Flying the Drake Passage with a Purpose

     Antarctic ship operators like Antarctica21 have been flying across the Drake Passage for twenty years.  Flights take off from Punta Arenas, Chile and take about two hours to reach the short, gravel runway at the Chilean research base, Camp Frei, on King George Island.  Antarctica21’s ships - the Ocean Nova and Magellan Explorer - are sitting peacefully in the harbor there at King George Island, waiting for passenger’s arrival.

      By using these flights across the Drake, Antarctica21 (and later Quark Expeditions) were able to create itineraries that solved two long-standing traveler requests.   First, some travelers had been wary of what can be a very rough crossing on the Drake Passage.  (Two hours in an aircraft rather than two days of potential seasickness proves to be very attractive to some travelers.)  Second, some travelers really wanted to complete an Antarctic journey within a shorter window of overall travel.  These folks were willing to pay a higher price for the convenience of flying the Drake, cutting out the time “at sea”, and enjoying what would become an 8-day itinerary, with four full days exploring Antarctica.

     When Aurora Expeditions built its two new ships - the Greg Mortimer and the Sylvia Earle - they sought to build a few itineraries that would use flights across the Drake Passage for a third reason.  With the spirit of their founder in mind, they sought to be able to use the flights to explore more and explore longer in Antarctica.  Instead of having just four days of exploration in Antarctica, they sought to have six, seven, even eight days of exploration in Antarctica.  When I saw an itinerary - “Across the Antarctic Circle - Fly/Fly” - that spent a full nine days in Antarctica, I knew I had to join it.

      The other unique development with these itineraries on the Greg Mortimer and Sylvia Earle is the introduction of a “fly-one-way, sail-the-other-way” sort of trip.  A lot of travelers over the years have expressed a desire to experience the Drake - to “earn their visit to Antarctica”, if you will - but not to have to do so twice.  These new trips have become a sort of “best of both worlds” experience for many travelers.