Classic Antarctica Air Cruise on Magellan Explorer (Feb 2025)

It’s been a while since my last trips to Antarctica in 2016 and 2018, and I’ve always wanted to return to that magical place. For those who may not know, it was our family trip to Antarctica during Christmas 2016 that sparked my career change from a seasoned software developer to the owner of a travel agency specializing in polar voyages. Antarctica holds a very special place in my heart.

In September 2023, I had the opportunity to join a short ship tour on the Magellan Explorer, traveling between Punta Arenas and Ushuaia. I was really impressed by its efficiency in getting everyone off the ship quickly—especially with only 76 passengers onboard. The ship was designed for expedition trips to Antarctica!

Stay tuned for live updates as I embark on the exciting 7-Night Classic Antarctica Air Cruise from February 20-27, 2025!

Feb 20 2025 (Thursday)

As the plane landed smoothly at the airport, I returned to Punta Arenas, the hub of Patagonia at the southern tip of Chile, after a year and a half. The last time I visited was for the 20th anniversary celebration of the polar cruise operator Antarctica21, where I boarded the Magellan Explorer for a trip to Ushuaia. This time, I'll fly across the Drake Passage and board the Magellan Explorer again for a tour of the Antarctic Peninsula.

It was a sunny day in Punta Arenas, with the temperature reaching a high of 52°F (13°C), but it didn’t feel cold at all. After picking up my luggage at the airport, the Antarctica21 staff were already waiting for me in the lobby, holding a sign with everyone's names on it. Just 20 minutes later, the group arrived at the Hotel Cabo De Hornos. After checking in, I walked couple blocks to Explorer House, to pick up my boots and went through biosecurity check for my outerwear and backpack for the Antarctic journey.

Explorer House is a pre-trip experience center specially built by Antarctica21 for guests. As soon as you enter, you see a zodiac in display used for polar exploration. The first floor houses the restaurant and library, while the second floor has the bar and auditorium. The interior was still under construction when I visited last time, but now it’s fully operational.

The mandatory briefing took place in the auditorium on the second floor. Afterward, everyone took a short break in the bar before heading to the restaurant on the first floor for dinner. During the dinner, A21 staff announced some good news with the group: the weather in Antarctica is expected to be cooperative tomorrow morning. We’ll leave for the airport at 7 a.m. and fly to Antarctica!

Feb 21 2025 (Friday)

At 5:15 in the morning, the wake-up call from the hotel front desk roused me from my dream. By 7 o’clock, everyone boarded two buses to the airport. The charter flight took off on time at 9:00. Just two hours later, we finally set foot on the land of Antarctica!

This was my first time seeing Antarctica from the air. In the final five minutes of landing, I had a clear view of glaciers, lakes, and the scientific research stations on King George Island. After disembarking, two buses took us to the shore, where the Magellan Explorer was waiting for us not far away.

Behind us, we could see the southernmost Orthodox church in the world. This wooden structure, located near the Russian scientific research station, was built in the mid-1990s. To welcome us, seven or eight gentoo penguins curiously watched from just off the shore.

After the safety briefing, the Magellan Explorer set sail, leaving King George Island and heading for the Antarctic Peninsula via the Bransfield Strait. The weather was perfect that day—calm, with no wind, though the sun had mysteriously hidden itself for a while. In the distance, we could just make out an iceberg on the horizon. A group of Gentoo penguins leaped forward in the water, and not far off, a seal poked its head above the surface before disappearing beneath the waves.

Around 4:00 p.m., a towering snow peak suddenly appeared on the horizon to the right of the ship. I checked the map on my phone and discovered it was Great Needle Peak, rising to 5,512 feet. Later, expedition members Marcelos and Rodrigo gave a fantastic lecture on penguins and wildlife photography. But the lecture was briefly interrupted when a beautiful iceberg appeared on the ship’s port side. The sky had cleared, and with the bright blue sky and the sun shining down, the iceberg gleamed in various shades of blue—a sight that was truly mesmerizing. Just as everyone was snapping photos on deck, I spotted two humpback whales waving their tails in unison near the glacier, quickly filling everyone’s camera memory cards!

I thought I was incredibly lucky, but little did I know, better things were still to come. I wandered to the library on the 4th floor and gazed aimlessly through the floor to ceiling windows. Suddenly, a humpback whale breached just behind the port side of the ship, splashing back into the water with a mighty crash. Then it repeated twice in quick succession. I was so stunned that I couldn’t react in time. I desperately wished I had my phone to capture it, but the moment is now etched deeply in my mind.

At dinner, I asked a few other passengers about the sighting. It seemed no one else had witnessed it. As the sun set, a crescent moon rose above the snow-capped mountains. Could this be a sign of more pleasant surprises to come tomorrow?

Feb 22 2025 (Saturday)

This morning, we landed on a small island called Rocas Hydrurga—our first landing of the trip. As we boarded the zodiac, snow was falling in a flurry. From a distance, we could already spot a chinstrap penguin colony on a hill along the shoreline.

I carefully stepped over the slippery rocks covered in snow and made my way up the hill. Not long after, I was stopped by two chinstrap penguins trying to cross in front of me. One was perfectly clean, while the other had a dirty belly. They seemed as unsteady on the slippery ground as I was, stumbling and falling a few times.

It’s molting season for the penguins, and during this time, they don't eat or drink as they wait for their new waterproof feathers to grow in, leaving them particularly vulnerable. To protect themselves from fur seal attacks, they build their nests on higher ground. The nesting sites of Antarctica Shags and penguins often overlap. Skuas flew overhead, hoping to snatch a penguin chick. Whenever a skua approached, the adult penguins would stretch their necks and call out loudly, trying to chase the birds away.

On the shore and in the water, a few fur seals were playing. A Weddell seal lay motionless on the ground, its body relaxed as it slept.

At one point, an Adélie penguin appeared. Its white eye patches were stark against its black back and white belly. It seemed lost, as though it couldn’t find its colony.

At lunch, the dining room buzzed with discussions about our morning excursions. Just then, a humpback whale leapt high out of the water nearby, almost as if to join in our celebration.

In the afternoon, we had planned to head to Graham Passage, but strong winds forced expedition leader Kristi to change course. Instead, we embarked on a zodiac cruise to Sikorsky Glacier, across the bay.

We passed large and small icebergs, their varying shades of blue reflecting beautifully in the water, reminding me of the glaciers of Scoby Sound and Ilulissat, Greenland. Crabeater and leopard seals rested on the icebergs. We were fortunate to witness gentoo penguins swimming beneath our zodiac before leaping out of the water in graceful arcs.

Around six o’clock, a PA announcement informed us that a group of humpback whales was nearby. They had appeared in front of the ship and were hunting. Everyone rushed to the top deck. We spotted them on all sides of the bow, with water mist rising from the surface as the whales exhaled loudly, arched their backs, flicked their tails, and created bubbles visible from the water’s surface. For a moment, it was chaos as we tried to take it all in.

By then, the ship had turned off its engine, and the whales were less than 20 meters from the side of the ship. The spectacular display lasted for 25 minutes, and according to the captain, at least 16 humpback whales were involved.

I had known that February and March were peak whale-watching months in Antarctica, but witnessing it firsthand was far more awe-inspiring than I ever imagined. During dinner, the excitement continued as whales surfaced occasionally on both sides of the ship, causing waves of exclamations in the dining room.

Feb 23 2025 (Sunday)

We were woken up at 6:30 a.m. by the PA announcement that our ship was about to pass through the famous Lemaire Channel. I remembered that on my first trip to Antarctica in 2016, we had also sailed through the Lemaire Channel, but it had been cloudy and rainy. This time, however, the sky was a brilliant blue!

The open deck on the bow was already filled with excited fellow passengers. Towering peaks rose on both sides, their summits shrouded in mist and clouds. Sunlight filtered through, casting dramatic shadows on the ice-laden waters below. Icebergs, both large and small, drifted by intermittently. Every glance seemed to capture a postcard-perfect shot, thanks to the interplay of light and shadow.

Our first landing of the day was at Port Charcot, situated at 65 degrees south. In 1904, French explorer Jean-Baptiste Charcot and his Antarctic expedition spent the winter here, naming the site in honor of his father. To the right of the landing area, there were several penguin colonies, both large and small. After a 20-minute walk, I reached the largest penguin gathering on a hillside. From above, I could see that the penguins had created their "Penguin Highway," leading up from the shore. Watching these adorable birds waddling up and down, I couldn’t help but think—being a penguin is no easy task!

Among the many gentoo penguins, we spotted an unexpected guest—a solitary king penguin, standing proudly among the crowd. The expedition team explained that the king penguin might have left South Georgia to molt, and once it was finished, it would return home. By this point, we had already encountered four species of penguins—Chinstrap, Gentoo, Adélie, and King—far exceeding my expectations!

After visiting the penguins, I took a different path that led to the summit. At the top stood a monument made of stones, which, according to the expedition team, had been part of a communication system provided by the Argentine government for Charcot’s expedition. Expedition members could leave letters in a jar here, and the Argentine government would regularly send someone to collect them.

From the summit, I had a sweeping view of the bay below. The wind howled, so strong it felt as though it might blow me off. It was a completely different world, with snow-capped peaks, floating icebergs, and adorable penguins scurrying across the shoreline.

In the afternoon, we set out on a zodiac cruise around Flandres Bay. The weather had turned, with low-hanging clouds creating a mysterious atmosphere.

After observing several Leopard seals and Crabeater seals, our zodiac turned toward the opposite direction. In the distance, I suddenly spotted mist rising into the air. "There’s a whale!" I exclaimed. This playful whale seemed to move intermittently, surfacing to spray water from time to time. However, as we got closer, it disappeared completely.

Just as we were feeling a bit disappointed, we received news that a Minke whale had been spotted nearby. Our zodiac quickly made its way over. Four zodiacs gathered together, and everyone eagerly scanned the water. Suddenly, a passenger on another zodiac shouted, "It’s swimming towards you guys!" I caught sight of a large shape moving beneath the water, gliding gracefully under our zodiac. When we turned around to look again, the whale had surfaced, spraying a column of water before swimming off.

The Minke whale seemed to be in a playful mood, swimming back and forth between our four zodiacs. From time to time, it exposed its head above the water, allowing everyone to enjoy the rare sight.

After returning to the ship, the kitchen had prepared a BBQ dinner for everyone on the rear deck. As the music played—YMCA, Bollywood hits, and Gangnam Style—no one could resist joining in. Under the setting sun, many of us danced with enthusiasm. It was yet another lucky day!

Feb 24 2025 (Monday)

This morning's schedule included a zodiac cruise and landing near Stony Point in Paradise Bay. The weather was cloudy with light snowfall as we disembarked. Our zodiac first took us to a gentoo penguin colony along the shore of Bayde Island, before heading to our landing point at Stony Point.

Our previous landings had been on small islands off the peninsula, but today, we stood on the Antarctic continent itself! The expedition team had thoughtfully provided flags of the 7th Continent for everyone to take photos with.

After returning to the ship, we participated in the long-awaited polar plunge. Forty-six brave souls jumped into the icy cold water, each displaying a variety of postures and expressions.

In the afternoon, our ship set sail toward Neko Harbor, our next landing point. The sun finally broke through the clouds, revealing patches of blue sky above us.

As the ship slowly navigated through Paradise Bay, the sky appeared as if it had been painted by a brush, with random clouds scattered across a blue canvas. The snow-capped mountains seemed to merge with the clouds, and the reflections in the water mirrored the scene. Icebergs of all sizes passed by, making it feel like we were gliding through a living painting.

On the right side of the ship, we passed the Brown Research Station (Argentina) and the Gonzalez Videla Research Station (Chile), both of which I had visited on my first trip to Antarctica nearly ten years ago. Seeing them again made me feel nostalgic.

Around 4 p.m., we arrived at Neko Harbor. The sky was completely clear, offering perfect visibility. Just a short distance from the landing point, I could see the end of at least four or five penguin highways leading directly to the colonies on the slope—paths the penguins had diligently carved out.

Following the marked flags, I climbed the trail, carefully navigating slippery spots along the way. Once at the top, I was rewarded with a breathtaking view of the entire bay. To the left, a glacier plunged directly into the water, with snow fog swirling above as the wind blew fiercely. On the right, a melting glacier displayed large horizontal and vertical crevasses, where an avalanche had just occurred right in front of us.

In the penguin colony, many fluffy chicks, recently born, chirped and followed their mothers, desperately seeking food. The mothers, constantly pursued by their hungry offspring, reluctantly opened their mouths to feed them.

After completing the landing, our ship continued its journey north. Against the backdrop of a clear blue sky, white clouds, and snow-capped mountains, we spotted a group of whales on the right side of the ship. They gracefully flicked their tails and sprayed mist into the air. We lingered on deck, reluctant to leave, until the sunset finally urged us to return inside.

Feb 25 2025 (Tuesday)

Today marks our final day in Antarctica, with two landing sites on the South Shetland Islands: Deception Island in the morning and Half Moon Island in the afternoon.

Deception Island is an active volcanic crater, with its center submerged in seawater, forming a bay with a narrow entrance, about 500 meters wide, known as Neptune’s Bellows. In the middle of the waterway, about 2.5 meters below the surface, lies a rock called Raven’s Rock. Navigating this bay requires both skill and favorable weather. Around 8:00 AM, our ship slowly entered Whaler’s Bay on Deception Island. The weather was overcast, with snowflakes drifting through the air. As we looked around, the bay was blanketed in pristine white snow. In the early 20th century, this bay was a busy whaling port, but today, only the ruins remain, with fur seals lazily roaming the snowy landscape.

Our zodiac made its way toward the shore, where the beach was lined with black sand and mist hung thick in the air. The water, unexpectedly, wasn’t cold when I dipped my hand in. I had signed up for a long hike, aiming to reach a small mountain about 300 meters above sea level. A group of us lined up and set off, braving the wind and snow. Over the past two days, snow had fallen several times, and in some areas, it was knee-deep. We wound our way through a valley, where the slopes were steep in places, requiring extra caution. After about an hour and a half, we finally reached the edge of the cliff. From there, we had a stunning view of Neptune’s Bellows, which our ship had passed through earlier. The sun peeked out from behind the clouds, though the snow continued to fall. After taking a group photo, we joyfully descended back down.

In the afternoon, we arrived at Half Moon Island, a sanctuary for thousands of chinstrap and gentoo penguins. The ground was completely blanketed in snow, and the adorable black-and-white penguins waddled through the drifts, hopping from foot to foot in the deep snow. Their irresistible charm was impossible to ignore. In the distance, the sun broke through the clouds, casting a soft glow on the snow-capped mountains. The mist and clouds intertwined, creating an otherworldly, fairy-tale-like atmosphere.

Feb 26 2025 (Wednesday)

Time flew by, and before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye. In the morning, we packed up with some reluctance and took the zodiacs back to King George Island, where we would await our flight back to Chile.

While waiting in the lodge, I ran into several staff members from China’s Great Wall Station, who had just completed their three-month mission and were preparing to return home. I was also fortunate to meet Stationmaster Mr. Hebin Shao, who had come to bid them farewell. This year, Mr. Shao would be staying at the Great Wall Station for the winter.

As the roar of an approaching plane grew louder, a flight from Punta Arenas landed. It was our turn to wave goodbye to the next group of Antarctic travelers, wishing them the same luck and adventure we had experienced.

And so, my unforgettable Antarctic journey came to an end. Though the trip was short, the awe-inspiring landscapes of Antarctica, the penguins, seals, and whales that accompanied us daily, will remain etched in my memory. I also had the privilege of making new friends from all over the world aboard the ship, and I hope our paths cross again on another adventure.