As humans, we have an undeniable fascination with exploration. We treasure the stories of those who climb the tallest mountain, cross the farthest sea and travel to the ends of the Earth in search of glory and to write their names in the history books. It’s little wonder that a whole host of ultra-luxury cruise lines have sought to capture that magic and take their guests to places that were previously the preserve of the great explorers.
Now, guests can sail to the Antarctic peninsula. They can walk amongst the penguins and kayak around icebergs. And they don’t even need to sail through the bumpy Drake’s Passage to do it, with the likes of Silversea offering flights from South America directly to the Frozen Continent.
And it’s not just Antarctica. Expedition cruise lines offer sailings around the world. From the Arctic to the Amazon. There are some incredible parts of the world out there that need to be seen to be believed, like The Kimberley in Australia or the Galapagos Islands. These are gems, with endemic species that can only be seen in their natural habitat. Off-ship exploring is usually carried out via zodiac - there are few ports in these locations.
The ships that now sail these waters are game-changing, too. From Seabourn’s expedition ships - like Seabourn Venture - which features some of the most luxurious suites at sea to those, like Swan Hellenic, who have laboratories that host scientists, conducting cutting-edge research. These sailings are truly unlike anything else available.