The mystique surrounding Antarctica makes a trip to the isolated, white continent feel like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many travelers. The ice-capped mountains, unique weather changes and conditions, breathtaking landscapes, dazzling auroras across the night skies, and many other natural phenomena make it an unforgettable experience. If you’re planning a trip to Antarctica, here are some of the best cruises that have been tried and tested for you to explore in 2024.

Journey to the Antarctic Circle (Ocean Endeavour)
This 14-day trip to Antarctica commences and concludes in the picturesque Ushuaia region of the continent. Some of the highlights of this trip include daily zodiac excursions to several beautiful sites teeming with busy penguins and never-seen-before birdlife. Additionally, you can also see icebergs in various shades of blue. The nominal journey to the Antarctic Circle is designed in a way that allows travelers to enjoy the sights and scenes of the place at a comfortable pace. This cruise is considered one of the best cruises to Antarctica in 2024.

Travelers can customize the trip and add a range of optional activities in addition to the regular zodiac excursions. For instance, one can explore the icy lakes and rivers by kayak, indulge in relaxing onboard yoga sessions, take a scintillating polar plunge, or sign up for a great photography masterclass. Priced from $9,990 (all prices are subject to change), this is also one of the cheaper Antarctica cruises in 2024.

Best of Antarctica: Wildlife Explorer (Ocean Endeavour)
The second Ocean Endeavour entry on this list is a cruise trip that emphasizes on exploring the flora and fauna of the Antarctic’s frigid habitat. This is another cheap Antarctica cruise that starts from $7,863 per passenger. This trip provides the opportunity to explore and witness rare animals such as penguins, seals, whales, seabirds, bears, and several other magnificent creatures over the course of this cruise. Onshore landings, as well as a range of adventure options, including camping, photography, snowshoeing, kayaking, and several others, are also provided as part of the trip.

This wildlife explorer cruise takes you deeper into the wildlife habitat of the icy continent, but it never causes harm to the natural zone that belongs solely to the nature of Antarctica. To enhance the travelers’ experience, the expedition team offers a variety of onboard activities, including immersive and highly educational lectures on the ecology, history, and geology of the area.

Aurora Expeditions: Antarctic Peninsula in Depth
Aurora Expeditions is one of the most famous cruise companies that provides cruises to Antarctica in various capacities. Accordingly, this trip is a 14-night Antarctic voyage sailing round trip that begins and concludes at Ushuaia aboard a 132-passenger purpose-built ship specifically designed for navigating the icy waters of Antarctica. This particular ocean liner was selected for this trip for its smoothness and speed across challenging aqua terrain. The main focus of this cruise is to provide an opportunity for travelers to view the diverse wildlife spread across the Antarctic regions and peninsula of the continent.

Travelers will be amazed by the sight of krill, fur seal pups, penguins, and other snow animals during this voyage trip. The cruise team also offers a range of activities, including sea kayaking, snowshoeing, camping, skiing, and snowboarding, to keep travelers engaged. In addition, all meals, including lunch and dinner and complimentary beverages, are included in the package deal.

For willing travelers, this line also offers longer (up to 24-day expeditions) travel, including locations like South Georgia Island. The prices of this trip tend to be incredibly dynamic but will be more or less in the same range as other cruises mentioned on this list.

Hurtigruten Expeditions: Antarctica, Patagonia and Chilean Fjords Expedition
The Drake Passage is one of the most mystical travel zones in Antarctica. This cruise trip crosses the Drake Passage twice, making the trip doubly enchanting for travelers. The tour also includes travel extensions to Chile and Argentina. It begins in Buenos Aires and ends in the beautiful zone of Valparaíso, Chile. In the middle, this grand 25-night expedition covers a scenic cruising trip in Garibaldi Fjord in Alberto de Agostini National Park, where travelers can see the Garibaldi Glacier. Among other highlights, the tour also includes a viewing of the longest Southern Hemisphere glacier.

This cruise is one of the cheapest Antarctica cruises in 2024, making it an excellent option for budget-conscious travelers.

Lindblad Expeditions of Antarctica
Lindblad Expeditions is another renowned name in the cruise industry, and their expedition to Antarctica is one of the most extensive and wholesome trips to the continent. As a matter of fact, Lindblad was the first company to bring citizen explorers to Antarctica in 1966. That voyage makes this cruise a pioneer of the overall Antarctic experience for travelers. Throughout this trip, travelers will get stunning views of Adélie and gentoo penguins in thousands, diving headfirst into the icy rivers of Antarctica.

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises
This ship-based tour is one of the more extraordinary Antarctic voyages around, with several zodiac excursions, a team of experts to guide and inform curious travelers about the hidden mysteries of the cold continent, and a team of guides, expedition leaders, and naturalists to make the trip a memorable and insightful one for travelers. This trip also includes a range of adventure sports and activities like kayaking and ice expeditions to keep the viewers hooked.

Some of the cruises on this list can be heavily priced. One can check out Antarctica cruise deals online to save money while traveling to the continent.