More M’sians are heading to Antarctica – and getting there is easier than before

For most Malaysians, Antarctica remains about as far from home as it is possible to travel. Yet for a growing number of adventurous holidaymakers, that remoteness is precisely the attraction.

According to Antarctica21 senior commercial director Juan Cristobal del Pedregal Bravo, about 300 Malaysians now make the journey each year, typically during the Antarctic travel season from November to March.

Many are seasoned travellers in their 50s to 70s who combine the expedition with a wider South American holiday, he said during a recent industry briefing organised by the Chilean embassy in Kuala Lumpur.

Antarctica remains very much a luxury destination: expedition cruise fares generally range from about RM25,000 to RM60,000 per person, while some fly-in programmes can cost upwards of RM90,000.

But one of the biggest changes has been how travellers can get there. For decades, most visitors approaching the Antarctic peninsula had to sail from Ushuaia in Argentina and endure the Drake Passage, a notoriously rough stretch of ocean that can take about two days to cross.

Today, travellers can instead fly from Punta Arenas in Chile to King George Island in about two hours, bypassing much of that sea journey altogether.

Antarctica21 operates these air-cruise expeditions using aircraft such as the BAE 146-200, Avro RJ85 and Avro RJ100, which are suited to short Antarctic runways. “No more stormy seas and worries about seasickness,” del Pedregal Bravo noted.

He said the company has seen strong demand for the format and expects interest to grow further, including among Muslim travellers if suitable meal arrangements and other needs are catered for.

Antarctica21 pioneered the fly-and-cruise model in 2003, combining flights from southern Chile with small-ship exploration around the Antarctic Peninsula.

After landing, travellers transfer to an expedition vessel such as the Magellan Explorer, which was built in Chile and entered service in 2019. Its sister ship, the hybrid-electric Magellan Discoverer, is scheduled to begin sailing during the 2026-27 Antarctic season.

The journey from Malaysia is still substantial, usually involving several flights through South America before travellers reach Punta Arenas, but for those willing to make the trip, the experience can be transformative.

Zalifah Zakaria, 50, visited Antarctica in January and described the journey as unlike anything else she had experienced.

“I have seen almost everything elsewhere in the world, but the experience and beauty of Antarctica was exhilarating and reset my view of Mother Earth,” she said.

“I was so inquisitive and did not know what to expect there. The visit introduced me to calm animals and marine life that taught me to slow down my pace in life, much against the rush of city living.”

Zalifah, who works in travel, said she hopes to return despite the cost. “The trip was pricey, but the experience was priceless,” she said.

Another member of the travel industry, 40-year-old Claire Wong, felt much the same after making the journey there last December.

“Antarctica should be on everyone’s bucket list, especially if they love nature. Being there physically is so very different from watching it on video or television. Believe me, seeing is believing. It is something extraordinary,” she expressed.

For Wong, the trip was also an opportunity to understand the destination first-hand so she could better advise customers. “Every day brings a surprise, whether you’re watching from the ship, moving across the ice or spending time around penguins.”

Antarctica’s appeal extends well beyond simply reaching the continent: travellers may cruise through the Lemaire Channel, visit the volcanic Deception Island or explore the South Shetland Islands.

Expedition activities can include Zodiac rides, wildlife watching, sea kayaking, snowshoeing and, for the brave, plunges into near-freezing water.

The landscape itself remains the biggest draw: enormous glaciers, vast ice fields, stark mountain ranges and wildlife that includes penguins, seals and whales.

Still, for Malaysians, Antarctica is not entirely unfamiliar territory. Polar explorer Sharifah Mazlina Syed Abdul Kadir became the first Malaysian woman to complete a solo Antarctic crossing in 2004, covering about 1,100km in 22 days from the South Pole towards Hercules Inlet.

Her achievement was also recognised at the time as a pioneering feat for an Asian woman. She later returned to the continent and has remained closely associated with Malaysian polar expeditions.

More recently, Sarawakian adventurer Wong Su Chung became the first Malaysian recognised for completing an Antarctic dual expedition in a single journey. Between Nov 26 and Dec 18, 2025, he climbed the 4,892m Mount Vinson and completed a 111km last-degree ski journey to the South Pole.

Malaysia also has a scientific connection to the continent: it became the first Asean country to accede to the Antarctic Treaty in 2011, and has since supported Malaysian polar research through scientific collaborations and expeditions.

Researchers including Justin Sentian and Muhammad Hafiz Borkhanuddin have taken part in atmospheric and marine studies linked to Antarctica.

For most Malaysians, though, the continent remains less a scientific frontier than a once-in-a-lifetime journey. And for people such as Zalifah and Wong, the long trip south is precisely what makes it memorable: reaching a place so far removed from everyday life that even the pace of the world seems to change.

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