Adventure cruise line Lindblad Expeditions will launch shorter trips to Antarctica in 2024, with flights from Argentina to the seventh continent that bypass what’s normally a two-day sailing of the Drake Passage.
The new option will shave several days off the typical Antarctica itinerary, making it possible to do the trip in as little as eight days. The flyover trips also eliminate the need to sail the Drake, a waterway that’s known for its unpredictability: travellers sailing to Antarctica often wonder if they’ll experience a calm “Drake Lake” or see massive swells that result in a “Drake Shake,” as writer Christopher P. Baker detailed for T+L in 2022.
Now the cruise to Antarctica will take lesser time
The new flyover trips will be a first for the cruise line, said Sven-Olof Lindblad, the CEO and founder of the company, during a recent appearance at ILTM Cannes, a luxury travel conference held this week in France.
“Starting in November 2024, with one of our ships, the National Geographic Explorer, we’ll have two new programs: one, which is five days in Antarctica, flying in and out, and the other which is five days in Antarctica with two days crossing the Drake Passage [one way].”
Lindblad said the decision to launch the service on the 81-cabin vessel was driven by multiple factors.
“There are people out there that just don’t have the time [otherwise],” Lindblad said. He also noted that aviation technology has made flights to Antarctica more predictable, in spite of the sometimes challenging conditions seen in the region.
“We had chosen not to do this for years and years and years because I was concerned about the reliability — not the safety — but the reliability of people actually taking off and landing as they were meant to,” the CEO explained.
Now, Lindblad is confident that people can get there on time — and see one of the world’s most inspiring wild places.
“I think it’s important to expose people to places like this for a lot of reasons,” said Lindblad, during his appearance at ILTM Cannes. “We need to understand these wild places better, and, as a consequence of that, we can be more productive as citizens as to how we deal with the challenges that we, as the human race, face as it relates to our relationship with natural systems around the world.”
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The announcement comes as trips to the continent have surged in popularity. More than 70,000 people visited the ice in the 2022-2023 season, according to the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators. That number is almost certain to rise, as more and more vessels head south, Lindblad said.
“We were the only ship in Antarctica for quite some time,” Lindblad observed. “This next season, the average is closer to something like 70. So, extraordinary growth.” These days, the cruise line expects to operate three ships, including the National Geographic Explorer in the region.
Lindblad will offer the flights in partnership with DAP, the only air provider to Antarctica, which also contracts with lines such as Silversea to offer speedy service to the southernmost reaches of the planet.
The cruise-and-sail trips will begin in November 2024 and continue through February 2025. Rates start at USD 9,475 for an eight-day Antarctica expedition. Learn more at expeditions.com.
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This story first appeared on www.travelandleisure.com
(Feature Image Credit: JMP Traveller/Getty Images)
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