What is the best month to go to Antarctica?
By Aspen Travel Advisors · Last verified · Counts drawn live from the Virtuoso-sourced atlas
For most people, late December through January is the best balance: penguin chicks hatching, the mildest weather and light almost around the clock. Choose November for clean snow, courting penguins and lower fares, February for bigger chicks and more whales, and March for the best whale watching, real sunsets and late-season pricing, accepting messier colonies and rougher weather.
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You'll hear back within 24 hours.There is no single best month, because the Antarctic season changes character every few weeks. November is the start: the snow is still white, the ice is at its most dramatic, and penguins are building nests and courting. Late December and January are the height of summer, with chicks hatching, temperatures hovering around freezing and daylight that barely fades. February brings larger chicks, fur seals on the beaches and steadily more whales. March is the end of the season, when whales are most numerous, the sun sets properly again and the light turns gold, but the colonies are muddy and the weather is less forgiving.
Price and crowding follow the same curve. The Christmas and New Year departures, and January generally, are the most expensive and the first to sell out. November and March are usually cheaper and easier to book. Our atlas holds 133 Antarctic itineraries with 726 departure dates behind them. If this is your first trip and you are still choosing a ship and route rather than a month, start with our first-timers answer, then come back here to pick the window.
November to March, month by month
| Month | Wildlife | Ice and landscape | Light | Price and demand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November | Penguins courting, building nests and laying eggs. Few whales yet. On South Georgia itineraries, elephant seals are at the height of the breeding season. | Fresh snow, heavy sea ice. Some channels and landing sites can be blocked, so plans change more often. | Long days, still with some darkness. | Shoulder season. Generally lower fares and more cabin choice. |
| December | Eggs being incubated, first chicks appearing toward the end of the month. Whale sightings increasing. | Snow still clean at most landings, ice beginning to break up. | Close to round-the-clock light around the solstice. | Holiday departures are the most expensive and sell out first. |
| January | Chicks hatching and growing, adults busy feeding them. More whales. Fur seals arriving. | Warmest month. Ice retreating, so routes further south become more likely. | Very long days, soft twilight around midnight. | Peak season. Highest demand and fares, fullest ships. |
| February | Chicks large and gathering in groups. Fur seals common on Peninsula beaches. Whale numbers rising. | Most snow gone from colonies, which turn brown and smell strongly. Best chance of reaching the Antarctic Circle. | Days shortening, proper dusk returns. | Still high season, though usually a little easier to book than January. |
| March | Peak time for humpback and other whales. Chicks fledging, adults moulting. | Late-season storms more likely. New ice can begin forming. | Real sunrises and sunsets, the best light of the season for many photographers. | Shoulder season. Often lower fares and late-season offers. |
Treat the boundaries loosely. Each season runs a little early or late depending on sea ice, and different penguin species keep slightly different calendars, so a colony in mid-January can hold both eggs and chicks.
Which month for which traveller
Match the month to what you would be most disappointed to miss. Everything below is a tendency, not a promise: wildlife and ice do what they like.
- Penguin chicks are the point: mid-January to early February.
- Photographers who want clean snow and big ice: November. Photographers who want warm light and sunsets: late February into March.
- Whales are the point: February and March.
- The warmest, most comfortable landings and the longest days: late December and January.
- Crossing the Antarctic Circle: January and February, when ice is most likely to allow it.
- Lower fares and quieter ships: November or March.
- Travelling with children over school holidays: late December, but book early, because these are the departures that fill first.
What does not change with the month
The Drake Passage has no reliably calm month. It can be flat in January and rough in December, and every season has crossings people remember for the wrong reasons. If seasickness is the real worry, the fly-cruise option, flying from Punta Arenas in Chile to the South Shetland Islands, removes the crossing rather than timing it, though flights can be delayed by weather at either end.
Landing rules do not change either. Operators that are members of IAATO, the industry body, limit the number of passengers ashore at one site at a time, and ships carrying more than 500 passengers do not land at all. A smaller ship gets more time ashore in every month, which matters more than the calendar in the busy weeks of January. Our answers on the smallest expedition ships and on kayaking and camping cover the ship side of the choice.
Frequently asked
Is March too late to go?
Not if whales and light are what you want. March is usually the best month for humpbacks and gives you real sunsets, and fares are often lower. The trade-offs are messier, smellier colonies, moulting penguins that look scruffy, and a higher chance of weather changing the plan.
Will I see penguins in November?
Yes, plenty. They are back at their colonies, courting and building nests from stones, often against clean snow. What you will not see yet is chicks, and sea ice can occasionally keep a ship from reaching a planned colony.
How far ahead should I book?
For late December and January departures, book as early as the operators open sales, often well over a year out, especially for suites or a specific ship. November and March departures usually have availability later, which is also when shoulder-season offers tend to appear.