Can you kayak and camp in Antarctica, and what does it cost?

Yes. Most expedition ships that land passengers on the Antarctic Peninsula offer guided kayaking, and many offer one night camping ashore, usually as paid add-ons with few places. For 2026-27 voyages, a kayak program of several outings costs $600 to $1,995 per person, a single paddle $148 to $395, and a night ashore $280 to $505.¹²³ Lindblad and Viking include kayaking in the fare, and Oceanwide includes both on its Basecamp voyages.⁵⁶⁷

Prices are per person in US dollars unless marked, as listed on October 14 and 15, 2026, on top of the cruise fare covered in how much an Antarctica trip costs. They are for 2026-27 unless the table says otherwise. HX prints one on-board price on every voyage page whatever the season, and Aurora's voyage pages show one "from" price across 2026-27 and 2027-28 departures, so we flag Aurora figures that no page ties to 2026-27.³⁴ We have not paddled or camped with these operators; this page draws on their published activity pages, rates and terms.

Can you kayak in Antarctica?

Yes, in guided groups and calm water, on most expedition ships, though it is a small part of what happens off the ship: IAATO, the tour operators' association, put kayaking, short overnight stays and similar extras at about 12% of off-ship activities in 2025-26.⁸ Check which of two products a price buys:

• A kayak program: a small group paddles at many stops through the voyage instead of going ashore with everyone else. Aurora aims for two outings a day of 2 to 4 hours and 3 to 9 miles (5 to 15 km); Oceanwide hopes for at least four outings of three to four hours.⁹¹
• A single outing: one guided paddle of an hour or two, usually in a stable sit-on-top or inflatable kayak, open to beginners.¹⁰

IAATO's guidelines hold kayaks to the Zodiac rules: no intentional approach within about 100 feet (30 m) of whales, or about 330 feet (100 m) when they feed together, and never boxing them in.¹² The other rules are in Antarctica visitor rules.

How much does kayaking in Antarctica cost?

A full kayak program costs $600 to $1,995 per person in 2026-27, with Oceanwide the cheapest and Quark the most expensive.¹²

Price is a poor guide to time on the water: Polar Latitudes' Immersive paddlers can kayak at most excursions and landings, while each Antarctica21 group gets one or two outings a voyage.¹⁸²² One Aurora figure is easy to misread. Its voyage pages that also sell 2027-28 departures show paddling "from $350", but that is the one-off Paddling Session Aurora introduces in 2027-28; in 2026-27 it sells only the full Paddling Program.⁴²¹

How much is a single kayak outing in Antarctica?

A one-time paddle costs $148 to $395 per person on 2026-27 prices, and most need no experience.³²

Four more lines publish no price. Intrepid's Ocean Albatros voyage is operated by Polar Latitudes, and Intrepid's sales agents quote add-ons.²⁷ Atlas offers kayaks and stand-up paddleboards "for a fee", reserved ahead and paid on board, with no experience needed.²⁸ Swan Hellenic runs outings of 1.5 to 3 hours and says kayaking "requires prior experience".²⁹ Heritage Expeditions starts sea kayaking on Heritage Discoverer's Peninsula voyages in the 2027-28 season, from November 22, 2027, as an extra outside the fare.³⁰

Do you need kayaking experience?

Not for a single outing, but most kayak programs ask for some, from G Adventures' list of strokes and a wet exit (though not a roll) to Polar Latitudes' "even a small amount of paddling experience".²⁰¹⁸ Lindblad's guide says it never requires lessons.³¹

Two operators publish mixed messages. Quark's sea kayaking page calls the program "open to all levels", while its 2026-27 brochure requires experience and a wet exit.³²¹³ Oceanwide's voyage page says experience is "helpful but not required" a few lines above an answer that says it is required.¹ Ask before you pay, and expect a check on the first outing: Aurora's guides assess paddlers then and may keep weaker ones out of rough water.⁹

Gear differs too. Aurora, Polar Latitudes, Ponant and Seabourn provide dry suits, Oceanwide a thick neoprene wetsuit, and Lindblad no dry suit for its sit-on-top kayaks.^9181124131 G Adventures also caps hip width at 15.75 inches (40 cm), and Aurora turns away paddlers who do not fit its dry suits unless they bring their own.²⁰⁹ Layers for underneath are in what to pack for Antarctica.

Are you allowed to camp in Antarctica?

Yes, as an organized overnight stay run by an expedition operator, where the rules allow it. Of the 45 Antarctic Treaty site guidelines, 19 close the site from 22:00 to 04:00 to rest the wildlife, and six of those, among them Cuverville Island and Neko Harbour, exempt "those engaged in organised overnight stays".³³ The Treaty's general guidelines ask for tents and equipment on snow or at previously used campsites where possible.³⁴

Cruise camping is a Peninsula activity: on South Georgia, overnight stays ashore are allowed only for authorized expeditions with their own government permit.³⁵³⁶ It also runs on fewer trips than kayaking. Quark lists camping on 12 of the 42 departures in its 2026-27 Antarctic season, all leaving between November 6, 2026 and January 5, 2027 on World Voyager and Ocean Explorer, and on none of Ultramarine's.²

How much does it cost to camp in Antarctica?

A night camping ashore costs $280 to $505 per person on 2026-27 prices, and nothing extra on Oceanwide's Basecamp voyages.¹³⁷ Aurora lists camping from $165, but only on voyage pages that also sell 2027-28 departures.⁵⁵

Aurora offers camping on board only if places remain at embarkation, so book it with the cruise.³⁷

What is camping in Antarctica like?

It is one night ashore, from after dinner until early morning, with no campfire and no food; G Adventures puts it at 10 to 12 hours.³⁸⁴⁰

• No food. Quark tells campers to eat a hearty meal first, and G Adventures allows only the water you bring, with emergency rations held back.¹³⁴⁰ Polar Latitudes allows no campfires, cookstoves or coolers.³⁹
• A trench, not a tent. Polar Latitudes shows campers how to dig a shallow hole for wind protection; Atlas helps guests dig a "camping hole" and fill it in afterwards.³⁹²⁸
• Less cold than you might fear. Polar Latitudes says many campers end up too warm at some point and expects lows no colder than about 10°F (-12°C).³⁹ Typical conditions are in Antarctica weather by month.
• A portable toilet, with every bit of waste taken back to the ship.⁴⁰
• No early ride back. Polar Latitudes' ship sails a short distance away, G Adventures' stays in the area, and neither returns campers before morning except in an emergency.³⁹⁴⁰

What happens if the weather cancels kayaking or camping?

You may lose the fee, depending on the line:

• Full refund only if nothing runs: Quark refunds its Paddling Excursion if it cannot run at all, after trying to reschedule, and Antarctica21 refunds its program only if there is no outing.¹⁰²³
• Refund if you are bumped: if Polar Latitudes can take fewer Discover Kayaking paddlers than booked, it assigns places in booking order and refunds those left out in full.¹⁸
• No refund: G Adventures pays nothing back if weather or ice stop kayaking or camping, and Aurora's paddling surcharge is non-refundable.²⁰⁴⁰²¹
• Plan B: if camping ashore is impossible, Oceanwide may offer a night on the ship's outer decks.¹

What about paddleboarding, snowshoeing and the polar plunge?

Most cost less than a kayak program, and the polar plunge is free where it is offered.

• Stand-up paddleboarding: Quark charges $295 for 1 to 1.5 hours, no experience needed, on World Voyager and some Ultramarine departures.²⁴²
• Snowshoeing: HX charges $91 and Polar Latitudes $150, both paid on board; Polar Latitudes also lends snowshoes for landings, and Oceanwide lends them free on Plancius, Ortelius and Hondius.³¹⁷⁴³⁷ Aurora's program, usually six or more outings of up to three hours, is listed from $370 on pages that also sell 2027-28 departures.⁴⁴⁵⁵ Lindblad's early November departures may snowshoe or cross-country ski on the sea ice.⁴⁵
• Ski touring: Aurora lists it from $1,395, again on pages that mix the two seasons, for advanced skiers or snowboarders with off-piste experience, in groups of up to 10.⁴⁴⁶
• Long hikes: Oceanwide charges $250 for walks of three to four hours.¹
• Polar plunge: Quark schedules it once per voyage, with plungers in a tethered harness and the ship's doctor present; HX usually offers it once per trip.⁴⁷²⁶ Oceanwide plunges only from a beach, never from the ship or a Zodiac.⁴⁸ Ponant plunges from the ship's marina but bars children under 15 and requires a paper electrocardiogram less than a year old.¹¹

Which Antarctica cruises include kayaking in the fare?

Five do: Lindblad, Viking, Oceanwide's Basecamp voyages, Aurora's Antarctica Active and Ponant's Le Commandant Charcot.^5674911

• Lindblad carries 24 to 35 double sit-on-top inflatable kayaks on each polar ship, such as National Geographic Endurance, and goes out only when the wind is 2 knots or less; on a 14-day voyage with good weather its guide suggests kayaking once or twice, for an hour or so.³¹
• Viking includes its 2-seat pedal kayaks, with optional paddles, on Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris.⁵⁰⁵¹
• Oceanwide Basecamp includes camping, kayaking, snowshoeing, hiking, mountaineering and photo workshops, but only one kayak outing per person.⁷¹ The 13-day voyages start at $10,150 for a berth in a shared quad, which on Hondius's November 23, 2026 departure was open only to a woman; on October 14 most cabins on the other 2026-27 Basecamp departures were waitlisted.⁷
• Aurora's Antarctica Active includes paddling, camping, snowshoeing and snorkeling on two 14-day Sylvia Earle departures, November 24 and December 6, 2026. The cheapest cabin still open on October 14 was a Balcony Stateroom Superior on November 24 at $21,146 per person, twin share, after a 10% discount from $23,495.⁴⁹
• Ponant includes kayaking among the non-motorized water sports on Le Commandant Charcot.¹¹

How are kayaking and camping places allocated?

Mostly first come, first served when you book the cruise; HX, Ponant and Seabourn allocate on board, as the tables show. The cheap one-off paddles go first: on October 14, 2026, Quark's $395 Paddling Excursion showed no spots on 28 of the 37 departures in its 2026-27 Antarctic season that offer it, its $1,995 program none on 12 of those 37, and camping none on 6 of the 12 departures that offer it.² Quark says most paid activities sell out before departure.⁵² Oceanwide's December 27, 2026 Hondius trip had no places left for either its one-off paddle or camping, and HX runs a lottery when camping is oversubscribed.⁷²⁶ If an activity matters to you, check its spots on the operator's rates page before you choose the departure.

Which Antarctica cruise is best for kayaking or camping?

For serious paddlers, Aurora's Sea Kayaking program or Polar Latitudes' Immersive Kayaking; for everyone else, a cruise that includes a paddle or a cheap one-off outing.

• Most time in a kayak: Aurora, from $1,030 to $1,330 in 2026-27 depending on the voyage, aims for two outings a day with 20 paddlers; Polar Latitudes, at $1,195, keeps it to 10.^5453918 Not for complete beginners.
• One paddle, little cost: HX's $148 Discovery Kayak, or Lindblad and Viking, where kayaking is in the fare.³⁵⁶ Not for anyone who wants more than an hour or two on the water.
• Cheapest night ashore: Oceanwide at $280; ask Aurora whether its "from $165" applies to your departure.¹⁵⁵ Not for campers who want a tent; both use open bags.
• A tent: HX at $505, G Adventures from $399, or Quark on request.³¹⁹⁴¹
• Everything in one fare: Oceanwide Basecamp from $10,150, or Aurora's Antarctica Active.⁷⁴⁹ Not for keen paddlers on Basecamp, which allows one kayak outing.¹
• Families with younger teens: Polar Latitudes takes kayakers and campers from 12.¹⁸³⁹

Quark's camping runs only on departures from November to early January, so read the best time to visit Antarctica alongside the activity lists,² and see small vs large expedition ships for how ship size affects time ashore.