How Do You Get to Antarctica? The 5 Antarctic Gateways

So, how do you get to Antarctica? It’s not as simple as booking a flight. The continent has no permanent airport, and for much of the year, it’s a frozen, dark expanse, closer to outer space than you might think. If you’re set on “going South”, your journey will almost certainly begin in one of five key gateway cities.

These cities, established long before we fully understood Antarctica, are vital due to their proximity, connections, and polar expertise. They act as hubs for the majority of Antarctic traffic. The five historic gateways are:

• Christchurch, New Zealand: Home to the US programme and other research missions, connecting directly to the Ross Sea and the Scott and McMurdo bases.

• Hobart, Tasmania: Situated under the Australian claim, it’s another key access point.

• Cape Town, South Africa: Providing access to the bottom of the Atlantic.

• Ushuaia, Argentina and Punta Arenas, Chile: Located where the sea is narrowest, these two ports offer the easiest access to Antarctica, involving a day’s sail across the Drake Passage. They are also the departure points for 99% of tourist trips.

While these five cities remain the primary gateways, with history, industry and polar expertise, they now handle only 63% of the traffic to Antarctica. As interest grows, other cities are seeing increased arrivals. In a PNAS study of port-to-port traffic to Antarctica between 2014 and 2018 there were 75 recorded last ports that were outside these gateways. Port Stanley in the Falklands and Monte Video in Uruguay are recognised as informal gateways, with similar shipping standards. Some ships are travelling from as far away as Singapore, Bristol and Malaga.

Despite this, if you’re travelling to Antarctica as a tourist, you will most likely depart from one of the five original gateway cities. Antarctica remains remote, but the routes south and the role of these cities are constantly changing. As an internationally neutral continent governed by the Antarctic Treaty, there are no port authorities controlling the borders. This has led to issues like private adventurism, illegal whaling and biofouling and so there are suggestions to make more cities official gateways.