The journey to Antarctica now begins somewhere rather special. Silversea has opened The Cormorant at 55 South, a 150-room hotel near Puerto Williams in Chilean Patagonia that the cruise line bills as the southernmost hotel in the world. Every guest on a Silversea Antarctica fly-cruise will stay here before and after their voyage.
What’s new at the bottom of South America
The hotel stands close to Puerto Williams, widely regarded as the southernmost settlement on the planet. The Beagle Channel lies just beyond the hotel, with the Drake Passage and Antarctica further south.
Silversea first conceived the project in 2018 as a turnaround hub for Antarctica, but it has grown into something more. Speaking at a press conference before the official ribbon-cutting, as reported by The Points Guy, Silversea president Bert Hernandez said: “The idea was that this wasn’t a stopover hotel. This is the first and last impression that we make on our guests, and so we wanted that to be memorable.”
Getting it built was an expedition in itself. The hotel uses modular construction: each of its 150 rooms was made in Mendoza, Argentina, then carried over the Andes and through Patagonia to its final position at 55 degrees south.
Staff have been trained in The Silversea Way, the line’s own service culture, so guests should find the same standard of welcome they would expect on board.
Inside the southernmost hotel in the world
The building is long and low, designed to sit quietly in the landscape. Inside, expect high ceilings, concrete floors, natural wood and stone, and earthy fabrics lifted by flashes of orange, yellow and green drawn from the surrounding terrain.
Floor-to-ceiling glass frames forest, sea and snow-streaked peaks, from the jagged Dientes de Navarino range across to the Argentine Andes.
Fire and ice shape the design. The region is known as the “land of fire”, so the social heart of the hotel is a huge indoor firepit ringed by lounges and armchairs. An outdoor terrace offers a place to wrap up and admire the view.
Rooms are simple and calm, facing either mountains or sea. They feature local wood, natural textiles and green upholstery, plus a Nespresso machine and a small fridge stocked with water and craft beer from a Punta Arenas brewery.
Food and drink lean firmly on local produce:
- Latitude 55, the restaurant, serves regional dishes including empanadas. Every stay opens with an asado, slow-cooked over an open fire in the grounds.
- Bar Sur offers Chilean wines, pisco sour tastings and a cocktail made with calafate, a berry native to the region.
- The Uncharted Boutique sells Chilean handicrafts and any polar kit you forgot to pack.
How the Antarctica fly-cruise now works
Every Silversea Antarctica Fly Cruise starts in Santiago. Guests board a Silversea-branded charter at the line’s private terminal there and fly non-stop to Puerto Williams. They check in at The Cormorant on arrival and return to it once their voyage is over.
From Puerto Williams, guests fly on to a research station on King George Island, where their expedition ship is waiting. That means no sea crossing of the Drake Passage, a notoriously rough stretch of water around 600 miles wide.
Several tasks usually handled on board now happen at the hotel. Guests can:
- try on or swap their Silversea-issued polar clothing
- complete the biosecurity checks required before landing on the continent
- clean any gear they plan to take ashore
- attend an introductory Antarctica briefing
There is time to enjoy Patagonia too. Guided kayaking, hiking, birdwatching and horse riding are on offer around the hotel, and a shuttle bus runs into Puerto Williams.
A bigger shift for Silversea
Until now, fly-cruise passengers spent their pre-departure night in Punta Arenas, in hotels that Silversea did not run. Guests were often spread across several properties. When bad weather delayed or grounded flights to Antarctica, the line had to hunt for extra rooms.
Now guests are just minutes from their charter flight and can wait out any weather delay in comfort.
Silversea will also run all of its Antarctica expeditions from Puerto Williams, not only the sailings that cross the Drake Passage. Most polar operators base their fleets in Ushuaia, Argentina. Silversea is the only cruise line operating from Puerto Williams, which sits further south along the Beagle Channel and offers a shorter, more direct route into the Drake.
Why it matters for UK travellers
Antarctica is a long way from Britain, and the final legs of the journey have traditionally involved several moving parts. A single dedicated hotel at the jumping-off point should mean a calmer, better-organised start to the trip of a lifetime.
From the UK, a typical itinerary runs like this:
- a long-haul flight to Santiago
- the Silversea charter to Puerto Williams
- a stay at The Cormorant
- the flight to King George Island
- your expedition voyage
- a return stay at the hotel before heading home
Polar weather can delay flights, so it is wise to leave some breathing room around your international connections. Check the latest dates and itineraries before you book.
Planning a trip?
If the White Continent is calling, browse our Antarctica cruises. You can also add a few extra days in the south with one of our Chile holidays.
FAQs
Where is the southernmost hotel in the world?
The Cormorant at 55 South sits near Puerto Williams in Chile’s Patagonia region, regarded as the southernmost settlement on Earth. Opened by Silversea, the 150-room hotel lies beside the Beagle Channel. Its views stretch from the Dientes de Navarino peaks to the Andes in Argentina.
How do you get to The Cormorant at 55 South?
Guests on Silversea’s Antarctica Fly Cruise expeditions take a non-stop Silversea-branded charter from the line’s private Santiago terminal to Puerto Williams. They stay at the hotel before and after their voyage. A flight from Puerto Williams to King George Island connects them with their expedition ship.
Does a fly-cruise to Antarctica avoid the Drake Passage?
Yes. Silversea’s fly-cruise itineraries swap the sea crossing of the Drake Passage, a notoriously rough waterway about 600 miles wide, for a flight from Puerto Williams to a research station on King George Island. Guests then join their expedition ship there to explore Antarctica.
