AntarcticaCrossing the Antarctic Circle, with Sarah & Tim
Fourteen day Antarctic Expedition from Ushuaia to Antarctic Circle and back. Whales, penguins, nearly endless daylight, and the quiet thrill of crossing a line most Antarctic expeditions never reach.
ends in Reserve your place
Sarah
& Tim
Sarah and Tim are the husband-and-wife team behind Organized Adventurer, where trip planning is treated as a genuine craft rather than a chore. Sarah and Tim have been traveling and documenting their adventures since 2010, both have set foot on all seven continents and have visited more than 80 countries each. Sarah describes herself as “weirdly obsessed” with building the perfect itinerary, and Tim is obsessed with immersing himself in nature, food, and other cultures across the world.
It started with a year spent travelling round the world in 2014, and kept going: a 500-day honeymoon after Sarah and Tim married in 2017 at Pocahontas State Park in Virginia, followed by a steady run of national park road trips, weekend adventures, and the kind of detailed, no-stress planning Organized Adventurer is now known for.
Their style is warm and practical rather than intimidating — the whole premise of the site is that planning a big trip well shouldn’t require becoming an expert first. Sarah does the obsessive part so their readers don’t have to.
Antarctica, and specifically the Circle, is a different kind of trip for them: not a weekend national park loop, but somewhere that still resists an itinerary altogether. They’re bringing Organized Adventurer’s readers along for exactly that — the last close look at the wild before you cross into the true south.
Most Antarctic voyages turn back at the Peninsula.This one keeps going!
Fourteen days that take you deep within the Antarctic Peninsula down to 66°33' South — the Antarctic Circle itself, where the ice sits far enough from anywhere that comparatively few travellers ever see it. Along the way: the Drake Passage, the South Shetland Islands, Zodiac excursions through the Gerlache Strait, and the volcanic crater of Deception Island.
This far south in the Antarctic summer, daylight barely ends. Each day is shaped by the ice and the weather rather than a fixed schedule — the Circle crossing itself happens only when conditions allow, which is exactly what makes this an expedition!
Expedition
highlights
Everything below is included in your Expedition!
Zodiac cruising
Twice-daily excursions, weather and ice permitting, taking you into bays and channels to explore the places the ship cannot reach. Your expert guide reads the ice as you go, and provides interpretation along the way!
Crossing the Circle
The whole point of this incredible itinerary: reaching 66°33'S, where nearly endless daylight and a landscape that thins out into pure ice and water. It happens only when the route allows it which is what makes it worth chasing.
Shore landings & hiking
Guided landings at sites along the Antarctic Peninsula and South Shetland Islands, with guides setting a safe perimeter you're free to explore within. Snowy paths, vantage points, and penguins that have no particular reason to move out of your way.
Citizen science
Contribute directly to ongoing research through several leading Citizen science programs like the Happywhale project: your own whale-fluke photographs help identify and track individual whales, feeding into a real global database rather than just your camera roll.
Presentations at sea
Expert talks on wildlife, glaciology, and the history of Antarctic exploration, mostly delivered during the Drake Passage crossings — where they turn two long sea days into some of the best hours of the trip.
Kayaking · optional, extra cost
The one activity here that isn't included in the base fare. A guided paddle from sea level, right at the waterline with the ice, from around $350. Spaces are limited and go early — ask us if you want it pre-booked.
Fourteen days,
to the Circle and back
Sea, ice and weather guide the route. What follows is a tentative outline of what you may experience, not a fixed schedule.
You arrive into Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, and settle in for the night at your included pre-voyage hotel, with an airport transfer taken care of.
An early night, on purpose
Tomorrow starts the voyage proper, so tonight is for exploring this small port town at the edge of Tierra del Fuego and getting an early night before embarkation.
After breakfast you make your way to the port and board Ocean Nova. A safety briefing covers Zodiac procedure and life aboard, and the Captain hosts a welcome dinner as the ship pulls out of the Beagle Channel toward the Drake Passage.
Two days of open Southern Ocean, and an experience in its own right. Expect expert lectures on wildlife and polar history, your first citizen science briefings, and long hours on deck watching seabirds work the wake.
Some crossings are rough, plenty are smooth — either way, most guests come away naming the Drake days among their favourites.
Land comes into view at the South Shetland Islands, and the expedition properly begins. Zodiac and kayak excursions bring you close to penguins, seals and the first whales of the trip.
Four days working south through the Gerlache Strait toward the Circle itself. Expect Paradise Bay, Cuverville Island, Damoy Point and the Lemaire Channel among the possible landing sites and Zodiac routes — and, conditions permitting, the moment the ship actually crosses 66°33'S.
This is the heart of the voyage: daily Zodiac cruising and landings, glaciers calving into brilliant blue water, and the particular, hard-to-describe silence of being this far south.
Heading back north, you retrace part of the route through the South Shetlands, with a landing inside the flooded volcanic crater of Deception Island or time at Yankee Harbour among the possibilities.
The return crossing is a final chance at Southern Ocean air: more time on deck watching for seabirds and whales, closing lectures from the expedition team, and the slow, good business of a final celebration dinner with everyone who has just crossed the Circle with you.
You arrive back into Ushuaia in the morning and disembark after breakfast, then make your own way onward — a group transfer to the airport or into town is included.
Ocean Nova
A small, veteran polar ship purpose built to get you further south with fewer people beside you.
Ocean Nova carries a maximum of around 80 guests — one of the smaller ships working the Antarctic Peninsula — with an expedition team-to-guest ratio in the region of one guide for every eight passengers, which in practice means smaller landing groups and more personal attention on every excursion.
She's also cited as one of the lowest-emission vessels in the Antarctic cruising fleet, so you know you are joining a responsible and low-impact expedition to the circle.
Onboard you'll find a panoramic lounge with close to 200-degree views, open observation decks, and a small fitness centre. Exterior-view staterooms come with their own sitting areas rather than just a bed and a window.
This is a working expedition ship rather than a resort at sea — the comfort is real, but the point of the ship is what it gets you close to, not what's on it.
What’s in,
what’s not
No surprises here!
Included
- One pre-voyage night's hotel in Ushuaia with breakfast
- Airport transfers in Ushuaia, on arrival and departure
- All onboard meals, plus 24-hour coffee, tea and water
- All Zodiac cruising and shore landings per the daily programme
- Daily presentations from the expedition team
- Citizen science participation (Happywhale whale ID project)
- The Polar Plunge
- An expedition parka, yours to keep
- Waterproof expedition boots, on loan for the voyage
- Leadership throughout by an experienced expedition team
- Gym access and roughly 500MB of onboard internet
- All service taxes and port charges throughout
Not included
- Flights to and from Ushuaia, international or domestic
- Passport and applicable visa expenses
- Travel and medical insurance (mandatory)
- Beverages beyond the included coffee, tea and water
- Gratuities for expedition staff and crew
- Excess-baggage fees on flights to and from Ushuaia
- Waterproof pants, which are mandatory for Zodiac excursions
- Optional kayaking and wildlife excursion
- Single supplement for solo travellers, where applicable
Your cabin
Sarah and Tim have secured an exclusive rate for the last 8 cabins on the ship!
Explorer Twin
A compact, exterior-view twin cabin — a straightforward, comfortable base for a trip that's really about what's outside the window, not the room itself. Ocean Nova is a small ship built around getting you off it and onto the ice, and the cabins reflect that.
- Features
- Two lower berths, exterior-view window, private ensuite bathroom, storage for expedition gear.
- Worth knowing
- This is an entry-level category on a small expedition ship, not a resort suite. Full amenity details and current availability come with your trip pack.
The best publicly available rate for this departure right now is $11,524. Our exclusive rate beats this and is held until 4 October 2026.
We require a 25% deposit to secure your spot.
Questions,
answered honestly
Real answers to the things people actually ask before committing to a trip like this.
The voyage
Fourteen days, round trip from Ushuaia, Argentina. You arrive and stay at the pre-voyage hotel on Day 1, embark Ocean Nova on Day 2, and disembark back in Ushuaia on Day 14.
That's the goal of this specific itinerary, and the reason it runs longer than a standard Peninsula voyage. The crossing happens during Days 6–9, weather and ice permitting — like everything in expedition travel, it's never absolutely guaranteed, but it's what this route is built to reach.
No, and that's the nature of expedition travel. Sea, ice and weather guide the route. Paradise Bay, Cuverville Island, Damoy Point, the Lemaire Channel, Deception Island and Yankee Harbour are examples of where you might go, not a fixed schedule.
Getting there and home
It's a buffer against flight delays into the world's southernmost airport, and it's included with breakfast and an airport transfer. You board Ocean Nova the following day.
No. You'll book your own flights to and from Ushuaia. Given how unpredictable expedition schedules can be, flexible tickets are strongly recommended, and we'd suggest not booking anything tight on either end.
Yes, and plenty of guests do. Included accommodation begins on Day 1, so earlier nights are your own arrangement. Ushuaia and nearby Tierra del Fuego National Park are worth the extra day if you have it.
The ship
We have reserved the last 8 Explorer Twin onboard for this Circle Expedition.
A limited allowance (around 500MB) is included, over satellite in one of the most remote places on earth. Expect basic browsing and messaging rather than streaming, and occasional outages that can't really be avoided.
All onboard meals are included, along with a 24-hour coffee, tea and water station. Other beverages are at your own cost. Let us know about dietary requirements well before departure.
Activities
Zodiac cruising, guided shore landings and hiking, daily expert presentations, and the full citizen science programme through Happywhale.
Kayaking is the main one, at roughly $350 and requiring pre-booking. Spaces are limited and go early, so tell us as soon as you know you want it.
Happywhale is a real research project that identifies individual whales from photographs of their tail flukes, which are as distinctive as a fingerprint. Your own whale photos from the voyage can be submitted and may help track a specific animal's movements over years.
Practicalities
We're crossing the open Southern Ocean, and some crossings can be rough, but the majority are smooth. Consult your own physician about seasickness medication ahead of time. The Mighty Ocean Nova is a purpose built expedition vessel and is designed to ensure you have a smooth and safe crossing.
You need a reasonable level of mobility: getting in and out of Zodiacs from a moving platform, stepping ashore on rocky or snowy ground, and walking on uneven terrain. These destinations are genuinely remote, so talk to us honestly about any mobility or medical concerns before booking.
You receive an expedition parka to keep and waterproof boots on loan for the voyage. You'll need to bring waterproof pants (mandatory, not provided), warm base and mid layers, gloves, a warm hat, sunglasses or goggles, and a swimsuit if you fancy the polar plunge.
Insurance, yes — comprehensive medical and evacuation cover is mandatory given how remote this trip is. Visas and entry documentation are your own responsibility; the voyage begins and ends in Argentina, so check Argentine entry requirements for your nationality.
This page relates to the Crossing the Antarctic Circle itinerary aboard Ocean Nova, operated by Polar Latitudes, departing Ushuaia 26 February 2027. Expeditioner acts as a booking agent on a net rate for this departure, not as principal. Details are drawn from published expedition material and are subject to change, and we will confirm every specific with you in writing before you commit.
Reserve
your place
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