Hurtigruten Expeditions, the world’s leading expedition cruise line, expands its 2023 Arctic Summer season with seven brand new adventures – taking guests closer to the local people and communities, and deeper into the wilderness of the north. With four ships in the region next summer, Hurtigruten Expeditions has the world’s largest offering of Arctic cruises.
Spanning 11 to 19 days, the new departures from June to September 2023 will take in some of the most spectacular areas beyond and above the Arctic circle on board the small-size expedition cruise favourite MS Maud. The ship will complement three of Hurtigruten Expeditions’ other ships already scheduled for the Arctic summer next year.
“We are thrilled to further expand our Arctic expedition cruise offering by introducing MS Maud on a series of best-of-the-best itineraries, handcrafted by our team of experts and based on our almost 130 years of Arctic experience. Working closely with the local communities, our small-ship expedition cruises take you where the big ships can’t, closer to the people and nature of the north,” said Hurtigruten Expeditions’ CEO Asta Lassesen.
These new itineraries will depart from either Dover, United Kingdom, or Reykjavik, Iceland, and will take guests to Greenland, Svalbard, the British Isles, the Faroe Islands, and Iceland.
Hurtigruten Expeditions’ local connections, combined with the small sized ships, a fleet of zodiacs, and hand-picked Expedition Team of experts in science, adventure, history, photography and more, secures a unique way to explore wildlife, volcanoes, glaciers, and the world’s largest fjord system.
“From engaging encounters with the local communities to the vast wilderness and rich wildlife, our small-ship expedition cruises unlock one-of-a-kind experiences in some of the most unique areas of our planet. While exploring, our guests and crew not only create local value, but contribute to science projects that are vital to understanding and preserving the areas for future generations of explorers,” said Lassesen.
Hurtigruten Expeditions founded expedition cruising with the launch of its first small-ship expedition cruise ships to the Arctic Archipelago of Svalbard in 1896. Today, Hurtigruten Expeditions is the world’s largest and leading expedition cruise line, with a fleet of small custom-built ships exploring destinations such as Galapagos, Antarctica, South America, West Africa, and the Arctic – where Hurtigruten Expeditions will see a total of five ships exploring the Arctic in 2023.
The new MS Maud Arctic adventures for 2023 include the following.
- Two ‘True Arctic Expeditions’ –unique combination of Iceland, the wild east coast of Greenland, Svalbard archipelago and the rarely visited Arctic volcanic island of Jan Mayen. The 17-day cruises depart and arrive in Reykjavik, Iceland.
- One 20-day epic “Greenland summer explorer” expedition cruise. With 20 days and a flexible itinerary to explore icebergs, fjords, wildlife and communities along Greenland’s spectacular west coast – including north of Disko Bay.
- Two Iceland Circumnavigation expedition cruises that take guests on an 11-day deep-dive from Reykjavik to some of Iceland’s most incredible sights – including crossing of the Arctic circle.
- Two 12-day Island Hopping in the North Atlantic expedition cruises that explore Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Shetland Islands, Orkney Islands, and British Isles. Being the first and last adventures of MS Maud’s 2023 summer season, they either depart or conclude in Dover.
- The expedition cruises can also be extended with 2 – 4 days’ land adventures in Iceland.
Hurtigruten Expeditions is widely recognized for its push for more sustainable cruising. Like all Hurtigruten Expeditions’ small-sized expedition cruise ships, MS Maud features a state-of-the art Science Centre, and a large fleet of zodiacs for landings and exploring nature and wildlife. Hurtigruten Expeditions’ industry-leading Science Program includes scientists on every cruise on every ship, and a wide range of Citizen Science research projects which guests are encouraged to participate in during their expeditions.
In addition to The Explorer Lounge, which spans two decks with full floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows and 270-degree spectacular views, MS Maud features vast outdoor open decks, outdoor hot-tubs, a panoramic sauna, gym, and flexible dining options including more locally inspired and -sourced food, as well as plant-based options.
Recently, the company’s battery-hybrid-powered MS Fridtjof Nansen, was rated “the safest and most sustainable cruise ship in the world” by Scope ESG Analysis, the leading European provider of ESG analysis in its first ever in-depth assessment of 400 cruise ships.
