Expedition Cruises

Nowadays an expedition cruise to the polar regions is an adventure on many ‘bucket-lists’, enjoying the same scenery and wildlife but without the hardships of yesteryear. A flight to a departure port leads to a ship specially designed for polar waters – one with all the features, facilities and food of the best cruise ships, and maybe top luxury surroundings with personal butler service.

We offer expedition cruises from the leading specialists with ice-classified ships calling at the best stopping points where travellers can go ashore on smaller boats to experience the adventures of a lifetime. In northern hemispheres maybe spot the elusive polar bear, in the Antarctic get close up to the many varieties of penguin, each time returning to the comforts of a modern cruise ship. In warmer climes visit some of the most exotic locations on the planet.

There is a wide range of expedition cruises available – a choice of length and itinerary, size of ship, and luxury style. Dormitory-type accommodation has been replaced by well-appointed cabins, former Russian research (spy) ships have been superceded by new build specialist polar-class ships, and the whole experience is now designed for the modern adventure traveller .


Cruise Collection

Alaska and British Columbia – Wilderness, Glaciers and Culture
Vancouver

Special OfferSave up to 25% PLUS No Single Supplement on Selected Expedition Cruises!

13 Night Fly Cruise from £7533pp

UK - Vancouver, British Columbia, Vancouver - Embark Ship, Canada's Inside Passage, Misty Fjords National Monument, Alaska, Wrangell, Alaska, Juneau, Alaska, Tracy Arm,

Antarctic Explorer Fly and Cruise
Antarctica

Special OfferSave up to 40% on 2025 and 2026 cruises!

10 Night Cruise Only from £12245pp

Punta Arenas, Chile, Chilean Fjords, Drake Passage - Antarctic Peninsula, King George Island to Punta Arenas

Antarctic Explorer: Discovering the 7th Continent
Adelie Penguins, Antarctica

Special OfferSave up to 37%!

10 Night Cruise Only from £6975pp

Ushuaia (Argentina), Cruising Drake Passage, South Shetland Islands - Antarctic Peninsula, Cruising Drake Passage, Ushuaia

Galápagos Islands – Nine of the Best Isles
Bartolome Island

Special OfferSave up to 25% on 2025-26 sailings!

10 Night Cruise Only from £8232pp

UK - Quito (Ecuador), Baltra Island, Punta Vicente Roca - Fernandina, Santa Cruz Island - Charles Darwin Research Station, Floreana - Champion Islet - Cormorant Point,

Highlights of Antarctica
Adelie Penguins

Special OfferFree suite upgrade!

14 Night Fly Cruise from £7238pp

UK - Buenos Aires (Argentina), Ushuaia, Drake Passage, Antarctica, Drake Passage, Ushuaia - Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires - UK

Svalbard Odyssey
Glacier, Svalbard

Special OfferSave up to 40% on 2025 and 2026 cruises!

10 Night Cruise Only from £11471pp

Longyearbyen (Spitbsergen), Svalbard Archipelago, Longyearbyen

The Scottish Isles - Island Hopping in the Hebrides
Isle of Lewis

Special OfferSave up to 25%!

10 Night Cruise Only from £4171pp

Glasgow, Brodick, Isle of Arran, Isle of Islay, Isle of Gigha, Treshnish Isles - Isle of Iona, Expedition day, Shiant Isles - Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, Loch Scavaig, Is

Antarctic Explorer Express
Icebergs And Mountain In Antarctica

Special OfferSave up to 40% on 2025 and 2026 cruises!

6 Night Cruise Only from £8657pp

Ushuaia, Drake Passage Seas, Antarctic Peninsula, King George Island, South Shetland Islands

Spirit of Antarctica
Icebergs, Antarctic Peninsula, Southern Ocean

Special OfferSave up to 40% on 2025 and 2026 cruises!

10 Night Cruise Only from £9214pp

Ushuaia, Drake Passage Seas, South Shetland Islands, Antarctic Peninsula, Drake Passage Seas, Ushuaia

Antarctica & Falklands Expedition
Gypsy Cove, Falklands
15 Night Cruise Only from £11074pp

Buenos Aires, Ushuaia, The Drake Passage, Antarctica, The Drake Passage, The Falklands, Ushuaia - Buenos Aires

Grand Greenland – Mythical Lands of the North
Reykjavik
16 Night Fly Cruise from £9176pp

UK - Reykjavík, Iceland, Nuuk, Greenland - Embark Ship, Sailing towards Disko Bay, UNESCO-listed Ilulissat Icefjord, Uummannaq Fjord, Thule region, West Greenland, Nuuk

In Darwin’s Footsteps (Eastern Route)
Galapagos Sea Lions on Santa Fe Island
8 Night Cruise Only from £7393pp

UK - Quito (Ecuador), Baltra Island, Cerro Colorado Tortoise Reserve - Punta Pitt, Santa Fe - South Plaza Island, Santa Cruz Island, Española - Gardner Bay, Eden Isle


About Expedition Cruises

About Expedition Cruises

Antarctic

Expedition cruises to Antarctica allow guests to experience dramatic scenery dominated by snow and ice in the last unexplored place on Earth, where nature is at its most sublime and haunting. Kayak silently among the icebergs, stand in the middle of a thousand noisy penguins or listen to the melting ice and the distant echo of a calving glacier. The spectacular landscape and teeming wildlife will leave you speechless but with memories to last a lifetime. Enjoy spending time ashore, hiking, and seeing penguins, seabirds and seals up close. Some Antarctic cruises also include landings at the Falkland Islands and South Georgia.

Antarctic cruises take place during the winter months, between October and March. Around November, the temperatures tend to be colder than later in the season. By the end of November, you may spot nests of penguin eggs. December to early February have the most sunlight and temperatures are usually at their warmest. Penguins chicks begin hatching at it’s the best time to spot penguins. February and March are the best times to spot whales but by the end of March most of penguins chicks have grown and started to fledge.

Arctic

Explore the Arctic wilderness of Svalbard and Greenland.

Located halfway between Norway and the North Pole, Spitsbergen is part of the Svalbard Archipelago. It is home to more than 3,000 polar bears and cruising into the high Arctic increases the chance of seeing this solitude animal. There are more ice drifts in the high Arctic, so polar bears often use these as platforms to cross the sea. Colonies of Walrus are also often seen in Spitsbergen, along with the Arctic fox and reindeer.

In Greenland, the landscapes towering mountains create a backdrop to the icy seas, fjords and glaciers. Meet the local Inuit community and learn about the Norse heritage. Look out for whales, seals and seabirds.

Arctic expedition cruises take place during the summer months, during which Svalbard experiences the Midnight Sun.

Northwest Passage

The Northwest Passage is the ultimate expedition for explorers. Explore the wild terrain as the ship navigates the isolated sea passage between Kangerlussuaq in Greenland and Nome in Alaska. Look out for walrus and polar bears as you explore this remote region, surrounded by vast mountain ranges and dramatic glaciers. The extreme conditions of the Northwest Passage means only a few cruise companies have the expertise to offer this destination.

Galapagos

Aside from the polar regions, the volcanic Galapagos Islands are another of the most popular destinations for expedition cruising. The Galapagos Islands lie about 600 miles from Ecuador, and can either be explored as a Galapagos expedition cruise, or as an extension to a cruise along the coast of Chile and Peru.

The Galapagos Islands are a year-round destination. December to May is known as the rainy season, however they are short spells of showers mainly in the afternoon. At this time of year, marine iguanas become brightly coloured as they begin their mating season, giant tortoise eggs start hatching and frigate birds start nesting. January to March is also the best time for snorkelling as there is peak visibility underwater during these months and the sea temperature is more favourable. June is the beginning of the cold, dry season in the Galapagos Islands. From June, seabirds are more active and blue-footed boobies can be seen nesting on the shores. In September, there is a high chance of spotting baby sea lions, whilst October is a good time to see the chicks of Blue-footed boobies.

Antarctic Galapagos Islands Greenland Arctic South America Alaska