Staying healthy in Antarctica comes down to the sea crossing, the cold and glare, and the distance from a hospital. Most of our Antarctica voyages sail from Ushuaia in Argentina and cross the Drake Passage. The fly-cruise starts in Punta Arenas, Chile, with a two-hour flight to King George Island. Here is what the US CDC says.
Our travel consultants are not medical professionals and cannot give medical advice. The CDC advises visiting your doctor ideally four to six weeks before your trip.
The CDC’s health page for travelers to Antarctica asks every traveler to be up to date on routine vaccines, including the yearly flu shot and COVID-19 vaccines for those eligible. It has no yellow fever or malaria entries for Antarctica itself.
Other travel vaccines, the CDC says, depend on the countries you pass through on the way: for our trips, Argentina or Chile. For Argentina, the CDC says yellow fever vaccine is not required for entry and is recommended only for Misiones, where Iguazú Falls is, and Corrientes, not for Ushuaia. For Chile it lists the vaccine as neither required nor recommended. For the gateway cities, see staying healthy in Argentina and staying healthy in Chile.
Your expedition operator may also send a medical questionnaire before departure. An observer checklist from IAATO, the Antarctic tour operators’ association, last updated in 2011, has asked whether passengers had to provide one, and whether they were told that sophisticated medical care is unavailable in the Antarctic.
On our classic voyage from Ushuaia and our 11-day voyage, the crossing takes about two days each way. The fly-cruise from Punta Arenas flies over the Drake both ways on its eight-day itinerary.
The CDC Yellow Book says seasickness affects up to 25% of cruise travelers despite modern stabilizers, and suggests avoiding high-motion spots such as the bow. The CDC’s traveler advice adds small, frequent meals, water, less alcohol and caffeine, and looking at the horizon.
If you know you get seasick, the CDC says to talk to your healthcare provider about medicine. Some travelers ask their doctor about the options the CDC Yellow Book names, such as scopolamine, meclizine or dimenhydrinate. They work best taken before the motion starts, it notes, and drowsiness is the most common side effect.
The CDC names severe low temperatures and high winds as the main health hazards in Antarctica. In the southern summer, when our voyages run, Peninsula research stations average highs of 36 to 39°F (2 to 4°C), says our Antarctica weather page.
The CDC’s cold-weather advice is several loose layers under a wind-resistant outer coat, mittens and a hat, and staying dry, because the body loses heat quickly when wet. It lists shivering, tiredness, clumsiness and confusion as early signs of hypothermia, and numbness, tingling, stinging or pain in exposed skin as early signs of frostbite.
Landings start with a Zodiac ride. The CDC Yellow Book notes that cold water cools the body especially fast and that a personal flotation device is critical to survival when there is a risk of falling into cold water.
The CDC also warns that sunlight reflecting off snow can damage eyes and skin, and the Yellow Book says snow can nearly double the UVB reaching your eyes, which can cause snow blindness. It recommends sunglasses that block UVA and UVB, sunscreen of SPF 30 or more reapplied every two to four hours, and a lip balm with SPF 30 or more.
The CDC notes that close living quarters on cruise ships increase the risk of exposure to illness. According to the Yellow Book, norovirus causes more than 90% of stomach-illness outbreaks with a confirmed cause on cruise ships. It advises washing with soap and water before eating and after using the restroom, and calling the ship’s medical center promptly, even for mild stomach symptoms. If you are ill before you sail, the CDC’s cruise ship advice is not to travel.
The US CDC’s general advice for travelers is to choose factory-sealed drinks wherever tap water might be contaminated, and to skip ice where clean water is a concern. More on meals at sea: Antarctica food and drink.
The CDC Yellow Book says medical facilities on cruise ships vary widely, and that urgent ship-to-shore evacuations can present logistical challenges and extra risks for the patient. From the Peninsula, South America is about two days back across the Drake, and the fly-cruise’s flight leaves only when the weather allows.
For medical and evacuation cover, see our Antarctica travel insurance page.
It varies from crossing to crossing. If you are prone to seasickness, the CDC says to talk to your healthcare provider about medicine. The fly-cruise flies over the crossing both ways.
The CDC Yellow Book says medical facilities on cruise ships vary widely with ship size, itinerary and voyage length, so ask your operator what is on board before you book.
The US CDC’s general advice for travelers is to choose factory-sealed drinks wherever tap water might be contaminated, and to skip ice where clean water is a concern.
For the rest of your planning, see our Antarctica safety page.
❗ A note from our team: we plan trips, we are not doctors. This page sums up what official health bodies such as the US CDC say about travel here. It is not medical advice, and official advice changes, so please check with your doctor or a travel clinic, ideally at least a month before you go.
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