HX Expeditions Unveils 2028/29 Season with 26 New Cruise Itineraries

HX Expeditions has unveiled its 2028/29 cruise season, comprising 57 unique voyages, 26 brand-new itineraries, and 1,288 ports of call across 14 destinations worldwide. Highlights include Antarctic departures from Stanley in the Falkland Islands, shorter-format expeditions in Alaska and Greenland, HX’s first dedicated Scandinavia program, and nine new Ocean Crossing voyages connecting the Arctic and Antarctica.

“The voyages may be new, but the expertise behind them is not,” said Gebhard Rainer, CEO of HX Expeditions. “At HX, exploration is about more than reaching remote destinations. It’s about how you experience them: with insight, intention, and respect. The 2028/29 season builds on more than 130 years of expedition heritage, creating new ways for guests to connect with the people, wildlife and landscapes that make these places so extraordinary.”

Shorter Alaska

HX is introducing two seven-night “Alaska’s Inside Passage – Wilderness & Culture” expeditions, sailing northbound and southbound between Vancouver and Sitka. Replacing the previous 10- and 13-day itineraries, the voyages offer five full days in Southeast Alaska with only one sea day, prioritizing deeper exploration over greater distance.

Because the routes share no ports in common, guests can combine them into a 15-day Vancouver-to-Vancouver expedition without repeating a destination. The season also introduces two new 16-night “Aleutians to Katmai: Wild Alaska Revealed” expeditions, sailing northbound and southbound between Vancouver and Whittier.

Developed in partnership with Indigenous communities and local stakeholders, the itineraries reflect HX’s community-led approach to exploration in Alaska. Building on its partnership with Old Harbor Native Corporation, the program combines cultural exchange with access to lesser-visited bays, fjords, and wilderness areas through local knowledge and expertise. Kake joins the northbound itinerary, while Elfin Cove joins the southbound route.

Antarctica & South Georgia: A New Voyage and Gateway South

The 2028/29 season introduces a new 18-night “Antarctica & South Georgia – Kingdoms of Ice and Wildlife”voyage, combining two of the polar world’s most iconic destinations in a single expedition. Guests can explore South Georgia’s extraordinary wildlife and Shackleton heritage alongside the Antarctic Peninsula, with early-season departures offering pristine landscapes, dramatic ice formations, and exceptional wildlife viewing.

Additionally, for the first time in more than a decade, a major cruise company will use the Falkland Islands as a gateway to Antarctica. HX’s “In-Depth Antarctica, Falklands & South Georgia Expedition” starts in Stanley, offering the Falklands, South Georgia, and Antarctica in a shorter timeframe.

First Full Scandinavia Program

Building on more than 130 years of exploration in Scandinavia, HX is expanding its regional offering aboard MS Spitsbergen. 

The headline itinerary is “Sweden & Finland: Autumn in the Gulf of Bothnia,” sailing northbound and southbound between Sweden and Finland. Among the region’s few dedicated expedition experiences, the voyages mark HX’s first sailings into the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Bothnia. Sailing through the UNESCO-listed Kvarken Archipelago and coastal communities across Sweden and Finland, they bring HX’s expedition approach to a part of Europe largely absent from traditional cruise itineraries.

The program also includes “Southern Scandinavia: Between Norwegian Fjords and Swedish Isles,” sailing northbound and southbound between Copenhagen and Bergen. Exploring Denmark, Sweden, and Norway through archipelagos, coastal communities and iconic fjords, these voyages connect Copenhagen, the Swedish coast, and Bergen in a single expedition.

“Norway Cape to Cape – Beyond the Arctic Circle” takes guests from Lindesnes to the North Cape on one of the market’s most complete Norway itineraries, with the chance to witness the Northern Lights backed by HX’s Northern Lights Promise.

Circumnavigating Baffin Island

HX is introducing one of its most ambitious expeditions yet: the 18-night “Into the Northwest Passage – Circumnavigating Baffin Island” voyage. 

The sailing attempts a transit of the Fury and Hecla Strait, a route rarely navigated by expedition vessels. From the steep fjords of eastern Baffin Island to the narrow ice channels of the High Arctic and remote waters of Foxe Basin, the itinerary showcases some of Arctic Canada’s most diverse landscapes.

Greenland: New Seven-Night Disko Bay Voyages

HX is introducing a new seven-night “Discovering West Greenland – Icebergs & Communities of Disko Bay” itinerary. With no sea days and direct access via Nuuk, the voyage combines Greenland’s iconic highlights, including Disko Bay, the UNESCO-listed Ilulissat Icefjord and remote Inuit communities such as Kangaamiut and Maniitsoq, in a single week-long expedition.

The season also includes “Exploring the Garden of Greenland” voyages, sailing eastbound and westbound between Reykjavik and Nuuk through southwest Greenland’s fjords, Viking-age Norse sites, and remote villages.

Together, the itineraries create HX’s most flexible Greenland program to date, with voyages ranging from seven to 14 nights across west, south, east, and northern Greenland.

HX’s Longest-Ever Svalbard Season

HX will operate 23 departures to Svalbard in 2028, its most extensive program ever in the archipelago. The season extends into September for the first time, allowing guests to experience the transition from the Midnight Sun to the return of darker nights and the possibility of Northern Lights.

The program includes HX’s core Svalbard voyages aboard MS Spitsbergen and MS Fram.

Year-Round Galapagos

HX continues its year-round Galápagos program aboard the MS Santa Cruz II. The season features the company’s established itineraries, including “Galápagos Islands – In Darwin’s Footsteps” and “Galápagos Islands – Nine of the Best Isles,” alongside voyage extensions incorporating Machu Picchu.

Ocean Crossings

HX is launching nine new Ocean Crossing voyages for guests who enjoy life at sea, featuring extended time on the water enriched by onboard lectures, workshops, wildlife watching, and opportunities to connect with HX’s expedition teams.

Spanning the Atlantic and Pacific, the collection combines a relaxed pace at sea with select port calls, including Bermuda, Cape Verde, Salvador, Recife, and Golfito. Several voyages cross the Equator, while new additions include a sailing to Seville via the Guadalquivir River and Pacific itineraries calling at Huatulco and La Paz.