Fly the Drake

Skip the crossing — a private flight to the ice and straight to the wonder.

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:

• Fly across the Drake Passage in a couple of hours and step onto the ice the same day your journey feels as though it has only just begun.
• Board a waiting expedition vessel with your private guide already briefed on where the whales and bergs are running.
• Take a private zodiac cruise through the South Shetlands within hours of landing, jet lag and seasickness left entirely behind.
• Share a quiet shore landing at a chinstrap rookery with only your guide and the birds for company.

A sense of the rhythm

By trading the long crossing for a short flight, every one of your days is spent among the ice rather than at sea. The pace is efficient but never rushed, with the same landings and cruises as a longer voyage packed into a purposeful window. It suits those who want the wonder without the passage.

Is the flight worth skipping the Drake?

Flying saves up to four days and spares you the roughest water on earth, which is transformative if you are time-poor or prone to seasickness. What you lose is the slow build of arrival and the seabirds that follow a ship; if the voyage itself is part of the dream, the crossing is the truer choice.

How to do it well

The counsel our advisors give travelers planning this journey:

• Choose December to February, when flying weather over the passage is most reliable.
• Build a full spare day into Punta Arenas, as the flight waits on conditions and patience is essential.
• Six to eight days is the sweet spot; any shorter and a single weather delay eats the trip.
• Do not treat the flight as guaranteed to the hour, and never book a tight onward connection on your return.

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$16,000 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 Antarctica

Part of our Antarctica travel guide. Related private journeys:

• The Peninsula Expedition
• South Georgia & the Wildlife
• The Emperors

Begin the conversation

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