Expedition cruising guide

… you want to be alone. These are small ships with a tight-knit crew, a clutch of enthusiastic experts and a group of travellers. You can escape to your cabin or bury yourself in the library, but expedition cruising is essentially a sociable, sharing experience that works best if you’re eager to meet new people as well as new wildlife. … you’re on a budget. Sorry, there’s no way to sweeten this pill – expedition cruises are expensive. You’re paying for use of a unique vessel crewed by highly qualified staff, as well as having to fly out to the boat, which could involve multiple flights on routes no budget airline has ever heard of. However, this really is once-in-a-lifetime travel. … you get puffed running for the bus. A decent level of fitness is helpful, to cope with the cold (in Polar Regions), and sustain you while hiking. Expedition boats don’t tend to have lifts, either, and use rigid hulled inflatable boats (RIBs) to transport passengers to land, accessed by a steep gangway – not ideal for those with limited mobility.

Expedition ships tend to be small, carrying anything from 50 to 200 passengers. Fellow expeditioners may be from around the world, and a mix of ages, although young backpackers on a year out tend to be priced out of this kind of trip! The common bond will be a love of travel, adventure and the natural world. Conditions on board might be more cramped than in giant cruise ships, but expedition seafarers know how to respect each others’ space, and it’ s easy to escape if you want to, whether taking time out on deck to watch an albatross gliding alongside or snoozing in your cabin.

A good many people travel on their own on expedition cruises. This isn’t a week in the Med, after all. The ships aren’t huge, so it’s easy to meet fellow passengers, and as you’re brought together by a common interest, friendships quickly blossom. And once you’ve taken your first Zodiac ride to see turquoise icebergs floating near vast glaciers or a polar bear atop a snowy cliff, you have an immediate and unique bond.

At meal times, seats are not usually assigned, so you can move about and get to know everyone. The onboard guides and experts usually sit with different people at dinner, so you’ll have a chance to enjoy a meal with them, too.

The Southern Ocean is one of the roughest oceans in the world, with the tumultuous, two-day crossing of the Drake Passage between South America and Antarctica legendary. Once in Antarctica, however, waters are usually calm. On the other side of the globe, Arctic waters are also relatively calm, but bad weather can cause rough water anywhere, and even a bouncy ride on a Zodiac across calm seas can unsettle delicate stomachs.

Find out if your vessel has stabilisers, which can help reduce the pitch and roll and try to book a cabin towards the centre of the ship and low down, too, where movement is more limited. It’s normal to experience some seasickness at the start of the journey, but most people find their sea legs pretty fast, and then recover for the remainder of the voyage. Different medicines and preventions suit different people, and prevention is better than cure, so if you’re concerned about sickness, act before the cruise starts. Antarctic expedition vessels have medical facilities and staff onboard as standard, but if you’re taking an expedition elsewhere find out if there is a medical advisor or small clinic onboard to help in the rare cases of extreme seasickness.

Expedition boats typically provide three meals a day, including a buffet breakfast with cooked options, too; a buffet, barbecue or three-course meal for lunch; and a dinner that might run to four courses, with a choice of mains. Tea, coffee and fresh fruit are always on offer. There are usually vegetarians options available, and anyone with specific dietary requirements can be catered for, although it’s important to flag this up before departure.

Some itineraries involve full days at sea, but there’s always plenty to do. Films, talks and lectures will fill you in on the region you’re sailing to, with plenty of books in the library to flesh out the picture. Chatting with fellow passengers passes the time easily and the cruise’s expert leaders will be hanging out with you, happy to share their knowledge of the wildlife and geography. Most ships have a bar, a lounge or two and a lecture theatre; some even have a small gym. You may be able to pay for Internet access, and should be given an onboard email address, but leaving the modern world behind is also one of the beauties of this kind of trip – don’t expect to be uploading your pics to Instagram every evening! The vessels themselves are comfortable and practical, and the focus and emphasis of any expedition cruise is to get you ashore as often as possible for as long as possible, to experience the landscapes and wildlife waiting there.

Expedition cruises take you far off the beaten track to pristine environments, unaffected by large scale human activity. Visiting is a privilege and expedition cruises generally take the responsibilities associated with travelling here extremely seriously.

The small ship size and limited passenger numbers on responsible expedition cruises protect the regions they visit. Less people means less waste, and small groups going ashore minimise the impact on the landscape and wildlife.

All Antarctic expedition cruises must be planned and conducted under full membership of the IAATO – International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators – abiding by its strict codes of conduct. Many polar expedition cruise operators abide by these rules in the Arctic, too. Around the Subantarctic Islands, meanwhile, tourism is allowed, but only under special license, and expedition vessels here often carry no more than 50 passengers.

Responsible operators are also committed to conserving the places they visit, contributing to charities that maintain these wild regions, offsetting emissions and carefully controlling encounters with polar bears, walruses and whales.

Rodney Russ is a biologist and expedition leader, and the founder of our supplier Heritage Expeditions: “As biologists and ornithologists, we are intimately aware of the many issues that confront wildlife and their habitats, the world’s oceans and isolated ethnic groups. We aim to actively contribute to the conservation of the places we visit.”

The best time to go on an Arctic cruise is Apr-Sep, when the sea ice melts enough to let ships pass. April promises bigger icebergs and possibly the Northern Lights, but Jun-Aug is when most trips run. The best time to visit the Subantarctic Islands is during their summer, Dec-Feb, with temperatures between 6°C-10°C. Antarctica can only be reached in Nov-Mar, when the sun is above the horizon, sea ice melts to give access and temperatures climb above freezing. In the Russian Far East, the landscape is vibrant and most animals visible in Wrangel Island and Chukotka Jul-Aug, while Kamchatka is stunning in Sep.