240 Expedition cruises

Explore Vancouver Island like a local

Start & finish: Vancouver & Campbell River or Victoria, Canada

Vancouver Island is British Columbia in microcosm. You can wander a temperate forest home to black and grizzly bears, stroll driftwood-strewn beaches, kayak among orcas and dolphins, and explore artsy towns swaddled by an 800-year-old cedar forest. Maple Leaf Adventures’ new 12- and 13-day Vancouver Island’s Wild Side Supervoyage catamaran cruise invites guests to take a deep dive into the island’s hidden corners and Indigenous history, exploring everything from remote sea lion colonies in the Brooks Peninsula to the wineries of Cowichan Valley. In between, you’ll hear local stories shared by Indigenous hosts, explore the East Creek for bear sightings and learn about local legend Billy Proctor, who turned his beachcombing hobby into a unique museum.

More information: Maple Leaf Adventures (mapleleafadventures.com). 20 July 2026; 12–13 days from £6,247pp, excluding international flights.

Visit Inuit communities in the High Arctic

Start & finish: Nuuk, Greenland &
Nome, Alaska, USA

One of the criticisms of the cruise industry has been that the communities that ships visit don’t always benefit from visitors. Among the lures of the new Northwest Passage: Through the Arctic Labyrinth cruise by HX Hurtigruten Expeditions is that its optional excursions have been created in collaboration with Inuit Elders and local residents and are led by local people. These include everything from storytelling to time spent learning traditional ways to live off the land. With 100% of revenue from these visits kept by local people, it’s a great addition to a 26-day trip not short on wow moments, as you thread the Northwest Passage from Greenland to Alaska. Along the way, you’ll meet remote communities whose survival in this environment is as remarkable as any number of giant icebergs and fjords.

HX Hurtigruten Expeditions (travelhx.com). 14 Aug 2026; 26 days from £19,337pp, including Keflavik-Godthaab & Nome-Seattle transfers.

Skip Drake Passage for more time in the Antarctic

Start & finish: King George Island (cruise section)

Those keen to skip the rough waters and seasickness of Drake Passage and get straight to business should take note of Atlas Ocean Voyages’ King George Island Roundtrip. Guests begin by flying to King George Island, barely 120km from the Antarctic peninsula. The island itself is not short of sights and is home to colonies of chinstrap and gentoo penguins, as well as an abundance of research stations. From there, you can squeeze in more time in and around the peninsula, navigating to Adélie penguin colonies within the Antarctic Sound, the million-year-old volcano Brown Bluff and the whale-strewn waters of Hidden Bay. By the time you fly back from King George, you’ll have squeezed more into one week than most visitors here see in two.

Atlas Ocean Voyages (atlasoceanvoyagesuk.com).
9 Dec 2025; 8 days from £8,699pp, including transfers between Eduardo Frei Montalva Station (Chile) and King George Island.