Antarctica & Falklands Expedition - From Punta Arenas to Montevideo 

Yes. International flights aren't included in the standard package, but our flight team can arrange flights from most regional airports to help you reach your embarkation port. You're also welcome to book your own — but there are good reasons to let us handle it.

Flights coordinated with your expedition

Your flight schedule is planned around ship operations and charter flights, helping each leg of your journey connect with your voyage.

Support when plans change

If a flight is delayed, cancelled, or rescheduled, our team will work with the airline on your rebooking. If a significant schedule change means you can no longer arrive in time for your ship, we'll arrange a suitable alternative at no extra cost, subject to the applicable arrangements.

If you book your international flights independently, we cannot assist with rebooking those flights. Any changes and associated costs will be your responsibility or may need to be covered by your travel insurance. Delays could also affect your ability to reach your ship in time.

A dedicated team to help you

Our flight team monitors your travel arrangements and helps manage disruption. If something changes, we'll work with you to find a solution and keep your expedition plans on track.

Flight options to suit your journey

We can arrange flights from most regional airports to help you reach your embarkation port. Changes to your departure airport and cabin upgrades may also be possible, subject to airline rules, availability, and additional costs where applicable.

Due to the remote nature of our expeditions to Antarctica, it’s important for us to be aware of any health concerns. To prioritise the health and safety of our guests and crew, a Medical Screening Form is required for expeditions to Antarctica. For more detailed information on this topic, click here.

We require all guests (including children) to submit and complete the Medical Form prior to departure to Antarctica.

Complete the form online through the Vikand Medical portal. It includes sections for both you and your doctor to fill out. You can begin the process up to 120 days before your sailing start date. Group bookings: access opens 90 days before your sailing start date. To start, Vikand will verify your name against our passenger list. If your name isn’t found, please contact HX or your local travel agent(if you booked through one) to ensure your name has been added to the booking exactly as it appears on your passport. For Doctor’s section - if your doctor can't sign the form, please consult an alternative or use Vikand’s online doctor service.

To make sure you receive important updates about your Medical Screening Form, we’ll send a verification email to the address you provided. Please check your inbox (and Spam/Junk folders) and click the verification link to continue. Once verified, you can complete the Guest Section of the form. If you don’t receive the email, try using an alternative address for future updates.

Please note: We only accept the Medical Screening Form available through Vikand portal and has been specially designed for HX sailings to remote destinations.

Our promise to you is that if your Medical Screening Form is declined for medical reasons as determined by Vikand Solutions, we will refund you of all bookings made by HX up until the date of declinature. This includes all applicable flights, hotels and ground transportation. Rebookings can be made at no additional cost, subject to applicable booking conditions. For more detailed information on this topic, click here or see our terms and conditions.

Getting to Punta Arenas is a two-stage journey. You'll first take an international flight to Santiago — these aren't included in the standard package, but we can arrange flights from most regional airports to help you reach the start of your expedition, or you're welcome to book your own. From there, you'll take an included HX charter flight to Punta Arenas the following morning. We recommend staying overnight in Santiago so you can begin your expedition feeling rested and allow a buffer for your connection.

Fly to Santiago

Your journey begins with an international flight from your home country to Santiago, the gateway city for Antarctica expeditions travelling via Punta Arenas. These commercial flights are not included in the standard package, but we can arrange them for you from regional airports if you'd prefer to book through HX.

Stay overnight in Santiago

We recommend arriving in Santiago the day before your onward journey so you can begin your expedition feeling rested and allow a buffer for your connection. Check your travel documents or contact our team to confirm whether a pre-cruise hotel night is included in your package.

Charter flight to Punta Arenas

The next morning, you'll board an HX charter flight from Santiago to Punta Arenas. These flights are operated by JetSMART and are coordinated around your voyage schedule. Snacks only are served on JetSMART charter flights between Santiago and Punta Arenas and return.

Charter flights from Santiago typically depart at around 08:00. Final charter flight times are confirmed closer to departure — at your hotel on arrival and onboard.

We recommend choosing an Antarctic cruise provided by a reputable company with modern ships and top experts to help you understand and get the most from your incredible opportunity. Coming to such a pristine wilderness, we also consider it of the utmost importance to take care to protect the environment and keep it unspoiled.

At HX Expeditions, we offer expedition cruises to Antarctica with a variety of different itineraries, so you can find one that suits you best. Simply get in touch with our knowledgeable experts – they’re always happy to help. They can talk to you and ask you about your preferences to help you choose your dream trip to Antarctica.

Once you’ve chosen a cruise, our friendly teams can give you expert advice on topics such as what you need to pack for Antarctica.

Antarctica is teeming with animal life. Even though it’s one of the least hospitable places in the world, the wildlife there is spectacular.

The largest animals of all are found around Antarctica – whales. The whales found here include blue, humpback, Minke, sperm, and beaked. It’s also thought that Antarctica has the largest population of orcas (a type of dolphin) to be found anywhere in the world. In addition, many other types of dolphins are found here. Seals abound, including fur seals, leopard seals, elephant seals and sea lions.

Penguins are the most common birds in the Antarctic, where there are about 20 million breeding pairs (40 million birds). There are 18 different species of penguins in Antarctica, and while most are migratory, the Emperor Penguin and Adélie Penguin remain on the continent year-round, hatching their eggs among the bare rocks. Other birds found here include albatrosses, petrels, skua, prions, fulmars, shearwaters, gulls, terns and cormorants.

Some of the most notable differences between Antarctica and the Arctic are the differences between the animals found there. While penguins are emblematic of the Antarctic, there are no penguins in the Arctic. Moreover, there are no land mammals, reptiles or amphibians in Antarctica, so there are no Polar Bears! In fact, the only terrestrial vertebrates in Antarctica are birds that are found on the sub-Antarctic islands – the South Georgia pipit and freshwater ducks.

Further down the food chain are huge numbers of krill, fish and squid that nourish the marine ecosystem. In fact, the vertebrates living in Antarctica are almost entirely dependent on the Southern Ocean surrounding the continent for sustenance.

Invertebrates in Antarctica include earthworms and molluscs, as well as spiders, beetles and flies – though these are mainly confined to the warmer sub-Antarctic islands. There are no flying insects on the Antarctic continent itself – only tiny nematodes and the Antarctic springtail arthropod are able to survive and complete their lifecycles there.

It gets very cold. In fact, Antarctica is the coldest continent on Earth. The lowest temperature ever recorded at the surface of the Earth was recorded at Vostok research station, where the temperature once fell to −89.2 °C during winter.

However, the temperature varies considerably with the location, weather and seasons in Antarctica.

The coldest parts of Antarctica are in the interior of the continent, away from the coasts. Even during the summer, the interior remains below freezing with an average temperature of between −20 °C and −35 °C. The average temperature here during the coldest months is between −40 °C and −70 °C. It gets so cold because the sun doesn’t rise here in winter. Ever in summer, the sun remains low in the sky, so its rays are spread out over a wider surface area than they are in warmer parts of the world.

The warmest parts of Antarctica are the coastal areas, where the maritime climate keeps temperatures slightly higher. The average temperature during the coldest months here varies from −20 °C to −30 °C, while the mid-summer average temperature is about 0 °C on the coast.

The Antarctic Peninsula and the islands around it extend the furthest northwards towards the equator. Here, midsummer temperatures remain mostly below 0 °C, but can reach as high as 15 °C on occasion.

Research indicates the rate of climate change in Antarctica is greater than the global average.