Chimu Adventures - South America & Antarctica Cruise Specialists - Mooloolaba, Queensland

Karen Scholes

What an amazing experience - Antarctic Day Flight hosted by Chad and his team from Chimu Adventures. From the moment we all checked in at the boarding gate at the Qantas Domestic Airport to the incredible inflight service from the cabin crew, Chads team of highly experienced travel consultants and experts were on hand to answer every question. The changing scenery was breathtaking and the highly skilled pilots that manoeuvred the aircraft, we all had plenty of viewing opportunities as the ‘seat swap’ system allows for ample window time to take in the amazing landscape. Thank you Chimu, I have now ticked off one of my bucket list experiences. Now it’s time to jump on a cruise and get up close and personal with the Penguins.

Alicin McLean

On Sunday morning we walked into the Brisbane Qantas domestic terminal & looked at the flight departures board. There it was. Flight QF1336...... " Antarctica Charter". My excitement level just went up another notch !!!
What an experience to enjoy a scenic flight over Antarctica. The landscape is spectacular. The massive icebergs & the floating ice sheets. The experts shared lots of information & pointed out various landmarks. The scenery is breathtaking.
The Chimu staff were brilliant, always willing to assist & offer advice. Passengers were rotated to give everyone the opportunity to enjoy the magnificent views. ( I would suggest guests read the pre-flight information, as I'm sure some people did not understand this )
We enjoyed great Qantas hospitality with meals, drinks, & snacks & a great choice of entertainment during the flight to reach Antarctica & back.
Thanks Chimu & Qantas for a fantastic journey.

Melissa Gosper

I have just completed the Antarctic scenic flight with Chimu adventures and my expectations for the flight were well exceeded-
Easy check in, friendly helpful staff who worked their way throughout the flight answering questions whilst also providing expert antarctic commentary flying over breathtaking views of the great white continent of Antarctica. Weather can be unpredictable, and the staff and crew of the Qantas flight worked their magic to provide us with lasting memories of what really is a once in a lifetime flight. Seat rotation ensured all customers had time to experience the incredible landscape below all whilst receiving full onboard Qantas service.
Thank you to the Chimu team for an incredible 14 hour adventure.. highly recommended!

Massa Kenzie

We took the Southern Lights flight in Aug 2022. Valerie at Chimu was AMAZING. The check-in process and organisation of the chartered flight was hassle free. Overall, Chimu seems like a great company.
My rating is low because we did not see the Southern Lights. The brochure states there is an 'over 95%' chance of seeing the lights. I have no idea how this is calculated, but beware that it means that perhaps 1 in 20 flights do not see the lights. Now, Chimu will tell you we saw the lights because they could be seen via a camera lens (not a phone camera lens). The brochure advertises a 'magnificent, unforgettable display' which I also thought meant over 95% of the time. I am not a photographer and I did not purchase the trip to get photos. I purchased the trip for one experience to see the lights with my own eyes. I think the 95% chance includes trips where you may only see the lights through the camera viewer. I boarded the plane with an iPhone. This is a very expensive trip that for us turned into a 10 hour economy flight to nowhere.
Our flight also made a stopover in Hobart. However, there was an inexplicable 1+ hour delay in Hobart. When the second pilot came on board, even he said he wished he could explain what the hold up was, but he couldn't. Clearly something did not go to plan with the chartered flight and we were all sleepless and discouraged with our experience so the ground delay really made it worse. I know Chimu will say they delivered on what we purchased and they are technically correct. I have not requested a refund or any compensation from Chimu as they cannot control the weather. We all knew there was a risk of not seeing the lights.
If you are like me and want to see the lights with your own eyes, this trip may not be the best option for you. It has not stopped me from considering Chimu in the future. I know it is a weather event that we were chasing. My review is simply intended to warn others who may be as disappointed as we were after spending so much money and time. We don't live in Melbourne where the flight departed, so we purchased flights and hotels around the Southern Lights flights and it was a bust.
I don't think Chimu does 20 of these flights a year, so I do hope their marketing material adjusts the percentage next year, taking into account the Aug 2022 flight. However, I'm afraid they may not.....

Grahame Rosolen

Excellent experience travelling near to the south magnetic pole and then down to Antarctica all from the comfort of a 787 Dreamliner aircraft. Spectacular views of icebergs, sea ice and Antarctica. The Chimu crew were extremely helpful and professional. A brilliant day with so much to see and experience throughout the flight.

Lisa Seydel

Highly recommend the day flight to Antarctica from Brisbane. This was a last minute decision to join the day flight and was definitely worth getting up at 3.30am for.
The staff were knowledgeable and fantastic from the minute we met at the gate until we landed at 10.15pm.
The service onboard the Qantas Dreamliner was 5 stars.
We spent an incredible 4 hours flying around the Antarctica coastline before heading back.
Amazing scenery!
Next will be Chimus Southern Lights night flight.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Rosemary McTeigue

What an incredible bucket list experience!

From the warm & friendly meet & greet @ BNE Airport with plenty of Chimu staff on hand to assist, there was plenty of time to chat with fellow passengers over our anticipated excitement for our 0745 QF1336 DREAMLINER takeoff!

I was seated on row 43k on wing but still had plenty of viewing, alongside me were 2 Chimu staff who were 2 of 12 on board.

The 747 is a sexy aircraft, with its oversized windows, mood lighting & state of the art technology.

The QF crew were fabulous, so upbeat & happy & nothing was too much trouble.

Just after departure we were offered bubbles or Mimosas & everyone in Economy was given a goodie bag full of sweet & savoury treats.

It felt like no time before we spotted ice bergs & the edge of the Antarctic peninsula - 4.5 hours in fact. The Captain was in satellite radio contact with Casey Station -Australia’s largest Research Station & the commentary of life there was fascinating. We listened to stories of Amundsen & Scott’s crossings in 1903, 1911 & Shackleton in 1914 & were told that if the visibility was clear we could even see Mawson’s Huts!

‘Captain Antarctica’ gave commentary throughout the flight, as did Chad the CHIMU CEO, there was a fellow from the CSIRO with a cosmic ray detector plus an official photographer on board, so all interests were covered!

It was sunny & bright with the odd cloud cover so visibility was great, but we didn’t get to see Mawsons Hut as the clouds wouldn’t budge! The beauty of this flight is that the Dreamliner wings can be angled & the Captain will circle any points of interest so that everyone has maximum viewing opportunities, We got as low as 10,000ft so visibility was incredible, you felt like you could reach out & touch the textured edges of Murchison Glacier!

For 4 glorious hours we flew along the coast & inland of the Great White Continent, never tiring of the sheer expanse of white snow, glaciers & bergs, in striking contrast with the deep aqua blues of the coastal sea. Breathtaking!

Exactly half way through our viewing time all economy passengers were asked to change seats, window to aisle & vv, made simple as we had all been issued with 2 boarding passes at the gate,

Honestly no one misses out, everyone is moving around the aircraft chatting & taking photos. It’s so well organised.

When we sadly left the Peninsula for the 5.5 hours back to BNE there was time to enjoy delicious meal service, catch a few movies & reminisce over what had been the most memorable 14 hours! Plus the Dreamliner has the snack bar aft so you can help yourself to drinks & snacks or ask the crew for same.

Thank you Chimu & QF, it was a pleasure from start to finish & I would encourage anyone who thinks they may not get to Antarctica by ship to experience this phenomenal flight!

Ian Mullan

The flight to Antartica was a breathtaking experience, with professional friendly tour guides accompanying the flight with informative narratives of landmarks and scenery.
The aircraft was very comfortable and I had the luxury of sitting in seat 1A for the duration of the flight.
The onboard staff were friendly and catered for every need that I required ,
The Pilots were very informative and making it very entertaining with informal announcements particular to the flight route and chatting to the crew at base camp at Mawson Station, which provided an insight to daily activities.
The brief visit to Antartica by air gave me a desire to do a tour by ship from South America in the near
It was a great experience .