Elephant Island Cruises & Tours

Trips from 1 January 2023 onwards

From 1 January 2023, Intrepid will no longer require travellers to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19 (excluding all Polar trips and select adventure cruises).

However, we continue to strongly recommend that all Intrepid travellers and leaders get vaccinated to protect themselves and others.

Specific proof of testing or vaccination may still be required by your destination or airline. Please ensure you check travel and entry requirements carefully.

Due to its extremely remote location, there’s only one way to get to Elephant Island: on a polar vessel like the Ocean Endeavour.

Ships like this are specially designed to navigate the conditions as you cross the Drake Passage.

Most Elephant Island cruises depart from Ushuaia in Argentina, and the journey takes roughly seven or eight days, depending on your itinerary and the number of stops along the way.

The weather on Elephant Island is cold and unforgiving for most of the year, and the sea surrounding the island is closed with ice, making it inaccessible between April to November.

Cold, cloudy and windy conditions prevail even in the warmest months (January and February), with the average daytime temperature lingering at just 2.2C (36F).

Average winter temperatures in the coldest months (June and July) plummet to -10C (14F).

The best time to visit Elephant Island – or anywhere in Antarctica – is during the summer months in January and February. This is when the sea ice melts enough to allow access to polar ships.

Generally, you can’t travel to Elephant Island in winter as the weather conditions are too treacherous to travel to the island safely. Even in the hottest months, most of the island is still covered in snow.

If you’re travelling to Elephant Island for wildlife, the best time to go depends on what you’d like to see. Southern elephant seals frequent the shores of the island and you have a good chance of seeing large numbers of them in November – the end of the breeding season.

The island is also home to a colony of chinstrap penguins and migratory gentoos. Breeding and egg-hatching season runs from November/December until March, so if you want to see gorgeous fluffy chicks, this is the time to do it.

Antarctica is one of the most isolated and unpredictable places in the world. Packaging everything you’ll need for your trip is super important, as buying supplies there isn’t an option.

Some of the essentials you’ll need to bring include:

• warm base layers – and lots of them
• pair of waterproof and windproof pants
• waterproof and windproof jacket (you might be provided with this on your tour)
• well-fitted beanie
• warm gloves
• sun protection – yes, you can still get burnt in Antarctica!
• moisturiser
• camera

Intrepid is committed to making travel widely accessible, regardless of ability or disability. That’s why we do our best to help as many people see the world as possible, regardless of their physical or mental limitations.

Unfortunately, there is no wheelchair access on our polar vessels. Some ships have lifts, but these may not access all decks on the ship. There are often stairways, and passengers must be mobile enough to keep themselves steady and get around reasonably without assistance. We can help you to clarify further whether the trip you’re interested in is right for you. 

However, we’re always happy to talk to travellers with disabilities and see if we can help guide them toward the most suitable itinerary for their needs and, where possible, make reasonable adjustments to our itineraries.