Antarctic Circle Expedition Micro Cruise by Air
A 2.5-hour charter flight from Patagonia. Seven full days in Antarctica. And on every departure, a push south toward the Antarctic Circle at 66°33'S: into sea ice, locked bergs, and the part of the continent most Antarctic vessels never reach.
With 36 guests, five Senior Polar Guides, and four Zodiacs in the water at once, all guests reach the Peninsula together, with the time and space to go further.
First navigated by Captain James Cook in 1773, this far-south route is still only attempted by a small number of vessels, and on our micro-ship Expedition Micro Cruise, your access is rare and intimate.
We’ll celebrate the moment aboard the ship before venturing into seldom-seen areas like The Gullet, Lallemand Fjord, and Detaille Island, where Adelie penguins tend chicks, elusive Ross seals may appear, and humpback whales bubble-net feed in krill-rich waters.
Enter a realm few have reached and join an elite circle of Antarctic explorers.
Six reasons to cross the Antarctic Circle with Secret Atlas
Reach 66°33'S at 36-guest scale. The smallest scheduled expedition vessel currently pushing for the Antarctic Circle. Everyone lands together, in a single Zodiac deployment, at every site.
Skip the Drake Passage. A two-hour direct flight from Puerto Natales to King George Island in the South Shetlands replaces two days of open-ocean crossing in each direction.
Seven full days on the ice. More time on the Peninsula than a traditional sail-cruise, without the Drake.
A push for the Circle on every departure. Weather and ice permitting, the captain and expedition team commit to reaching 66°33'S, not just attempting it.
Named landing sites few travellers ever reach. Crystal Sound, Marguerite Bay, Stonington Island, Detaille Island, and the narrow passages of The Gullet, on the same voyage as the classic Peninsula sites.
A gateway in Puerto Natales. At the foot of Torres del Paine, with an optional five-day Patagonian extension available.
Journey to the edge where ice and wildlife converge in pristine wilderness.
The fly cruise format eliminates the Drake Passage crossing in both directions maximising your time where it matters most. More time exploring the White Continent instead of spending days at sea increases opportunities for Zodiac cruises, shore landings, and wildlife encounters.
Crossing the Antarctic Circle is never guaranteed and always depends on ice and weather conditions, every Secret Atlas Expedition Micro Cruise is designed to make the attempt, giving you the best possible chance to venture farther south.
The season shapes everything. December and January bring the Peninsula at its most active: perpetual twilight, penguin colonies in full nesting season, humpback whales arriving in increasing numbers. Whether you are here for Christmas, New Year, or the height of the Antarctic summer, the expedition follows the same route, the same ambition, and the same intention to push as far south as conditions allow.
In this frozen, awakening world, nature leads — and we follow, quietly and respectfully.
Check-in between 15:00 and 17:00.
Pre-Antarctic briefings from the expedition team, followed by a Patagonian asado at the Weskar Lodge club house marking the official start of your expedition.
From day two, we are ready to depart as soon as conditions allow. The charter flight to King George Island takes 2.5 hours. The timing is determined by the Captain based on the safest available weather window, not a clock.
If the flight window does not open on day two, the expedition continues at Weskar Lodge. The lodge, Torres del Paine, and Puerto Natales itself are not a holding pattern; they are a destination. The longer voyage duration is specifically designed to provide a wider operational window for the crossing.
Seven full days on the Peninsula. Where we go is shaped by conditions and opportunity, not a fixed timetable.
The range covers the South Shetland Islands including Deception Island. The Gerlache Strait, Wilhelmina Bay, Lemaire Channel, Paradise Bay, and Cuverville Island: the core of the Peninsula's most extraordinary geography. When the ice opens south, we push toward the Antarctic Circle at 66°33'S.
Into Antarctica’s hidden places
South of the Circle, the landscape changes. Locked bergs in frozen channels. A silence with a different weight. In the right conditions, guests go ashore onto the sea ice itself, walking among icebergs that have not moved in weeks. This is where Ross Seals and Emperor Penguins live. Neither is guaranteed, and in fact very uncommon to encounter; however, both are possible here and almost nowhere else on this itinerary.
With only 36 guests, there are no crowds. Our expert guides respond to conditions as they develop whether that's extending a landing, spending longer at a remarkable wildlife encounter, or adapting the plan to make the most of every opportunity. On a Expedition Micro Cruise, this flexibility is the norm, not the exception.
Exploring Antarctica's raw and untouched beauty
We often sail into the heart of the Antarctic Peninsula through the scenic Gerlache Strait, flanked by jagged peaks.
We aim to explore Antarctica’s wildest corners. Possible locations include: Cierva Cove, Trinity Island, Mikkelsen Harbour, Hydrurga Rocks, Hughes Bay, Wilhelmina Bay, Cuverville Island, Errera Channel, Neko Harbour, Paradise Bay, Almirante Brown Station, Dallman Bay, Melchior Islands, Neumayer Channel, Port Lockroy, Lemaire Channel, Port Charcot, Petermann Island, Argentina Islands (Wordie House), Crystal Sound, Detaille Island, Lallemand Fjord, The Gullet, Marguerite Bay, Half Moon Island, Yankee Harbour, Whalers Bay, Baily Head, Deception Island.
Aureum holds at Maxwell Bay until the return flight window opens. When it does, the crossing back takes 2.5 hours.
If the flight window shifts, the expedition continues. There is no shortage of Antarctica to explore. Every additional day on the Peninsula is unplanned time in one of the most extraordinary places on earth.
The final night is at Weskar Lodge: farewell dinner, the expedition settling.
After your expedition, take the opportunity to explore Puerto Natales, the gateway to Chilean Patagonia—a frontier town with genuine character, exceptional local seafood, an unhurried pace, and an atmosphere entirely its own.
From here, discover nearby Torres del Paine National Park, part of the UNESCO Torres del Paine Biosphere Reserve, renowned for its granite towers, glaciers, turquoise lakes and remarkable wildlife.
Want to stay a little longer? Every Antarctica By Air expedition includes our Peace of Mind approach, with up to three additional nights in Puerto Natales at no extra accommodation cost.
Itineraries are subject to change.
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Vessel Type: Ice-Class Small Ship
Length: 56 m
Passenger Capacity: 36
Aureum is a purpose-designed micro expedition vessel built to deliver an intimate and highly flexible Antarctic experience, carrying just 36 guests supported by 26 crew, including six senior polar guides. With an ice-class 1C rating, Polar Code compliance, hybrid diesel-electric propulsion and active fin stabilisers, the vessel combines expedition capability with comfort and reduced environmental impact. Four Zodiacs allow guests to move efficiently between ship and shore, while open decks, a forward observation deck and the bridge lounge provide exceptional vantage points for wildlife and photography. The open-door bridge also gives guests the opportunity to follow the expedition alongside the captain and guides as routes and conditions unfold.
Life aboard Aureum is designed around relaxation and connection after days of exploration. The intimate lounge and dining room provide welcoming spaces for briefings, lectures, meals and quiet downtime, while the wellness area on the top deck features a sauna, hot tub and gym. A dedicated mudroom and disembarkation platform make the transition from ship to shore straightforward, with space to prepare and store expedition gear. With a high proportion of single cabins, comfortable shared spaces and a small-group atmosphere throughout, Aureum offers a distinctive blend of premium service, expedition capability and genuine access to the polar environment.
Inclusions
SVALBARD
• Expert Svalbard Expedition Leader
• Lectures on Svalbard
• Use of Zodiac (Dinghies) for shore landings and photography opportunities
• Polar Bear protection guides for shore landings
• Full Board (breakfast, lunch and dinner + alcoholic drinks with evening meal)
• Bedding and towels
• Highly experienced Captain and Cook
• Rubber boots for shore landings
• Transfers from airport to hotel and to vessel for embarkation + vessel to airport/hotel after disembarkation
ANTARCTICA
• Expert Antarctica Expedition Guide Team
• Lectures on Antarctica
• Use of Zodiac (Dinghies) for shore landings and photography opportunities
• Full Board (breakfast, lunch and dinner )
• Bedding and towels
• Highly experienced Captain and Cook
• Rubber boots for shore landings
Exclusions
• Flights
• Travel and cancellation insurance
• Any additional expenses such as museum entry
Small Ship Cruise
Highlights
• Micro enough to access. Subtle enough to stay. Together, we explore farther south, spending more time where wildlife is most active and the ice is at its most spectacular. That's what the right scale feels like on an Antarctic Circle expedition.• A push for the Antarctic Circle on every departure. 66°33'S. The threshold where the sun does not set at midsummer and the sea ice ecosystem begins. Most Antarctic expedition vessels do not attempt it. We do, on every voyage; how far south conditions allow varies, but the intention does not.
• Sea ice exploration. South of the Circle, the landscape changes register. Cathedral sized icebergs and frozen channels with a silence of a different weight. In the right conditions, guests go ashore onto the ice itself, walking among icebergs that have not moved in weeks, months, or years.
• Fly to Antarctica, explore for longer. A 2.5-hour charter flight between Puerto Natales and King George Island replaces the Drake Passage in both directions, giving you seven full days to explore the Antarctic Peninsula, the Gerlache Strait, the Lemaire Channel, and as far south as conditions allow.
• Wildlife of the deeper south. Gentoo, chinstrap, and Adelie penguins. Leopard, Weddell, and crabeater seals. Humpback whales in the channels. Further south: a small chance of Ross Seal and, rarer still, Emperor Penguin.
• Expert photography guidance. A dedicated photography guide is part of the guiding team on every departure, on hand to help you capture the wildlife, icescapes, and dramatic light of Antarctica.
• Continental landing. For most guests, the moment that defines the voyage is stepping ashore on the seventh continent. The Peninsula receives you at micro-scale — 36 guests, four Zodiacs, all ashore at once, with no one waiting back on the ship and no schedule pulling you away.
Our Associates Include
