MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Expansion of fly-cruise luxury programs to Antarctica

The nine-day fly-cruises will operate on 12 dates in December 2021 on Silver Explorer with fares starting from £13,300 based on two people sharing.

Silversea is to charter two private jets for a new fly-cruise program to Antarctica in 2021. The 75-seater aircraft will fly from Punta Arenas, Chile, to King George Island in Antarctica as part of the new Antarctica Bridge program which goes on sale on December 10 this year.

Zodiac and International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) briefings will be played to passengers during the two-hour flight over Drake Passage.

The nine-day fly-cruises will operate on 12 dates in December 2021 on Silver Explorer with fares starting from £13,300 based on two people sharing.

The trip includes six nights on the 144-passenger ship departing from King George Island. Passengers will visit the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands during the voyage.

The full itinerary includes a night’s stay either side of the sailing and international air travel via Santiago to and from Punta Arenas. Silversea said the fly-cruise would save passengers around four days at sea as it would avoid sailing through Drake Passage.

Conrad Combrink, Silversea’s senior vice president of tour operating, expedition and destination management, said the fly-cruise option was “perfect for time-conscious travelers”.

He said: “This is a defining moment for Silversea’s expedition offering: Antarctica Bridge will revolutionize the way in which our guests discover Antarctica.

“The luxury of choice is a key feature of our cruise line’s offering; our new Antarctica Bridge service expands our guests’ choices.

“This builds on our existing offering, which comprises many 10-day voyages, as well as 18-day expeditions and longer, which are the ultimate in deep exploration.

“With the launch of Antarctica Bridge, our guests will be able to choose from 59 Antarctica voyages.”

Polar expedition lines Quark Expeditions and Aurora Expeditions also offer fly-cruise itineraries departing from Punta Arenas.