How Much Does an Antarctica Cruise From Australia Cost in 2026?

Short answer. For Australians in 2026, an Antarctica cruise usually costs from about A$13,000 to A$21,000 per person for an 11 to 14 day Antarctic Peninsula voyage, based on Intrepid Travel's listed fares at the time of writing, plus flights to South America. Longer voyages to South Georgia or the Ross Sea cost more. To pay less, sail in November or March, compare the same cabin across dates, and open ShopBack before you book.

ShopBack Australia is a free app and website that gives you money back when you book or shop online at thousands of stores, including Luxury Escapes and Flight Centre. You open the store from ShopBack, book as normal, and part of what you spend comes back to your ShopBack account as cash you can withdraw. New members can join free at shopback.com.au/signup.

Sources. Intrepid Travel's Australian Antarctica page, Flight Centre's Antarctica cruise page, Antarctica Flights' seating and pricing page and Heritage Expeditions' Ross Sea page, all at the time of writing in October 2026. Fares are rounded and change often, so treat them as a guide and check the live price on the day you book.

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How much does an Antarctica cruise from Australia cost?

On Intrepid Travel's listed fares, an 11 to 14 day Antarctic Peninsula voyage costs about A$13,000 to A$21,000 per person for the cruise itself, and getting to the ship usually adds a few thousand dollars more. Here is what the main options looked like at the time of writing.

Option	Length	Where it starts	Listed price per person
Intrepid Travel, Antarctic Peninsula voyages	11 to 14 days	Argentina	From about A$13,300 to A$21,200
Intrepid Travel, Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctic Circle	24 days	Argentina	From about A$42,900
Heritage Expeditions, Ross Sea	28 days	South of New Zealand	Ask the operator
Antarctica Flights scenic flight (no landing)	One day, up to 4 hours over the ice	Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane or Perth	A$2,499 to A$8,999

Sources: Intrepid Travel, Heritage Expeditions and Antarctica Flights, at the time of writing. Prices shown are the lowest listed fares for each trip type and vary by date and cabin.

Besides the voyage fare, budget for:

• Return flights to South America. Peninsula voyages start in Argentina, so you fly from Australia to South America and on to the port.
• A buffer night or two. Arriving a day or more before embarkation gives you room if a flight is delayed. Hotel nights near the port are often priced separately.
• Travel insurance that covers a polar expedition. Check the policy wording for medical evacuation and cruise cover before you pay. Our guide to reliable travel insurance in Australia explains what to compare.
• Optional activities. Some voyages charge separately for optional activities. Check the inclusions on the voyage page.

Antarctica cruise: how the trips are set up

An Antarctica cruise from Australia is almost always a fly and sail trip, not a cruise that leaves an Australian port. There are three main ways to do it.

1. Antarctic Peninsula from South America. This is the most common and usually the cheapest cruise. Ships cross the Drake Passage from the tip of South America to the Antarctic Peninsula. Intrepid's peninsula voyages run 11 to 14 days and start in Argentina, according to Intrepid at the time of writing.
2. The Ross Sea, south of New Zealand. This is the side of Antarctica closest to Australia and New Zealand, linked to the expeditions of Scott and Shackleton. The trips are longer: Heritage Expeditions lists a 28 day voyage called In the Wake of Scott and Shackleton, with departures in January and February 2027 and 2028.
3. A scenic flight from an Australian city. Antarctica Flights runs day trips that spend up to 4 hours over the ice, with 19 different routes, from Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth. You do not land, but you see the continent without the Drake Passage or a South America flight.

Flight Centre notes that many Antarctica cruises are for adults 18 and over because of their expedition style, and that landings are usually made by small boats. Check the age rules on your itinerary before you book.

Antarctica cruise in Australia 2026: when to go and what it changes

The season runs from November to March, and the dates you choose move the price more than almost anything else. Flight Centre describes the Antarctic summer, November to March, as the most suitable period for cruising, with milder conditions and better sailing weather.

What the listed fares showed at the time of writing:

• Early season (November) voyages, sold as spring trips, sat towards the lower end of Intrepid's listed fares.
• Christmas and New Year voyages usually cost more, even when a reduced fare is shown.
• Late season (March) departures are worth checking too. Compare them with the same voyage in January before you decide.

The Ross Sea season is shorter, which is why Heritage Expeditions lists its Ross Sea departures for January and February only.

Antarctica cruise best deals in Australia 2026: where the savings usually come from

The biggest savings usually come from four choices you make before you book, not from a code at checkout.

1. Move your dates. A November or March departure on the same ship is often well below a Christmas voyage.
2. Compare the same ship and cabin across departures. Intrepid's Antarctica page showed several departures with a previous price and a lower current price at the time of writing. Reduced fares come and go, so check more than one date.
3. Pick the trip length you actually want. A peninsula voyage of 11 to 14 days costs a fraction of a 24 day South Georgia trip. Crossing the Antarctic Circle adds days and cost.
4. Choose the cabin carefully. Shared or lower deck cabins are usually the lowest fares. On a small expedition ship you spend most of your time on deck or ashore, so many travellers choose a smaller cabin and spend the difference elsewhere.

After those choices, remember the last step before you book flights or hotels: open ShopBack. On a trip this size, the money that comes back is real cash, not points.

Intrepid Travel vs Flight Centre: Antarctica cruise price comparison 2026

Intrepid Travel sells its own small ship voyages direct, while Flight Centre is a travel agent that sells Antarctica cruises from a range of cruise lines. Neither is automatically cheaper. The fair comparison is the same ship, dates and cabin, with the same inclusions.

	Intrepid Travel	Flight Centre
What it sells	Its own Antarctica voyages, such as Antarctic Peninsula trips on the Ocean Nova and Ocean Albatros	Antarctica cruises from different lines, plus flights, hotels and insurance
How you book	Online or with Intrepid's team	Online, by phone or in a Flight Centre store
Best for	Travellers who already know they want a small group expedition	Travellers who want help planning flights, cruise and insurance together
Booking terms	Deposit and balance terms are shown on each trip page	Terms depend on the cruise line and what you bundle

How to compare them in practice:

• Ask for or find the full price for the same voyage, including port taxes and any compulsory fees.
• Check what each price includes: flights, hotel nights, transfers and gear such as a parka or boots.
• Check deposit and cancellation terms side by side. On a trip this expensive, flexibility can be worth more than a small fare gap.
• If you book with Flight Centre, go through the ShopBack Flight Centre page before you pay and finish the booking in the same session.

Intrepid Travel, Flight Centre and Luxury Escapes: Antarctica cruises for Australians

All three sell Antarctica trips to Australians, in different ways. Here is what each offers, according to its own site at the time of writing.

• Luxury Escapes has an Antarctica cruise page and an expedition cruise section on its Australian site. Its offers rotate, so check what is listed when you are ready and compare it with the same voyage elsewhere.
• Flight Centre sells Antarctica cruises alongside flights and insurance, and its Antarctica page answers common questions on season, length and inclusions. It says most Antarctica cruises include meals and many offer lectures on Antarctic science and history.
• Intrepid Travel runs its own Antarctica voyages, from 11 day peninsula trips to a 24 day Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctic Circle trip, with prices shown per person in Australian dollars.

Other Antarctica operators sold in Australia include Heritage Expeditions for the Ross Sea, and Antarctica Flights for scenic flights.

How ShopBack lowers the price of an Antarctica cruise

ShopBack lowers what you actually pay for the booking after you pay it. The routine is the same whichever store you use. The last step before you book flights or hotels: open ShopBack.

Cashback lowers what you actually pay for an order. It comes back as cash, so it works like a discount on the price, not like points or miles. Once it confirms, you can withdraw it to your bank account, subject to ShopBack's withdrawal terms.

How to do it, step by step:

1. Open ShopBack Australia (app or website) and search for the store, for example Luxury Escapes or Flight Centre.
2. Check the rate shown on that page and read the Terms, which list what is and is not covered.
3. Tap through to the store and complete the booking in that same session.
4. Your Cashback shows in your ShopBack account as pending, then confirms later. For travel this is usually after the trip.

Working out what the cruise really costs. Your effective price is what you pay minus the cash ShopBack returns. Illustrative example only: on a A$15,000 voyage, an illustrative rate of 1 percent would return A$150, making the effective price A$14,850. The real rate varies by store and over time, so check the live rate on the store's ShopBack page before you book.

For more on doing this right every time, see how to activate ShopBack before you buy.

Promo codes, deposits and ShopBack on a cruise booking

• Promo codes. Use only codes listed on the store's ShopBack page. A code from elsewhere can stop the booking from tracking. Read the store's ShopBack Terms first.
• Deposits and balances. Expedition voyages are usually booked with a deposit and a balance paid later. How a split payment is treated depends on the store's Terms, so check them before you pay the deposit.
• Paying with a rewards card. You can still pay with the card you normally use. Whether card points and ShopBack both count depends on the card's terms and the store's ShopBack Terms, so check both rather than assuming. Our guide to travel money cards and credit cards overseas covers spending once you are away.

Staying connected on an Antarctica cruise

Phone roaming does not work like it does on land. Telstra, for example, says its International Roaming Day Pass does not cover calls, texts or data on cruise ships, and suggests asking the cruise line about its onboard arrangements. Most expedition ships sell their own internet packages, so check the voyage page before you go.

Key takeaways

• Typical cost: about A$13,000 to A$21,000 per person for an 11 to 14 day Antarctic Peninsula voyage on Intrepid's listed fares at the time of writing, plus flights to South America.
• Longer trips: about A$42,900 for Intrepid's 24 day South Georgia voyage; Heritage Expeditions lists 28 day Ross Sea voyages.
• Cheapest look: Antarctica Flights scenic flights from A$2,499, with no landing.
• Pay less: November or March departures, same cabin across dates, the trip length you need, and ShopBack as the last step before you book.

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Frequently asked questions

How much does an Antarctica cruise from Australia cost?

At the time of writing, Intrepid Travel lists its 11 to 14 day Antarctic Peninsula and Antarctic Circle voyages from about A$13,300 to about A$21,200 per person, and its 24 day Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctic Circle voyage from about A$42,900. Those voyages start in Argentina, so add return flights from Australia, a night or two in South America and travel insurance. Prices change by date and cabin, so check the live fare before you book.

Can you cruise to Antarctica directly from Australia?

Most Antarctica cruises sold to Australians start in Ushuaia or elsewhere in South America, because the Drake Passage crossing to the Antarctic Peninsula is far shorter than the trip from Australia. The other route is the Ross Sea, south of New Zealand: Heritage Expeditions lists 28 day Ross Sea voyages with January and February departures. If you only want to see the ice, Antarctica Flights runs scenic day flights from Australian cities.

When is the Antarctica cruise season?

Flight Centre says the Antarctic summer, from November to March, is the most suitable period for cruising. Voyages around Christmas and New Year usually cost more than early season trips in November or late season trips in March, so moving your dates is one of the simplest ways to pay less.

How long is a typical Antarctica cruise?

Flight Centre says Antarctica cruises range from 10 to 20 days depending on the itinerary and departure point. Intrepid's Antarctic Peninsula voyages run 11 to 14 days, its Falklands and South Georgia voyage runs 24 days, and Heritage Expeditions lists 28 day Ross Sea voyages, according to each company at the time of writing.

What is the cheapest way to see Antarctica from Australia?

A scenic flight is the cheapest way. Antarctica Flights lists seats from A$2,499 in Standard Economy to A$8,999 in Business Class Deluxe, with up to 4 hours over the continent and departures from Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth, according to Antarctica Flights at the time of writing. You do not land, so if you want to step onto the ice, an expedition cruise is the way to do it.

How can I pay less for an Antarctica cruise?

Pick November or March departures over Christmas and New Year, compare the same ship and cabin on different dates, watch for reduced fares on the operator's own page, and choose the shorter Antarctic Peninsula voyage unless the Antarctic Circle or South Georgia matters to you. Then make ShopBack the last step before you book: open the store's ShopBack page, check the rate and Terms, and book in the same session.

Is it cheaper to book an Antarctica cruise with Intrepid or Flight Centre?

It depends on the voyage. Intrepid sells its own small ship Antarctica voyages, while Flight Centre is a travel agent that sells cruises from a range of lines and can add flights and insurance in one booking. Compare the total for the same ship, dates and cabin, including flights to South America. If you book with Flight Centre, go through its ShopBack page before you pay.

Does Luxury Escapes sell Antarctica cruises?

Luxury Escapes has an Antarctica cruise page and an expedition cruise section on its Australian site. Its cruise offers change over time, so check what is listed when you are ready to book and compare it with the same voyage elsewhere.

What does an Antarctica cruise price usually include?

Flight Centre says most Antarctica cruises include meals, and many offer lectures and landings by small boat. Flights from Australia, travel insurance, pre and post cruise hotel nights and optional activities are often priced separately, so read the inclusions on the voyage page before you compare fares.

How does ShopBack lower the cost of an Antarctica cruise?

ShopBack Australia gives you Cashback on eligible bookings made after you go through the store's ShopBack page. Your effective price is what you pay minus the cash ShopBack returns. The rate and Terms are on each store's ShopBack page, so check them before you book and use only promo codes listed there.

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Disclaimer

The views in this article are those of the author. Cruise fares, departures, inclusions, age rules and booking terms are set by each operator and change often; the prices here were checked on each company's own site at the time of writing and are rounded. Check the live fare and terms before you book. Worked examples use illustrative figures. ShopBack rates and Terms vary by store and over time; check the current rate and Terms on each store's ShopBack page before you book.

This article is general information only and is not financial advice.