Expedition Cruises

Wildlife & Nature

These cruises are great if you have an interest in wildlife or nature. Photographers will be spoilt for choice for great landscape and wildlife shots.

If you have ever wanted to see the magical Northern lights, what better way than on an incredible and fascinating cruise.

If you enjoyed t.v shows such as 'Frozen Planet', you will love these cruises. You will get the chance to get up close to wildlife, as small inflatable's are dropped from the ship to get close or onto the shore.

The Ships

Your cruise ships although not large, do offer comfortable cabins and public areas and have all the facilities you need onboard. The ships are actually converted ice breakers and are still working ships, taking supplies and scientists up to Greenland and bring back the rubbish. The environment is top priority and all the ships and cruises are very eco friendly.

As the ships are small, they can get into lots of places the larger ships cannot, meaning you get to see much more. The ships can navigate some of Norway's most stunning Fjords, such as Trollfjord, with its sheer cliffs either side, is just to narrow for the larger ships to navigate.

Antarctica

Antarctica is an endless white wilderness full of fantastic impressions of nature and wildlife. We sail in the wake of the historical explorers as we journey from Argentina. We will learn the history of these great explorers as we travel in their footsteps and see the landscape as they saw it; unchanged, remote and awe-inspiring. You can explore this last wilderness from MS Fram, one of the most advanced expedition ships ever built.

As the only continent devoid of permanent human inhabitants, Antarctica is dedicated to science and peace. It is the coldest, driest, highest and cleanest continent on Earth, but in spite of all the snow and ice Antarctica is also teeming with life. It is home to millions of penguins, thousands of seals and is a rich feeding area for large numbers of whales that visit in the austral summer.  

During the crossing of the Drake Passage, our Expedition Team will give a series of lectures about the areas we will visit and wildlife we may encounter. When we near the peninsula, you may see giant tabular icebergs, whole groups of penguins swimming out to sea to hunt for krill, or torpedo-like leopard seals patrolling the shorelines. Hurtigruten offer five different voyages in and around Antarctica, and we look forward to taking you on the journey of a lifetime.

Norway

Greenland

A pristine wilderness of rugged mountains and awe-inspiring fjords, lush green valleys and incredible wildlife, where some of the most active glaciers on Earth and icebergs the size of cathedrals play out a tableau of breathtaking beauty across a timeless landscape. Blessed with a rich vein of natural and cultural diversity, this spectacular frozen world offers a fascinating insight into a history and culture that has thrived in these harsh realms for millennia. Greenland’s inland ice cap is more than 14 times the size of England and along the coast the mighty iceberg formations are constantly changing.

explore the dramatic Arctic coastline, from the sparsely populated extremes of the northwest through to the lush rich valleys of its southern seas. visit traditional coastal communities like Sisimiut and Qaanaaq and sail through the spectacular waters of Disko Bay where gigantic sculptures of ice and snow reflect the dazzling rays of the Midnight Sun. We will discover abandoned whaling stations and ancient Inuit burial grounds, take in the captivating majesty of the Ilulissat Icefjord and search out the leviathans of the deep.

Although Greenland has an Arctic climate (which means the average temperature never exceeds 10°C in one month), the summers are relatively mild particularly in areas sheltered from wind. Inside the fjords the temperatures can reach up to 20°C. The majority of Greenland lies above the Arctic Circle and therefore benefits from the Midnight Sun during the summer. This means 24 hours of sunlight to experience this unique landscape from the end of May to the end of July.

Svalbard

Remote, mysterious and extreme, the island of Spitsbergen is the crown of Arctic Norway. Located right on the southern fringe of the ever-frozen Arctic Ocean, this land is forged by ice, wind and sea. Here you will find both an untouched Arctic wilderness and a biological hot spot. Reigning this fragile
food web is the top predator, the polar bear.

Spitsbergen and the other islands in the Svalbard archipelago are located in the Arctic Ocean, halfway between Norway and the North Pole where the warmer currents of the Gulf Stream meet the cold air and water from the north.

Every summer, thousand of seabirds migrate to the coastal cliffs of Svalbard due to its proximity to the feeding grounds. Our expedition-style field landings will take you close to both the Arctic wildlife and the ghost towns of early whaling stations. At some places we will see cabins from past times when farmers from northern Norway headed for Svalbard to seek their fortunes as trappers.

Visit the fascinating settlements like Barentsburg, Longyearbyen or Ny Ålesund – all of which have a completely different atmosphere. One thing they do have in common is that pioneer, Klondike feeling – places with self-confidence and reliance in their isolation from the mainland.