Swan Hellenic today announced its 2026-2027 Antarctic Season cruises, enabling expedition cruise enthusiasts to plan well in advance and book now to avoid disappointment.
The cultural expedition cruise pioneer has attracted continually increasing interest with its expert-led expeditions and extensive choice of cruises, several of which sail further south into the Antarctic Circle than other expedition options.
Further attractions are Swan Hellenic’s much-praised guest service and elegant but informal, boutique ice-class vessels, the five-star sister ships SH Vega and slightly larger SH Diana, accommodating 152 and 192 guests respectively. But this exclusive experience also means limited capacity. Even with a total of 24 Antarctic departures between them, only 4,777 guest places are available for the entire 2026-2027 season. Which is why wise adventurers book well in advance and Swan Hellenic has announced everything as early as possible. With bookings for its 2025-2026 Antarctic sailings already past the 60% mark, non-planners can still take heart, but now’s the time to make a move for peace of mind.
At the heart of the season are 24 round-trip voyages from homeport Ushuaia, the “end of the world” in southern Argentina. Each follows one in a select series of five expertly curated itineraries exploring the Antarctic Peninsula in depth, three of which approach it from the lesser-visited Weddell Sea. Famous as one of the clearest bodies of water on earth, this is where explorer Ernest Shackleton was forced to abandon his ship Endurance to the ice.
Special Christmas, New Year and Chinese New Year of the Horse celebration cruises are offered, with SH Vega combining Christmas and New Year in the 13-night Roundtrip Cruise to Ushuaia from 22 December 2026 to 3 January 2027.
A long semi-circumnavigation voyage complements these round-trip cruises, the 20-night South Atlantic Cruise from Cape Town, South Africa, to Ushuaia aboard SH Diana. This ocean discovery voyage explores Saint Helena, Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha, the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, along with the South Sandwich Islands and South Georgia Island, Shackleton’s final resting place.
A distinctive new feature of Swan Hellenic’s Antarctica cruises introduced for the 2026-2027 season will be the opportunity to walk on the wild side in included expert-led snowshoeing expeditions that enable beginner and experienced guests alike to explore further than a normal landing activity. Typically around one and a half hours long, each will be led by two experienced mountaineers and will of course be dependent on the snow conditions.
All Swan Hellenic cruises are fully inclusive and feature gourmet cuisine, specialist talks and hands-on, expert-led expeditions.
“We’re really excited about our new Antarctica offerings and the fantastic developments they introduce,” says Swan Hellenic Chief Commercial Officer Patrizia Iantorno. “From deep exploration of the Weddell Sea, one of the most pristine intact ecosystems on earth, to our new snowshoeing expeditions, they offer brilliant opportunities to see what others don’t on life-changing voyages exploring the world’s last great wilderness.”
Complete information is available on the Swan Hellenic Website and a full calendar of all the 2026-2027 Antarctic Season Cruises can be downloaded here.
