You don't independently travel in Antarctica. There are no roads, no buses, no rental cars, no infrastructure for getting yourself from place to place. Your expedition ship is your hotel, your restaurant, and your transport. Each day the crew selects landing sites based on weather and ice conditions, and you go ashore by zodiac — sturdy inflatable boats that hold about ten passengers. The zodiac rides are often a highlight in themselves, weaving between icebergs and alongside curious seals.
Landings follow strict IAATO (International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators) guidelines. No more than 100 passengers on shore at any one time. You stay on marked paths where they exist, keep your distance from wildlife, and take nothing with you except photographs. Your expedition team scouts each site before you land and briefs you on what to expect. It's organized, it's regulated, and it works — Antarctica remains remarkably pristine because of these rules.
Some expedition ships offer optional overnight camping on the ice, which typically means a bivouac bag on a snow platform with no tent. It's cold, it's unforgettable, and you'll hear the ice crack and groan beneath you. A few operators also run fly-in trips to the Antarctic interior, including flights to the South Pole itself via private charter from Union Glacier camp. These are extraordinarily expensive and logistically dependent on weather windows that can delay you by days.
Beyond the Peninsula, a small number of icebreaker ships reach the Ross Sea and East Antarctica, but these are long, committed voyages. Wherever you go, the principle is the same: you go where conditions allow, when conditions allow. Flexibility isn't optional here — it's the whole point.