Kayak & Adventure

Paddling, camping on the ice and the active heart of the white south. A private, tailored journey of 11-14 days in The Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica, designed end to end by a Forest Travel advisor — with Virtuoso privileges at the finest luxury hotels, from US$21,000 per traveler.

Antarctica is the last true wilderness, a continent with no residents and no crowds, where a private expedition places the great white silence entirely at your own unhurried pace.

When to go

Travel November through March, when the Antarctic summer opens the ice and daylight barely fades; December and January bring peak wildlife, while November delivers pristine snow and March offers the finest whale watching. Your advisor times it to the light, the crowds and your own calendar.

The experiences

A sense of what this journey can hold — each one arranged privately and shaped to you:

• A dawn paddle through a maze of brash ice, the only sound your own blade in the water.
• A private night camped on the ice, watching the light circle the horizon without ever setting.
• A guided snowshoe ascent of a coastal ridge for the long view across the sound.
• A crampon-shod walk onto a glacier tongue with a private mountain guide at your side.

A sense of the rhythm

This is the active heart of the white south, built for those who want the ice under their own paddle and boots rather than only from a deck. The finest expedition vessels serve as your base, with small-group kayaking and camping woven around the day's conditions. Effort and stillness trade places from hour to hour.

Cruise the coast or get onto the ice yourself?

Kayaking and a night ashore put you at water level and ground level, where the scale of the ice truly registers. If you want the Peninsula in your muscles as well as your memory, this is the way to travel it.

How to do it well

The counsel our advisors give travelers planning this journey:

• Some paddling experience helps, though private guides tailor the pace to you.
• The overnight camp depends entirely on conditions; hold it loosely.
• Bring a dry, moisture-wicking base layer for the hours on the water.
• Ask your advisor about combining kayaking with a private mountaineering day.

What only your advisor can open

The difference between a good trip and an unrepeatable one is access — and access is a relationship, not a booking. Every guide, room and moment is chosen and sequenced for you.

Who it's for

Travelers who value privacy, time and doing it once — beautifully — and who would rather have one trusted advisor orchestrate every detail than assemble it themselves.

Estimated investment

From US$21,000 per traveler, based on double occupancy — scaled to your dates, party size and level of privacy. A starting point, not a final quote; confirmed once your advisor tailors the itinerary.

Designed entirely around you

Nothing here is a package. A Forest Travel advisor shapes the whole journey and stays one message away before and throughout your trip.

Your Virtuoso privileges

As a Virtuoso member, Forest Travel includes benefits reserved for Virtuoso guests at the finest luxury hotels, at no added cost: a room upgrade on arrival when available, daily breakfast for two, a property credit toward dining or spa, and early check-in with late check-out when the hotel allows.

Continue exploring The Antarctic Peninsula

Part of our The Antarctic Peninsula travel guide. Related private journeys:

• The Private Ship
• The Photographer's Antarctic
• Fly the Drake

Begin the conversation

Tell a Forest Travel advisor how you like to travel and they will design Kayak & Adventure around you — privately, every Virtuoso privilege included. Request your private consultation →