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Antarctic departures in December 2026

85 Antarctic expeditions departing in December 2026, from $7,300 per person. Compare ships, cabins and operators for the month.

December brings peak season: the warmest temperatures so far (0 to +8 °C on the Peninsula), nearly 20 hours of daylight, and the first penguin chicks hatching around the solstice — colonies turn into noisy nurseries. Whale sightings pick up week by week.

Christmas and New Year departures are the most sought-after (and priciest) of the year; celebrating the New Year at midnight in broad daylight is a story in itself. Book these sailings 12–18 months out.

Inaugural Air-Cruise Antarctica21 · Magellan Discoverer

Inaugural Air-Cruise

Dec 15, 2026 – Dec 24, 2026 · 10 days · from Punta Arenas, Chile
7 cabin offers
$12,995 per person, from
available
Classic Antarctica Air-Cruise Antarctica21 · Magellan Explorer

Classic Antarctica Air-Cruise

Dec 15, 2026 – Dec 22, 2026 · 8 days · from Punta Arenas, Chile
8 cabin offers
$18,995 per person, from
available
Voyage to Antarctica Lindblad Expeditions · National Geographic Resolution

Voyage to Antarctica

Dec 16, 2026 – Dec 27, 2026 · 12 days
9 cabin offers
$30,631 per person, from
available
Antarctic Explorer: Discovering the 7th Continent Quark Expeditions · Ultramarine

Antarctic Explorer: Discovering the 7th Continent

Dec 17, 2026 – Dec 28, 2026 · 11 days · from Buenos Aires, Argentina
CampingHelicopter & flightseeingHiking & snowshoeingKayaking & paddling
9 cabin offers
$21,811 per person, from
available
Antarctica Complete Aurora Expeditions · Douglas Mawson

Antarctica Complete

Dec 17, 2026 – Jan 8, 2027 · 23 days · from Ushuaia
Hiking & snowshoeingKayaking & paddling
20 cabin offers
$33,476 per person, from
available
Antarctic Explorer: Discovering the 7th Continent Quark Expeditions · Ocean Explorer

Antarctic Explorer: Discovering the 7th Continent

Dec 18, 2026 – Dec 28, 2026 · 11 days · from Buenos Aires, Argentina
CampingHelicopter & flightseeingHiking & snowshoeingKayaking & paddling
8 cabin offers
$15,721 per person, from
available
Antarctic Explorer: Discovering the 7th Continent Quark Expeditions · World Voyager

Antarctic Explorer: Discovering the 7th Continent

Dec 18, 2026 – Dec 28, 2026 · 11 days · from Buenos Aires, Argentina
CampingHelicopter & flightseeingHiking & snowshoeingKayaking & paddling
5 cabin offers
$18,931 per person, from
available
Across the Antarctic Circle Aurora Expeditions · Sylvia Earle

Across the Antarctic Circle

Dec 18, 2026 – Dec 30, 2026 · 13 days · from Ushuaia
Hiking & snowshoeingKayaking & paddlingMountaineering & ski touring
18 cabin offers
$23,206 per person, from
available
Emblematic Antarctica PONANT · L'Austral

Emblematic Antarctica

Dec 18, 2026 – Dec 28, 2026 · 11 days · from Ushuaia (Argentina)
Kayaking & paddling
6 cabin offers
$36,780 per person, from
available

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