The Peninsula Expedition
The Antarctic Peninsula by private ship — icebergs, whales and the great white silence. A private, tailored journey of 10-14 days in Antarctica, designed end to end by a Forest Travel advisor — with Virtuoso privileges at the finest luxury hotels, from US$20,000 per traveler.
- Expedition · Private
- Ideal length: 10-14 days
- Best time: Travel November through March, when the Antarctic summer opens the ice and daylight barely fades
- Private guiding, access and transfers throughout
- From US$20,000 per traveler — a starting point, tailored to you
- Designed one-to-one by a Forest Travel advisor
- Virtuoso privileges at the finest luxury hotels
The Antarctic Peninsula by private ship — icebergs, whales and the great white silence. A private, tailored journey of 10-14 days in Antarctica, designed end to end by a Forest Travel advisor — with Virtuoso privileges at the finest luxury hotels, from US$20,000 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:
- Cruise silent channels aboard the finest expedition vessels while your private polar guide reads the ice and points out the whales spouting off the bow.
- Slip into a private zodiac at dawn to weave among stranded blue bergs before the rest of the ship has stirred.
- Step ashore at a gentoo rookery and stand quietly as the birds waddle past your boots on their well-worn penguin highways.
- Kayak a mirror-still cove with a dedicated instructor, the only sound the drip of your paddle and the distant crack of a calving glacier.
A sense of the rhythm
Days follow the weather and the wildlife rather than a fixed clock, with two shore landings or cruises woven around unhurried meals and long views from the deck. Evenings bring quiet briefings and the slow theatre of a sun that never quite sets. The pace is contemplative, punctuated by moments of genuine awe.
How to do it well
The counsel our advisors give travelers planning this journey:
- Book eighteen to twenty-four months ahead, as the smallest and best-guided vessels sell out first.
- Choose late December or January for the warmest light and the most active penguin colonies with chicks.
- Allow at least ten days door to door so a single storm cannot unravel the whole itinerary.
- Resist over-scheduling the Ushuaia end; a rushed connection to the port is the most common and most avoidable mistake.
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$20,000 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:
Begin the conversation
Tell a Forest Travel advisor how you like to travel and they will design The Peninsula Expedition around you — privately, every Virtuoso privilege included. Request your private consultation →
Questions, answered.
The classic sea crossing from Ushuaia rewards you with albatross at the stern and a real sense of arrival, but it costs two days each way and can be rough. If time or sea legs are a concern, a fly-in option trades the passage for more hours among the ice; purists will always choose the crossing.
Book eighteen to twenty-four months ahead. The smallest and best-guided expedition vessels sell out first, and those are the ships that make the private polar guiding, dawn zodiac outings and quiet shore landings possible. Booking early also gives your advisor room to choose dates in late December or January, when the light is warmest and the penguin colonies are most active with chicks.
Days follow the weather and the wildlife rather than a fixed clock. Expect two shore landings or cruises, perhaps a gentoo rookery or a zodiac among blue bergs. These are woven around unhurried meals and long views from the deck. Evenings bring quiet briefings and the slow theatre of a sun that never quite sets. The pace is contemplative, punctuated by moments of genuine awe.
Over-scheduling the Ushuaia end. A rushed connection to the port is the most common and most avoidable mistake on this journey. Our advisors also recommend allowing at least ten days door to door, so that a single storm cannot unravel the whole itinerary. The days on the Peninsula follow the weather, so a little slack at either end protects the expedition itself.
The Peninsula Expedition takes 10-14 days, and our advisors recommend allowing at least ten days door to door so a single storm cannot unravel the itinerary. If you take the classic sea crossing from Ushuaia, the Drake Passage costs two days each way; a fly-in option trades that passage for more hours among the ice. On the Peninsula, days follow the weather and the wildlife, with two shore landings or cruises, unhurried meals, long views from the deck and quiet evening briefings. Avoid over-scheduling the Ushuaia end, where a rushed connection to the port is the most common mistake.
As a private, tailored journey it starts from roughly US$20,000 per traveler (double occupancy) and scales with your dates, party and level of privacy — a starting point, never a fixed package price. Your advisor confirms the figure once the itinerary is tailored.
Travel November through March, when the Antarctic summer opens the ice and daylight barely fades. December and January bring peak wildlife. Late December or January offers the warmest light and the most active penguin colonies with chicks, ideal for landings at a gentoo rookery. November delivers pristine snow, while March offers the finest whale watching from the deck and the zodiac. Your advisor times the journey to the light, the crowds and your own calendar.
Yes. On the Peninsula Expedition you can kayak a mirror-still cove with a dedicated instructor, arranged privately and shaped to you. The only sound is the drip of your paddle and the distant crack of a calving glacier. It is one of the quietest ways to feel the great white silence, and it fits the contemplative rhythm of days on the Peninsula, which follow the weather and the wildlife rather than a fixed clock.
On the Antarctic Peninsula, a private zodiac at dawn lets you weave among stranded blue bergs before the rest of the ship has stirred. It is arranged privately, so the early light and the ice are yours alone. Because days on the Peninsula follow the weather and the wildlife, outings like this are timed to conditions rather than a fixed clock, and they sit alongside the day's two shore landings or cruises.
On the Peninsula Expedition you step ashore at a gentoo rookery and stand quietly as the birds waddle past your boots on their well-worn penguin highways. The landing is arranged privately and shaped to you. Our advisors suggest late December or January for the most active penguin colonies with chicks, along with the warmest light of the Antarctic summer.
On the Antarctic Peninsula you cruise silent channels aboard the finest expedition vessels while your private polar guide reads the ice and points out the whales spouting off the bow. Long views from the deck are part of every day's rhythm. If whales are your priority, March offers the finest whale watching of the November-through-March season.
Antarctica
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