From 2017, Hurtigruten’s expedition ships will sail to Viking settlements and the national parks of Newfoundland, explore the world’s largest fjord complex in Greenland, undertake Hurtigruten’s first ever inland voyage along the Amazon and travel along the Panama canal.

The expanded programme includes 23 new itineraries and more than 180 ports of call in 18 countries.

“We want to offer our guests unique and meaningful experiences regardless of the water temperature. Hurtigruten let people follow the tracks of the Vikings, Amundsen and Nansen, and Thor Heyerdahl” says Hurtigruten CEO Daniel Skjeldam.

“People no longer want to spend their vacations being passive spectators. Therefore Hurtigruten offers active and educational voyages. The many unique excursions and lectures give guests genuinely close encounters with the nature and culture of the destinations”.

Anthony Daniels, head of sales for Hurtigruten, UK & Ireland, added “We have never offered an explorer programme that is so diverse and full of new and exciting destinations. The programme retains our heritage as a polar specialist, but gives customers plenty of new experiences to choose from.”

The overall lead-in price for the programme is £1,189 for the 6 night ‘Gems of the Atlantic Coast’ itinerary departing from Amsterdam to Lisbon on MS Fram on 23 September 2017.

MS Spitsbergen – From Arctic Canada to the longest fjord in the world

Hurtigruten’s newest addition to the fleet will spend the winter 2016/2017 season covering for MS Midnatsol on the Norwegian coastal route.
However, from May to August 2017, she will be offering a choice of 9  new itineraries to Norway (including Spitsbergen), Greenland, Iceland & exploring a new destination for Hurtigruten – Arctic Canada. There she will sail to Newfoundland & Labrador with highlights including the provincial capital of St John’s, Baffin Bay & Torngat Mountains National Park, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, Red Bay and Battle Harbour.

Four itineraries head to the region with prices starting from £6,325 for the 14 night ‘Vinland Saga Adventure’ sailing from Reykjavik, Iceland to St John’s, Canada on 12 June 2017.

In addition to the new Canadian voyages, MS Spitsbergen will take guests westward to the Shetland Islands, the Orkney Islands and the Faroe Islands, and to ports such as Lerwick, Kirkwall and Thorshavn.

During her trips to the east coast of Greenland, she will explore Kangertittivaq or Scoresby Sund which is the longest fjord in the world, extending 350 kilometers.

MS Spitsbergen will then head back to Norway to re-join the coastal route for Winter 17/18.

MS Fram – Along the Amazon & through the Panama canal

Much of MS Fram’s programme is as per previous years, with summers spent in the Arctic and winter in Antarctica, but there are a number of new itineraries on offer, including Hurtigruten’s first ever inland sailing, when she will travel along the Amazon during her 16 night ‘Expedition to the Amazon Rainforest’. The trip costs from £4,332 for the departure on 15 October 2017, travelling from Manaus to Montevideo.

She also has 2 new itineraries on the West (Pacific) Coast of South America and a new ‘Wildlife in the South Atlantic Ocean’ itinerary in October 2017 which includes a longer stay in the Falkland islands.
Another new voyage will see MS Fram taking a journey through the Panama canal on her ‘Exploring the land of the Inca’ itinerary from Valparaiso to Puerto Limon on 10 March 2018. Prices for the 16 day trip start from £4,806.

MS Midnatsol – Polar expeditions North and South

After her first season in Antarctica, the MS Midnatsol will head back to Norway, where Summer 2017 will be spent back on the coastal route. For the second year running, she will then head south again and will be spend her winter based in Punta Arenas, running a series of voyages to Antarctica.
Prices start from £1,357 for the 16 Day ‘In the Wake of Thor Heyerdal’ on MS Midnatsol which departs from Casablanca to Fortaleza on 23 September 2017.

The MS Nordstjernen will again be chartered for the summer 2017 season continuing to offer short voyages around Svalbard.

All prices are based on two people sharing an inside cabin on full board basis. International flights are not included.

Visit hurtigruten.co.uk/agents