Hurtigruten is expanding the adventure cruise itineraries in its Explorer Program for 2017. In 2016, the cruise line will triple berths in Antarctica, dedicate a ship to more extreme travel experiences, refurbish four of its Norwegian Coastal Voyage ships and launch a new ship, the MS Spitsbergen. In 2017, the line will expand its Explorer Program to four ships (up from two in 2015) sailing expedition voyages.
Hurtigruten’s Arctic program will stretch to the Newfoundland and Labrador provinces of Canada, adding to the current roster of Spitsbergen, Iceland and Greenland. Additionally, guests will be able to explore Greenland’s Kangertittivaq or Scoresby (the longest fjord in the world), and an Amazon River voyage will explore the rainforest of Brazil. There will also be chances to stop at Argentina, Chile, Peru and Ecuador.
Canada Cruises
Hurtigruten explorer voyages to the Newfoundland and Labrador provinces in Canada will combine active adventures with opportunities for learning. Popular science lectures on topics relevant to the destinations will be given by experts in areas such as history, zoology, botany, and environmental science. Experienced expedition teams will accompany guests on excursions to isolated places only accessible by ships or zodiac boats. Amongst the many exceptional landings guests will get to visit while aboard the MS Spitsbergen is L'Anse aux Meadows – a small fishing village on the UNESCO World Heritage List where Norwegians Anne Stine and Helge Ingstad and their daughter Benedicte discovered a Viking settlement in 1960. Benedicte Ingstad (72) is now a researcher and professor of medical anthropology and will participate as a guide on selected voyages.
Amazon River Cruises
Starting deep inside the Brazilian rainforest, the MS Fram sails down the immense river, where guests can experience and learn more about the region’s unique nature and wildlife, journey by canoes, and enjoy hikes onshore. There will be landings at places like Parintins and Santarém. The biodiversity of the wilderness and flora allows for opportunities to safely encounter animals such as jaguars, tapirs, howler monkeys, parrots, piranhas and caimans. Excursions with local partners are accompanied by Hurtigruten’s experienced expedition teams.
South America Cruises
Hurtigruten will also take guests on sailings along both the Atlantic and the Pacific coast of South America. Some of the sailings include South Atlantic islands and archipelagos, such as the Falkland Islands and South Georgia, where guests will meet locals and be taken close to penguins, birds, whales, seals and other wildlife. The “Land of the Inca” special sailing goes from Valparaíso in Chile north along the coast of Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Panama, before ending in Puerto Limón in Costa Rica. The “Penguins, Patagonia and Poetry” special sailing begins in Ushuaia, Argentina and passes Cape Horn and the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula before continuing via the Chilean fjords and further to the final destination of Valparaíso, Chile.
It is also possible to take part in the cross-sailings back and forth across the Atlantic. The stretch from Bergen to Lisbon includes landings in Amsterdam, Guernsey and La Coruña. The stretch from Lisbon to Brazil has landings in ports such as Cadiz, Casablanca and Cape Verde.
Extreme Travel Experiences
On the east coast of Greenland, Hurtigruten will let guests explore Kangertittivaq or Scoresby, a fjord which extends 350 kilometers into the vast island. Trips to this special fjord are combined with visits to Iceland, Jan Mayen and Beerenberg in Svalbard (site of the world’s northernmost volcano), and Lofoten. Guests have close-up experiences of glaciers calving huge icebergs and volcanoes smoldering at the same time as visiting the domains of whales, dolphins, seabirds, polar bears and musk oxen. There will also be Arctic expedition sailings to the remote town of Thule on the northwestern tip of Greenland.
Hurtigruten is also strongly reinforcing its commitment in Antarctica. In 2016, the line is tripling its berths as the MS Midnatsol joins the MS Fram in the southern hemisphere. The Chilean fjords, Cape Horn, Magellan Strait, Punta Arenas and the White Continent are some of the highlights of these sailings. Guests can join in hikes on thousand-year-old glacial ice, walks among penguins, kayak between seals, snorkel in icy water and camp overnight.
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