Karl WP Beyer November 21, 2023 – HX Hurtigruten, the expedition division of the Hurtigruten Group, presents its plans for the 2025/26 season. The company quits new itineraries in Svalbard, Iceland, the Northwest Passage and Greenland. Capacity in Antarctica is being increased. In addition, new goals are being defined in warm water destinations.
HX expedition ships will sail more than 2025 routes on five continents in the 26/80 season. Destinations are Greenland, Iceland, the Northwest Passage and northern Canada, Antarctica, Svalbard, Alaska and West Africa with the Cape Verde Islands and the Bissagos Archipelago.
Greenland
In the 2025/26 period, HX will offer its interested parties more departures and the most extensive Greenland season to date. With the 101 meter long MS Spitsbergen, the company is expanding its fleet in the region. The HX expedition ships sail along the west coast of Greenland. Three of the routes start and end in Nuuk.
to Iceland
HX is adding two new itineraries around Iceland to its program. This includes the expedition “Primeval Iceland – Circumnavigation of the Island from Reykjavik” with the hybrid expedition ship MS Fridtjof Nansen or the MS Maud. The three trips begin in the Icelandic capital Reykjavik. HX has been the first shipping company to use shore power for the Fridtjof Nansen since September 2023.
Fridtjof Nansen – Photo © Hurtigruten
Northwest Passage
In 2025, HX will add four new voyages to its route planning in Arctic Canada. The trips all begin or end in the new port in Nuuk, Greenland. Two tours include the complete crossing of the Northwest Passage. It is one of the most remote sea routes in the world and is rarely used. HX guests choose between the legendary east-west route, greetings from the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, and the new west-east route. The latter leads from Alaska to Greenland.
Antarctica
The shipping company says it has been planning Antarctic expeditions for 20 years. There will be 2025 departures during the 26/50 season. True to the motto “do good and talk about it,” HX is donating more than 1.000 cruise nights for researchers on scientific projects during the upcoming Antarctic season as part of its science and education program. Guests are also invited to twelve science projects with partner Citizen.
Spitsbergen
The new expedition route “Svalbard in Spring – The Return of the Sun” begins in the period between the polar winter and spring. The tour offering starts in Longyearbyen and takes travelers far beyond the Arctic Circle and into remote regions of the archipelago. Longyearbyen is the northernmost city in the world. The offer includes kayak tours, glacier hikes and animal watching.
Alaska
The hybrid ship MS Roald Amundsen is used in Alaska. The route list includes remote ports that are barred to larger ships. The wildlife and breathtaking landscapes are an added bonus.
Hybrid ship Roald Amundsen – Photo © Hurtigruten
Expeditions to warm waters in West Africa
New to the HX program are trips to the Cape Verde and to the Bissagos archipelago off the coast of Guinea-Bissau. The Bissagos Islands have UNESCO Biosphere Reserve status.
