Destinations
Where Will Your Curiosity Take You?
Expedition cruising covers fourteen regions we advise on, from the polar ice of Antarctica, Svalbard and Greenland to the wildlife islands of the Galapagos and the remote coasts of the Kimberley and Raja Ampat. Each has one season that works, and a size of ship that suits it.
The regions below are ordered by how often travelers start there, not by how good they are. Antarctica and the Galapagos have full guides today; the rest are being written in turn, and we can advise on all of them now.
The four that define expedition travel
Polar ice and equatorial wildlife. These four account for most first voyages, and most second ones too.
Polar South · November to March
Antarctica
Penguin colonies, ice-choked channels, and whales feeding at the edge of the pack ice, reached by small ships that carry a hundred or so guests.
Polar North · May to September
The Arctic
Svalbard, the Northwest Passage, and the high Arctic pack ice, where polar bears, walrus, and 24-hour daylight define the season.
Equatorial Pacific · Year-round
Galápagos
Marine iguanas, sea lions, and blue-footed boobies year-round, aboard park-licensed ships of 16 to 100 guests with naturalist guides.
Polar North · July to September
Greenland
Disko Bay icebergs, Inuit settlements, and the largest fjord system on earth, along a coast with almost no roads between towns.
Four more with genuine expedition character
Shorter, warmer, or easier to reach — and in the Kimberley's case, reachable no other way.
May to September
Alaska
Humpbacks, calving glaciers, and bear viewing along the Inside Passage and beyond.
Year-round, by season
Norway
Fjords in summer, northern lights and orca in winter, on coastal and expedition ships alike.
October to March
Patagonia
Chilean fjords and Cape Horn, often paired with an Antarctic voyage from Ushuaia.
April to September
The Kimberley
Gorges, waterfalls, and Aboriginal rock art on a coast reachable only by small ship.
And a few more we are asked about more each year
Raja Ampat
The richest reef system on earth, explored by small ship and traditional phinisi.
October to April
The Amazon
River expeditions by skiff into flooded forest, with naturalists aboard shallow-draft vessels.
Year-round, by water level
Baja California
Desert islands and the Sea of Cortez, with sea lions, blue whales and Pacific gray whale lagoons.
January to April
French Polynesia
Society Islands lagoons, Tuamotu atoll passes and the far Marquesas, on small ships out of Papeete.
Year-round; driest May to October
Subantarctic Islands
Five uninhabited UNESCO island groups south of New Zealand, with permit-only landings on Enderby and Campbell.
November to March
Iceland
Circumnavigations and Westfjords landings, frequently combined with East Greenland.
May to September
Churchill, Manitoba
A land-based Arctic expedition: polar bears gathering for the ice in autumn, thousands of belugas in the estuary in summer, and the aurora overhead.
July to August and October to November
Not sure which of these fits the trip you have in mind?
Help Me ChooseWritten by your expedition advisors
Chris Commisso · Expedition Expert
Erika Commisso · Travel Experience Architect
CLIA Elite Cruise Counselor · ASTA Verified Travel Advisor
Chris and Erika have personally sailed 18 expedition ships across eight expedition regions — and visited ten places in total, adding French Polynesia aboard the Paul Gauguin and Churchill by land.
Last updated .
Ready to narrow it down?
Thirty minutes is usually enough to get from twelve regions to two or three real options with dates and ships attached.