→ Book now: Up 25 percent off, hurtigruten.com
Like planning ahead? This summer, Hurtigruten Expeditions, the sustainably minded Norwegian cruise company, is marking down select sailings from now through 2025 to destinations around the world.
Though Hurtigruten specializes in polar cruises to places like Svalbard, Antarctica, and Iceland, it also offers sailings to more temperate and tropical destinations like the Galápagos, the Caribbean, and West Africa.
Founded in 1893 as a way to connect communities along the Norwegian coastline, Hurtigruten has grown to become the world’s largest expedition cruise line and is a pioneer in making the cruise industry more sustainable. (The company operates two hybrid electric-powered ships, the MS Roald Amundsen and the MS Fridtjof Nansen.) Because of these efforts, AFAR named its CEO Daniel Skjeldam to its 2021 Travel Vanguard of innovators in the travel space.
From now until August 31, 2023, you can save up to 25 percent during the Make Waves & Save sale on nearly 100 sailings in Europe, North America, South America, and Africa. Hurtigruten uses a dynamic pricing model, which means the discounts will be higher the emptier a ship is. As it starts filling up, prices will also go up. Even though this sale runs through August 31, the best discounts are to be had now.
Here are some of cruises in this sale we’re most excited about:
Disko Bay, the Heart of Greenland: This 16-day sailing starts and ends in Reykjavík, Iceland, and explores the west coast of Greenland in between. The highlight of the trip is Disko Bay, with a visit to the Ilulissat Icefjord, a UNESCO World Heritage site, where travelers can see the old Inuit settlement of Sermermiut, giant icebergs, and hopefully whales and seals. This cruise sails on the MS Fridtjof Nansen, a 530-person hybrid electric-powered ship that debuted in 2020.
Galápagos Islands Expedition Cruise—In Darwin’s Footsteps: This nine-day cruise makes stops at many of the same places Charles Darwin did on his famed 1835 voyage to the Galápagos. Guests will get to visit the giant tortoises of San Cristóbal Island, take a nature walk on Sante Fe Island to see Barrington land iguanas, and have a chance for blue-footed boobie and marine iguana sightings on Española, the archipelago’s southernmost island. It also includes two nights in Quito and flights from the Ecuadorian mainland to the Galápagos. The cruise takes place on the MS Santa Cruz II, Hurtigruten’s 90-person boat refurbished in 2021 that’s dedicated to sailing the Ecuadorian island chain.
West Africa Archipelago Cruise: This 14-day cruise from Dakar and Banjul to Cape Verde and the Bissagos Islands offers an opportunity to explore the volcanic landscapes of two of West Africa’s archipelagos. Bird-watchers can look forward to seeing hundreds of species of birds, while general animal lovers can expect saltwater hippo and manatee sightings. This cruise operates on the MS Spitsbergen, a 220-person ship that was refurbished in 2016.