Keep Updated
Don't miss our latest offers
Subscribe for special offers, news and new Antarctica voyages as soon as they are released.
We respect your email privacy
0333 405 0194
Enquiries & Reservations
Longest in Antarctica · 24 Days
Up to ten days on expedition in Antarctica, more than any other HX voyage, followed by the Falkland Islands and Patagonia's Valdés Peninsula before sailing into Buenos Aires, or Montevideo in 2029. One late summer departure each season aboard MS Fram.
The Voyage
If time on the ice is what matters most to you, this is the voyage to look at. With up to ten days on expedition around the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula, it gives you twice as long in Antarctica as most itineraries, and more than any other HX voyage. It sails once in each of the 2026/27, 2027/28 and 2028/29 seasons. That extra time changes the whole feel of the trip. The Expedition Team can wait out bad weather, return to a favourite bay when the whales are in, and explore further along the Peninsula than a five day voyage ever could.
It is also the last of the Fram's Antarctic sailings of the season, leaving in mid March. Late summer is peak time for whale watching, with humpbacks, minke whales and orcas feeding in the bays, and the low sun turns the ice gold and pink in the evenings. Penguin colonies are busy with large chicks moulting into adult plumage, and fur seals are often hauled out on the beaches. After Antarctica, the ship sails north through the Scotia Sea to the Falkland Islands for three days, then calls at Puerto Madryn in Argentine Patagonia before finishing right in the heart of Buenos Aires. On the March 2029 sailing the final port is Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, on the opposite bank of the River Plate.
MS Fram carries just 200 guests, which means smaller groups at landings and a friendly, close knit atmosphere on board. She is the smallest of the three HX ships in Antarctica and was built for polar waters, with a Science Centre, two restaurants, hot tubs on deck and wide windows in the observation lounge for watching the ice go by. The voyage starts with a night in Santiago de Chile and an included flight to Punta Arenas.
Day by Day
An included night in a Santiago hotel, with breakfast, starts your trip. The Chilean capital sits beneath the Andes and is pleasant to explore on foot: the Plaza de Armas, the Mercado Central for lunch, La Moneda presidential palace, and the Sky Costanera viewing deck for a panorama of the city and mountains. More on our gateway cities page.
After a transfer to the airport you take the included flight south to Punta Arenas on the Strait of Magellan. MS Fram is waiting, and once you have settled in and met the Expedition Team the ship sets off towards the open sea.
Two days crossing the Drake Passage, with the Science Centre at the heart of things: talks on Antarctic wildlife, ice, history and climate, and an introduction to the Citizen Science projects you can join. You will be briefed on the IAATO guidelines and your outer clothing will be cleaned and checked before landing.
Ten days of exploring, the longest stretch on the ice of any HX voyage. With this much time the Expedition Team can cover a great deal of the South Shetlands and the Peninsula, and the plan is made day by day. In the South Shetlands, sites the team often choose include Deception Island, where the ship can sail into a flooded volcanic caldera and land at the old whaling station at Whalers Bay, and Half Moon Island with its chinstrap penguins.
On the Peninsula, possible landings include the gentoo colonies of Cuverville Island and Neko Harbour, Damoy Point on Wiencke Island, and the historic British base at Port Lockroy. Paradise Bay is a classic for boat cruising among the ice, and if the channel is clear the ship may pass through the Lemaire Channel towards Petermann and Pleneau Islands, where icebergs drift and ground in the shallows. With ten days in hand there may even be time to venture into the Antarctic Sound at the tip of the Peninsula, depending on the ice.
Late season is the best time for whales, and the bays of the Gerlache Strait are often full of feeding humpbacks. Kayaking and snowshoeing may be on offer when conditions allow.
Two days at sea as the ship heads north east across the Scotia Sea towards the Falklands, with time to relax, go through your photographs and enjoy the lectures. Albatrosses and petrels are constant companions.
Three days of birding, hiking and beaches in the Falklands. Landings depend on the wind, but sites the team often choose include Saunders Island, Carcass Island and West Point Island, with their colonies of black browed albatrosses and rockhopper, gentoo and Magellanic penguins. In Stanley, the Stanley Community Walk takes you past the Jubilee Villas, Christ Church Cathedral and the Historic Dockyard Museum, and there are optional excursions to Volunteer Point and elsewhere.
A day at sea heading north west towards the coast of Argentina.
Puerto Madryn on the Golfo Nuevo was founded by Welsh settlers who landed from the ship Mimosa in 1865, and the Welsh connection is still celebrated in the region today. An included walking discovery introduces you to the town. Nearby, the Valdés Peninsula is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a remarkable wildlife reserve, with elephant seals, sea lions, guanacos and rheas, and you can book an optional excursion to see it.
Two relaxed days sailing north along the Argentine coast, time to rest and reflect on the voyage, enjoy the final lectures and the farewell dinner.
The ship sails into Buenos Aires and you disembark in the city. On the 2028/29 sailing you finish instead in Montevideo, a relaxed, walkable capital with a fine old town, and Buenos Aires is a short ferry crossing away if you want to see both. Stay on for a few days of steak, tango and grand old cafés, or head home. We can arrange hotel nights or the Iguazú Experience post programme if you would like to extend your trip.
All itineraries are subject to weather, sea and ice conditions. On an expedition the route is a plan rather than a promise, and the Captain will always put your safety and the protection of the environment first.
2026/27 to 2028/29 Seasons
There is one March sailing in each of the next three seasons, all on MS Fram and all starting with a night in Santiago de Chile. The voyage ends in Buenos Aires in 2026/27 and 2027/28, and in Montevideo in 2028/29. Choose a season to see the date and brochure fares.
One departure on MS Fram, ending in Buenos Aires.
| Cabin Category | From, per person |
|---|---|
| Polar InsideInside cabin with no window, double bed or twins | £14,553 |
| Polar OutsideOutside cabin with window | £17,277 |
| Arctic SuperiorLarger outside cabins with window | £18,230 |
| Expedition SuiteSuites and mini suites, Lindstrøm dining and suite extras included | £23,133 |
Tour code FRANT2610.
One departure on MS Fram, ending in Buenos Aires.
| Cabin Category | From, per person |
|---|---|
| Polar InsideInside cabin with no window, double bed or twins | £14,536 |
| Polar OutsideOutside cabin with window | £17,228 |
| Arctic SuperiorLarger outside cabins with window | £18,170 |
| Expedition SuiteSuites and mini suites, Lindstrøm dining and suite extras included | £23,016 |
Tour code FRANT08.
One departure on MS Fram, ending in Montevideo, Uruguay.
| Cabin Category | From, per person |
|---|---|
| Polar InsideInside cabin with no window, double bed or twins | £15,651 |
| Polar OutsideOutside cabin with window | £18,620 |
| Arctic SuperiorLarger outside cabins with window | £19,659 |
| Expedition SuiteSuites and mini suites, Lindstrøm dining and suite extras included | £25,002 |
Tour code FRANT08B.
Brochure prices from, per person, two sharing, taken from the HX 2026/27, 2027/28 and 2028/29 brochures. HX use flexible pricing, so fares can move up or down with demand and are often reduced by special offers. Call us on 0333 405 0194 for today's price on your chosen date. Solo travellers, ask about cabins with no single supplement. With only one sailing a season, cabins on this voyage tend to go early.
Your Fare
International flights, travel insurance and optional excursions are not included. Our what's included page explains the differences between cabin and suite fares in more detail.
Make More of It
Optional excursions in Stanley, priced per person:
In Puerto Madryn an optional excursion to the Valdés Peninsula is offered, and in Antarctica small group activities such as kayaking may be available, booked on board. After the voyage, the Iguazú Experience (around £2,186) and the Buenos Aires Dinner & Tango Show (around £164) make fine endings. Ask us for details.
Other Voyages
The Antarctica & Falklands Expedition Northbound follows a similar route home by sea in 17 to 19 days on MS Fridtjof Nansen, with up to five days in Antarctica. For nine days on the ice from Ushuaia, see Iconic Antarctica, The Explorer's Route or the Antarctic Circle Expedition. For a one way voyage in the other direction, the new Antarctica & Patagonia Expedition sails from Valparaíso through the Chilean fjords to Antarctica in October 2027. Every voyage is compared on our Antarctica cruises page.