Things to Do in Antarctica: What You Actually Do on an Expedition Cruise

Before I booked my Antarctica expedition, I had questions that I’m sure are going through your head too.

What do you actually do out there for two weeks? How often would you really see a penguin or a whale? And is it worth paying an exorbitant amount of money for something so unpredictable?

I booked about a month before departure with less research than most people on my expedition. What I found was that the things to do in Antarctica are far more varied than I’d anticipated, and a lot more of it is included in your cruise fare than people realize.

Here’s how I’d break it down: there’s what’s included, there’s what costs extra, and then there’s ship life — the quieter, more personal side of the trip that most Antarctica posts don’t cover but that ends up being more memorable than you’d think.

Antarctica is not like a normal destination where you book fixed tours, nor can you just be 100% spontaneous and go whatever you want. On my cruise from Ushuaia to Antarctica, most days fell into two categories: expedition days and sea days. The sea days are the Drake Passage crossings at the start and end of the trip. The expedition days were when we layered up, headed to the mudroom, and went out for Zodiac cruises, shore landings, short hikes, and watched wildlife.

Many expedition days had one outing in the morning and another in the afternoon, but nothing in Antarctica felt fully guaranteed. On my trip, we had an excursion cut short by a storm, a route change because of a medical situation onboard, and one afternoon where our ship became surrounded by sea ice.

The night before, the crew might give us one plan. By morning, Antarctica sometimes had another.

There are a surprising number of things to do in Antarctica that are included in your cruise price, and honestly, these are the activities that make the trip feel worth it.

Zodiac cruises

One of the main ways you explore Antarctica is by Zodiac boat, a small, sturdy inflatable boat used to cruise through icy water, get closer to glaciers and wildlife, and reach places the expedition ship obviously can’t.

On my expedition, Zodiac cruises were one of the core included activities. They fit around 10 passengers plus a guide, and every cruise felt different depending on the weather, ice, and wildlife that day.

Some rides were dramatic. On our first excursion near Detaille Island, the water was choppy, snow was blowing sideways, and waves splashed into the boat while we cruised past blue glaciers and Adélie penguins. I was sitting near the front, so my waterproof gear suddenly felt very necessary.

Other Zodiac cruises were calm and almost dreamlike. At the Fish Islands, our guide cut the engine and let us float quietly between icebergs, with seals lounging on the ice like they were completely unbothered by the frozen world around them.

That’s what I loved about the Zodiacs. You weren’t just looking at Antarctica from the ship; you were inside it — close to the water, surrounded by ice, watching the landscape shift around you from a tiny boat in the middle of nowhere.

Zodiac rides can be cold and wet, or calm and sunny, so what you wear matters. My Antarctica cruise packing list explains the layering system I used, what my cruise provided, and which gear I rented instead of buying.

Shore landings

The other main way you explore Antarctica is through shore landings, when Zodiacs bring you from the expedition ship to land so you can walk around, take photos, see wildlife, or do a short hike. On my cruise, only 50 passengers were allowed on land at the same time, so we rotated between landing groups and Zodiac cruising groups.

One of my favorite experiences during a landing was watching penguin chicks chase their parents around for food, waddling after them through the snow near the colony. It was insanely adorable and I couldn’t stop smiling. We also saw fur seals playing and fighting on shore, and later in the trip landed at Portal Point, which was special because it meant stepping onto continental Antarctica itself.

Like everything in Antarctica, shore landings are weather-dependent. On our first expedition day, we were supposed to land on Detaille Island to see a historic hut, but a storm rolled in and my group had to turn back before landing.

Wildlife watching

Wildlife watching is one of the biggest reasons people travel to Antarctica, but it doesn’t happen on a set schedule. You might see animals from the ship deck, during Zodiac cruises, or while eating lunch looking out the window. On my trip, we saw Adélie, Gentoo, and Chinstrap penguins, Crabeater seals, Weddell seals, Fur seals, a Leopard seal, humpback whales, orcas, and plenty of seabirds.

The biggest surprise was how often wildlife appeared when we weren’t specifically “looking” for it. One day, our route changed because of a medical situation onboard, and that unexpected reroute led to one of the rarest sightings of the trip: orcas in the distance. Other times, we’d see whale spouts from the deck, seals lounging on ice, or penguins porpoising through the water near the Zodiacs.

That’s the thing about Antarctica wildlife: it’s unpredictable, but it’s also everywhere if you stay alert.

Expedition lectures and citizen science

Between excursions, cruises usually offer lectures and educational sessions about Antarctica. On my ship, the expedition team included scientists who gave talks on topics like wildlife, climate, conservation, polar history, and the fragile Antarctic ecosystem.

There were also citizen science opportunities, which I didn’t realize would be part of the trip before boarding. Guests could join activities like bird surveys, marine mammal surveys, cloud observations, and water sampling. Some of the activities were more hands-on than others, but they gave the trip a deeper purpose beyond just sightseeing.

I liked that Antarctica wasn’t treated like a backdrop. The lectures, briefings, and citizen science activities helped me understand what I was seeing once we were actually out in the Zodiacs or walking near penguin colonies.

Polar plunge

The polar plunge was optional, and it was honestly one of my favorite things I did in Antarctica. When conditions are right, passengers have the chance to jump from the ship into the freezing Antarctic waters. If it sounds insane, that’s because it is… and yet almost my entire ship decided to do it.

Before the plunge, the crew turned it into a full event. Music was playing, everyone lined up in their robes, and the energy on the ship felt half nervous, half ridiculously excited. Since I hadn’t planned especially well for Antarctica, I only had a normal bikini with me, so I threw on the ship robe, met up with friends, and prepared to freeze my butt off.

When it was my turn, the crew put a safety belt around my waist that was tied to the ship, with Zodiac boats nearby in case anyone needed help. Then it was a quick countdown, a jump, and instant cold. I barely remember being in the water — just the shock, the adrenaline, and swimming back to the ladder as fast as possible.

Once you’re back onboard, the crew celebrates you with either hot chocolate or a shot of vodka. I chose the vodka because, honestly, I had just jumped into Antarctic water. Afterward, everyone was buzzing from the shared experience, and the sauna was the fullest I saw it the entire trip.

On most Antarctica cruises, you’ll spend a few days at sea, usually while crossing the Drake Passage at the beginning and end of the trip. So what do you do when there aren’t expeditions? Honestly, it depends on your personality.

Solo activities

Being in one of the most remote places in the world, especially if you skip the expensive Wi-Fi like I did, gives you a lot of time to yourself. Some people spent sea days reading, journaling, editing photos, or browsing the ship’s small library of Antarctica and wildlife books.

Others focused on wellness: going to the gym, walking or running laps around the deck, taking a yoga or meditation class, sitting in the sauna, or warming up in the hot tub. I even used one of the empty rooms to practice bachata by myself, which admittedly difficult with the waves, but hey, we work with what we have.

If you came here wondering what you can actually do in Antarctica, the answer is a lot. I didn’t spend my time on the ship waiting for things to happen. My days were filled with Zodiac cruises, shore landings, wildlife sightings, lectures, and and all of those unplanned in-between moments that make a trip worthwhile. The afternoons where the ship couldn’t move and everyone just stood on deck watching ice in every direction. The sea days that turned into something unexpectedly social. The wildlife that showed up because our route changed for reasons that had nothing to do with wildlife.

You can read every activity list before you go. Antarctica will still surprise you.