Things to Do in Antarctica in March
March weather, activities, events & insider tips
March Weather in Antarctica
Temperature, rainfall and humidity at a glance
Is March Right for You?
Weigh the advantages and considerations before booking
- + March is Antarctica's curtain call: the sun still circles the sky 24 hours a day. Yet the summer rush is over. Earlier vessels have already cracked the Lemaire Channel's ice, so your captain can glide through the seven-kilometre gorge without the slow-motion ramming of December. Research stations that were locked in solid ice at Christmas now have open water at their jetties, letting you step ashore instead of peering from deck.
- + Penguin chicks are in their gawky graduation month. Down falls off in scruffy patches, revealing sleek juvenile feathers beneath. Watch them belly-flop off ice shelves for practice dives, still clumsy but determined. By April the colonies empty; March is your final chance to see this awkward adolescence before the birds scatter to sea.
- + Whale numbers spike in March. Humpbacks and minkes gorge on the last krill bloom, often within 50 m (164 ft) of your zodiac. Guides cut the engine and you drift, hearing only the whoosh of whale breath and the click of cameras as 40-ton humpbacks surface beside you.
- + Operators hate sailing with empty beds, so they slash prices up to 30 % in March. Ask nicely at check-in and you may walk away with a free upgrade from a twin porthole to a suite, ships would rather gift a better cabin than drag unused linen back across the Drake.
- − The weather flips fast. January storms give a day's warning; March systems roar in within six hours. Rough crossings jump to 40 % likelihood versus 25 % earlier in summer, and the same -5°C air now feels like -15°C once the wind chill claws across the deck.
- − Base crews pack up their labs mid-month. By 20 March most scientists have flown north on the last Dash-7 flight, leaving only locked gates and drifted snow. Port Lockroy's famous post office shuts 15 March. After that your postcard waits until November.
- − Overnight the west coast can still weld itself shut with drifting sea ice. When that happens, captains pivot to the South Shetlands. You trade five landing days for two, spending extra hours on deck scanning for whales while the ice chart updates.
Best Activities in March
Top things to do during your visit
March zodiac cruises feel like threading a blue-white sculpture garden. Minke whales surface beside the boat, their exhalations hanging in the air. The water is clearest now, look 10 m (33 ft) down and you'll spot leopard seals patrolling the edge of the ice foot.
Only in early March can you still chat with scientists over instant coffee at Palmer, Vernadsky and Port Lockroy. Watch them launch weather balloons, slice ice cores, and box up winter supplies. Vernadsky's Ukrainian bar still pours the continent's cheapest vodka, drop US dollar bills in the honesty tin.
March gives you the year's final night on ice. Dig a shallow trench behind a snow wall, crawl into a bivy sack, and listen to the tide crack the floe beneath you. Daylight is shrinking, so auroras sometimes flicker pale green. Thermometers read -10°C (14°F) but double bags rated to -20°C (-4°F) keep you warm.
March sun skims the horizon, stretching golden hour into three. Ice textures glow like honey, penguin feet turn scarlet against cobalt ice, and whale flukes silhouette against pastel skies. Photo leaders anchor zodiacs so you can shoot at eye level, teaching exposure tricks for snow that never blows out.
Help close the season's data log. Record cloud cover for NASA, haul plankton nets, weigh penguin chicks before they fledge. March numbers set the summer baseline, so your Secchi-disk reading and GPS tag matter. Guides train you on the spot, no lab coat required.
March Events & Festivals
What's happening during your visit
Port Lockroy's union-flag comes down on the final afternoon. UK Antarctic Heritage staff brew hot cocoa while the last mailbag is stitched shut. Postcards stamped 'Antarctica' will reach home in 6, 8 weeks, long after you've thawed out.
Packing Checklist
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Essential Tips
Insider knowledge and common pitfalls to avoid
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