Things to Do in Antarctica in December
December weather, activities, events & insider tips
December Weather in Antarctica
Temperature, rainfall and humidity at a glance
Is December Right for You?
Weigh the advantages and considerations before booking
- + December is the height of Antarctic summer. The midnight sun hangs overhead for 20, 24 hours, depending on latitude, and the ice becomes a shifting spectrum of blues no camera has ever nailed.
- + Wildlife hits top gear in December, penguin chicks break out of their shells along the Antarctic Peninsula, seals sprawl on floes like sun-drunk tourists, and the Gerlache Strait almost promises whales.
- + Ice loosens its grip, so expedition ships can nose farther south than in any other month and reach landing sites that stay locked away the rest of the year.
- + Thermometers sit right at freezing, cold enough to remind you where you are, mild enough that a parka over your clothes is plenty; October and March would demand the full survival suit.
- − Demand spikes hardest in December, every bunk on every ice-class hull is spoken for months ahead, and last-minute bargains do not exist.
- − The midnight sun feels magical until you're lying in a rocking cabin at 2 AM with the window blazing like an overcast afternoon.
- − Zodiac shuttles force you to wade ankle-deep in rubber boots; December's milder air means cold spray instead of flying ice crystals.
Best Activities in December
Top things to do during your visit
December turns the Peninsula into a living wildlife film you can step inside, chinstrap penguins guard eggs on Deception Island while leopard seals cruise the beach. Eighteen hours of daylight let you squeeze two landings into one day: a morning tour of a research base and an evening Zodiac glide beneath cathedral-sized ice arches glowing electric blue.
Half Moon Island in December rings with trumpeting penguins long before the anchor hits bottom. You land between fur seals that bark like irritable dogs, then climb a snow slope where 2,000 pairs of chinstraps have built pebble nests they endlessly steal from one another.
December's milder nights make camping possible, you still sleep on ice. But the mercury only slips to -5°C (23°F) instead of the -20°C (-4°F) of October. The midnight sun throws an orange glow across the sheet that feels positively extraterrestrial.
Paddling through December brash ice means dodging leopard seals that surface like periscopes to eye your kayak. Visibility is so sharp you watch penguins rocket beneath the hull, looking as if they're flying through liquid sky. Morning sessions push off at 6 AM to beat the katabatic winds that can slam down later.
Port Lockroy, the restored British base-cum-museum, opens only in December and January. Staff pour tea into china cups while recounting how 1940s researchers tracked cosmic rays with gear that now looks steampunk. The gift counter sells postcards that sail home with an Antarctic postmark, though delivery waits until March.
December Events & Festivals
What's happening during your visit
The planet's southernmost marathon circles King George Island's airstrip in late December, runners lap the tarmac while penguins wander the course. Spectators clutch hot chocolate at the finish as racers peel off shirts frozen stiff mid-race.
Packing Checklist
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Essential Tips
Insider knowledge and common pitfalls to avoid
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