Antarctica Unlocked
English
Antarctica Unlocked
Find Departures
Browse
Operators Ships Seasons
Destinations
All Destinations Embarkation ports Landing sites Antarctic Peninsula South Georgia Weddell Sea Falkland Islands South Shetland Islands
Guides
Cruise styles Activities Wildlife Packing list FAQ About & methodology Compare departures

Antarctic Peninsula · 63°00′S · 59°00′W

Cruises visiting Bransfield Strait

Calm Channel • First Big Icebergs & Feeding Whales

205 upcoming Antarctic expeditions with Bransfield Strait on the route, from $9,614.

Filter & compare all 205 departures

The Bransfield Strait is the 100 km of water between the South Shetlands and the Peninsula — usually the first calm sailing after the Drake, and often where passengers meet their first big icebergs and whales.

Crossed by nearly every Peninsula itinerary, it doubles as a feeding ground for humpbacks and a highway for ships heading south.

Bransfield Strait — Key Facts At a Glance
Available departures 205
Price range (per person, USD) $9,614 – $82,950
Typical duration 9–49 days
Active fleet coverage 6 operators · 16 ships
Geographic sector Antarctic Peninsula
Coordinates 63°00′S · 59°00′W
Prices last verified 48-hour verification methodology

Wildlife you can spot here

Penguins

Gentoo Penguin

A stocky, orange-billed penguin of the genus Pygoscelis, closest kin to the Adélie and Chinstrap. Its loud, trumpeting call, delivered with head thrown back, carries across the shoreline colonies where expedition landings are made.

Whales & Dolphins

Humpback Whale

A 14–17 metre baleen whale known for breaching and long pectoral fins, often seen feeding on krill in loose groups along the ice edge.

Penguins

Chinstrap Penguin

Named for the thin black band under its chin, the chinstrap penguin looks as if it is wearing a helmet. Listen for it before you see it: it has one of the loudest, harshest calls of any penguin.

Iconic landing sites

By embarkation port

By operator

By month

Compare all Antarctic departures across operators →