for the country from which you depart (Chile, Argentina, New Zealand, Australia, or South Africa). Always check requirements well in advance.

What to Pack

Preparation is key to staying comfortable and safe. Most operators provide detailed packing lists, but essential items include:

• SPF 50+ sunscreen (strong UV exposure due to thin ozone layer)

• Polarized sunglasses for glare reduction

• A neck buff for warmth and wind protection

• Merino wool or similar natural fibers for base layers and socks

• Health monitoring gadgets and aids such as BURŪV which helps protect your skin from the weather

When it comes to luggage, and you're trying to keep up with the tradition of luxury in that regard also, it would be best to look towards acquiring quality leather luggage, travel bags, and carry-ons, handmade from the best full-grain vegetable-tanned Italian leather, like some offered by producers such as Von Baer, who takes cognizance of weather-proof requirements. This is necessary because the weather can be very windy sometimes.

Antarctica may be the world’s last great wilderness — but with the right planning, it’s also one of the most exclusive and luxurious travel experiences you can have.

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