05/29/2026
Is camping in Antarctica actually worth the extra cost? 🥶 Sleeping overnight on the ice is a once-in-a-lifetime expedition cruise challenge, but it takes a lot more physical labor than you think.
Unless you work on an expedition ship, getting to sleep on the 7th continent is the ultimate travel milestone. But it comes with a price…this is a paid optional activity to cover your specialized gear, safety staff, and the breakfast reward back on the ship.
If you’re brave enough to sign up, here are the quick survival rules you need to know:
    •    🥶 Pack Extra Base Layers: You will sweat heavily while carrying your gear and digging your snow trench with a tiny shovel. Swap into a fresh, dry base layer immediately so you don’t freeze.
    •    🧴 Eat & Prep Early: Eat dinner early enough to digest, brush your teeth, and use the ship restroom before heading out. The campsite toilet is a basic shared bucket system, and the freezing air will make you have to go in the middle of the night!
    •    🕶️ Bring Eye Masks & Earplugs: January is summer in Antarctica, meaning 24 hours of daylight. Between the bright Midnight Sun, thunderous glaciers calving, and people snoring, drowning out the environment is a must.
    •    🧦 Ditch the Waterproofs: You aren’t allowed to wear your waterproof outerwear inside the bivy bag. I only wore a base layer and sweatpants and my legs were freezing; pack an extra thick layer for your legs and bring hand/foot warmers to drop inside your sleeping bag!
Despite only getting a little over two hours of sleep, waking up to penguins waddling past my snow hole and watching whales breach in the bay made every single shivering second worth it. But would I do it again, no!
🎥 Want to see the full setup, the toilet situation, and how I survived the night? Click the link in my bio to watch the full documentary on my YouTube channel!
