By
Kasturi Datta |
Small-ship expedition cruise line Heritage Expeditions has added seven new itineraries to new ship Heritage Discoverer’s 2027-2028 maiden season, including exploration of European and Atlantic coasts.
The 108-metre cruise ship, formerly known as Silver Explorer operated by Silversea, will add to the cruise line’s Arctic and Antarctic Peninsula-based itineraries. New additions include the ‘Atlantic Shores Odyssey’ cruise, calling at ports in Portugal, Spain, France, the Channel Islands of Guernsey and Sark and the UK, while the ‘British Isles, Ireland and Scotland Expedition’ voyage will explore islands including St Kilda, Isles of Scilly, the Isle of Man and the Isle of Skye.
The 'Atlantic Shores Odyssey' cruise will offer shore excursion opportunities to the Channel Islands of Guernsey (Image: Paul French/Heritage Expeditions)
The ‘Scotland, Faroe Islands and Iceland’ itinerary will cover remote islands on route from Glasgow, Scotland, to Reykjavik in Iceland, including the Outer Hebrides, Orkney and the Shetland Islands. ‘Iceland’s Fire and Ice Circumnavigation’ voyage will offer guests the chance to explore the region’s geothermal activity, glaciers and fjords.
Vatnajökull is Iceland's largest glacier spanning 8,400 square kilometres (Image: Martin Robles/Unsplash)
The ‘Svalbard, Greenland and Iceland Arctic Islands Expedition’ itinerary will take guests across the Arctic Circle, while the ‘Antarctic Peninsula Expedition’ voyage will cover the South Shetland Islands and sail through the Antarctic Convergence. The ‘South Georgia, Falklands and Antarctic Peninsula’ itinerary will visit the Falkland Islands and South Georgia Island as well as some of Antarctica’s most isolated regions.
The 'South Georgia, Falklands and Antarctica Peninsula' voyage is scheduled to coincide with the arrival of breeding season (Image: Tam Minton/Unsplash)
“Today sees an exciting evolution of Heritage Expeditions as we chart a new course, while continuing our legacy of authentic, responsible small ship expedition travel to some of the wildest, least explored and biologically rich regions on the planet,” said Aaron Russ, co-owner and director of Heritage Expeditions. “We are excited to return to some familiar shores onboard our new ship Heritage Discoverer and explore lesser-known waters on new adventures as we introduce our unique expedition experience to these incredible parts of the world.”
The itineraries will offer shore excursion opportunities to visit Unesco World Heritage sites, wildlife sighting destinations, historical monuments, and more. An expedition team of 15 will support a maximum of 130 expeditioners and a fleet of 14 Zodiacs will ensure all guests are able to “maximise their expedition experience”.
“This is the beginning of a new era, and the arrival of a truly global expedition cruise offering for Heritage Expeditions and our guests,” said Nathan Russ, co-owner and director of Heritage Expeditions.
Read more: How Heritage Expeditions is advancing science on its voyages