Travel to Antarctica during Covid-19: What you need to know before you go If you’re planning to travel to Antarctica, here’s what you’ll need to know and expect if you want to visit during the Covid-19 pandemic. The basics Antarctica reported its first cases of Covid-19 in late December 2020. While scientists who observed strict quarantine rules sailed to the continent from the UK in November 2020, tourism remains severely restricted, with many cruise companies canceling their operations for the brief summer season. What’s on offer A remote icy wilderness at the end of the world, trips to Antarctica have grown in popularity in recent years, with travelers sailing across the Drake Passage from South America to catch a glimpse of sprawling penguin colonies, breaching whales and rare seabirds.