HE Travel
Gay travel and tours on all seven continents!
Antarctica Adventure & Gay Cruise
A Gay Travel Antarctica Adventure Tour
Prices listed are per person and subject to availability:
Shared Twin Porthole Cabin: $12,150
Shared Twin Window Cabin: $12,650
Shared Twin Deluxe Cabin: $13,400
Shared Superior Cabin: $14,300
Private Porthole Cabin: $20.655
Private Window Cabin: $21,505 Private Deluxe Cabin: $22,780 Private Superior Cabin: $24,310 Private Cabins require a $4500 deposit at the time of signup
Live the explorer’s dream during this 12-night cruise along the waterways of the Antarctic Peninsula. Enjoy the sight of icebergs, ice shelves, and massive mountains while sailing the Beagle Channel and the Drake Passage. Experience extensive wildlife on the continent itself.
Highlights
Journey to Earth’s most remote continent!
See some of the most stunning wilderness on earth.
View extraordinary concentrations of versatile wildlife such as penguins, seals, and giant petrels.
Glide alongside icebergs, as glacier fields rise up to rugged mountains.
Ride a Zodiac raft to shore, then walk on the continent, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Enjoy this bucket-list trek with a friendly group of gay men, lesbians, and friends. (Please note that this is not a charter, so our group will be among other passengers on this 160-passenger ship.)
Please note – a portion of your deposit representing 20% of your cruise cost is non-refundable from one week after deposit and can not be applied to our Deposit for Life Program.
Let us know if you would like information about longer cruises to see even more of Antarctica.
Overview
Adventure in Antarctica
Journey to the world’s most remote continent from Ushuaia, Argentina. Sail down the Beagle Channel and across the Drake Passage between South America and Antarctica.
We will have the opportunity to trek the icy and rocky landscape as often as possible. This rugged and savage wilderness is teeming with extensive wildlife. Be on the lookout for rookeries of penguins and various seals as we glide past the icebergs, massive mountains, and ice shelves along the coast.
We will have the chance to explore rare human vestiges such as an old whaling station on Deception Island. Perhaps we’ll even want to take a thermal dip in the waters at Pendulum Cove.
The ship is from the renowned Oceanwide Expeditions fleet, a 120 to 174-passenger Expedition Ship. Since it is not a private charter, we will be part of a fun, friendly group from around the world. This is truly a voyage of a lifetime during which, weather and ice conditions permitting, we will encounter the ever-changing world of Antarctica.
Itinerary
Map:
The 2025 trip is a Basecamp Cruise, which is two days longer than this listed daily agenda. Basecamp cruises include free camping, kayaking, snowshoe hiking, mountaineering, and a photo workshop. Join us!
The experience visiting the Antarctic Peninsula may vary depending on local ice and weather conditions. The availability of landing sites and opportunities to see wildlife are different on each journey. The final itinerary will be determined by the Expedition Leader and Captain on board. Flexibility is paramount for expedition cruises.
The adventure starts in Ushuaia, Argentina, the capital of the province of Tierra del Fuego, and the southernmost city in the world. For those arriving early, consider horseback riding, hiking, wind sailing, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, and diving. We also offer an optional afternoon guided tour to the “end of the world” monument in Tierra del Fuego National Park. You can also plan a visit to Lago Escondido and Lago Fagnano.
The official tour starts with ship embarkation on Day 1. However, we highly recommend arriving in Ushuaia at least one day before sailing to minimize the risk of travel problems impacting your cruise.
Day 1: Embarking on our Great Journey!
After a leisurely morning and a chance to collect last-minute provisions in Ushuaia, we will board a comfortable passenger vessel designed specifically for this environment. The ship offers multiple observation decks, dining rooms, and private bathrooms.
Later, the ship sets sail and follows the Beagle Channel (Canal Beagle) for the evening.
Day 2-3: Crossing the Drake Passage
Over the next two days, we will be sailing across the Drake Passage, where the waters of the South Atlantic and the Southern Ocean converge. Some of the native birds include Petrels (Blue, Wilson’s Storm, and Antarctic); Albatross (Wandering, Grey-Headed, Black-browed, and Light-mantled Sooty); Southern Fulmars; and Cape Pigeons. Soon we’ll be seeing icebergs near the South Shetland Islands.
Days 4-8: Antarctica!
During the days of sailing among the islands off the Antarctic Peninsula, we will view numerous islands such as the Melchior, Brabant, and Anvers Islands. Encounter or observe diverse wildlife colonies including Gentoo Penguins, Brown and South Polar Skuas, Antarctic Terns, Dominican Gulls, Chinstrap Penguins, Adelie Penguins, Blue-eyed Shags, Weddell or Crabeater Seals. Appreciate the breathtaking scenery of deep-cut fjords, glaciers, and alpine peaks.
From the deck, we are likely to spot Humpback, Minke, and Fin Whales. Zodiac cruises and shore visits by foot or by kayak (if that option is selected) will provide close-up wildlife viewing and a deep appreciation for the unique landscape (and icescape) of the region. For those extra adventurous visitors, early pre-registration is required for camping and kayaking activities as they always sell out.
Experience a warm welcome at one of Antarctica’s most prominent research stations. Also learn about modern scientists’ life and work on the White Continent. The Vernadsky Research Base was founded by the British after World War II but sold to the Ukrainian government in 1996. Its number one major claim to fame is that scientists here were the first to discover the hole in the ozone layer surrounding the earth.
The research base’s second claim to fame is that it is the home of the world’s southernmost bar. Here visitors can enjoy a quick swig while shopping for a souvenir or getting an imprinted postcard from the world’s southernmost post office.
The bar was created when some bored British scientists commandeered a shipment of wood intended for a new pier to instead re-create an English pub. Its original design remains, however, the menus are now also printed in Cyrillic.
Days 9-10: Back Across the Drake Passage
After several exhilarating days exploring the ice-covered land of Antarctica, the ship crosses back through the Drake Passage and allows for another chance to observe a myriad of seabirds.
Day 11: Back to Mainland South America
This journey ends with an early morning arrival in Ushuaia Harbor. A mid-morning transfer will be provided to Ushuaia Airport for flights around noon or later, or you can stay in downtown Ushuaia to begin your next adventure.
Price Includes
Price includes: Shared accommodations aboard our Expedition ship. All meals onboard the ship. Expedition leaders and lecturers. All shore excursions by Zodiac boat. Lectures, videos, and slide presentations. Free use of rubber boots for shore landings. Opportunity for kayaking and/or camping on the ice for a night, subject to availability (for an additional charge). Resident onboard medical officer. Transfer from hotel in Ushuaia to ship for embarkation and from the ship to Ushuaia Airport on the morning of disembarkation. Services of a knowledgeable HE Travel tour host (with a minimum number of participants) and assistance from local guides. Assistance with flights and extra nights in Buenos Aires, Ushuaia, Iguazu Falls, or elsewhere in South America upon request. HE Travel provides complimentary Medical & Evacuation Insurance for every US Resident on our group tours who does not have other coverage.
Basecamp cruises including free camping, kayaking, snowshoe hiking, mountaineering, and a photo workshop.
Not included: Airfare to and from Ushuaia (we strongly suggest arriving two or three days before sailing and departing 12:00 noon or later on final tour day). Visa fees (citizens of most countries including the United States, Canada, and Australia do not need visas or payment of a reciprocity fee, but citizens of other countries should confirm requirements). Airport departure taxes (usually included in air tickets). Transfer from Ushuaia Airport to the hotel. Hotel nights in Ushuaia, Buenos Aires or other locations in Argentina. Warm weather clothing other than rubber boots that the ship loans while onboard. Alcoholic drinks. Personal items such as laundry, telephone calls, and gratuities. FUEL SURCHARGE: Oceanwide Expeditions reserves the right to levy a fuel surcharge if world fuel prices are significantly higher than budgeted when cruise prices were put in place.
Optional Tour Choices (all subject to availability):
FREE in 2025: Camping for one night on the ice (subject to availability and weather, but must be reserved in advance)
FREE in 2025: Guided Kayak Excursions for most shore visits (subject to availability and weather, but must be reserved in advance)
Reductions
(-$1750) for passengers willing to stay in a three-berth cabin. (Subject to availability.)
Iguazu Falls
$3698 per person in a shared room
$5098 for a private room
Price Includes: Four nights in a hotel in a shared room with breakfast. Guided tour of Iguazu Falls including Gran Aventura boat at bottom of falls, and 4 Wheel Drive jungle excursion. Local bilingual guide. National Park entrance fee. transfer from Buenos Aires hotel to the domestic airport at the beginning of the extension. All transportation at Iguazu for airport transfers and included activities. Transfer from Buenos Aires domestic airport to the International Airport after return from Iguazu. and services of HE Travel tour director (subject to minimum participation).
Not included: International airfare. Domestic flights within Argentina (est. $700 for Iguazu Falls extension). Departure taxes for international flights. Meals not included in tour package. Gratuities for guides and HE Travel tour director. Personal items including alcoholic beverages, snacks, laundry, and telephone calls.
Extensions
Stay longer and visit Iguazu Falls – Dates to be announced
Fly into Buenos Aires for 1 night before heading out on Day 2 to Puerto Iguazu, Argentina, on the border with Paraguay and Brazil. This small town is at the confluence of the Iguazu and Parana Rivers, the natural borders between the three countries. Transfer to the Gran Melia Iguazu Resort, which has a wonderful view of Iguazu Falls, and is located a few steps away from the middle of a sub-tropical rain forest.
Argentina is a land of contrasts. Join us to witness its amazing beauty from Buenos Aires to the glaciers and mountains of the mystical land called Patagonia. For a complete contrast, we conclude with an optional extension to the tropical mists of Iguazu Falls.
View Argentina and the Iguazu pre-tour page here.
When you take two tours Back-to-Back, you are eligible for a discount. Contact us for details about visiting Antarctica and Argentina!
Tour Insurance
We strongly recommend the purchase of Trip Cancellation and Interruption insurance to protect your vacation investment in case of unforeseen circumstances such as flight delay, illness, or injury. Click Here to learn more about our Insurance partner.