Aurora Expeditions has unveiled its new Arctic & Beyond 2024 program, featuring a newly expanded schedule that showcases a variety of unique expedition and discovery voyages, along with trekking adventures and special guests who will deliver the natural wonders of the polar regions and beyond, from Greenland to Patagonia.
“Our expert Expedition Teams have been sharing their knowledge and understanding of the Arctic and Antarctic for more than 30 years,” said Hayley Peacock-Gower, Aurora Expeditions Chief Marketing Officer.
“Our new Arctic and Beyond 2024 program continues to deliver the best of the polar regions as well as multiple destinations in warmer waters.”
New, enhanced and reintroduced itineraries include a 15-day Patagonia and Chilean Fjords expedition; 11-day circumnavigation of Iceland; 15-day sailing in Costa Rica and the Panama Canal; 12-day Wild Scotland adventure, and a 17-day Greenland Odyssey.
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Polar expeditions in 2024 will travel across the Arctic Circle to Svalbard, Spitsbergen and the Northern Lights, and voyages into the fabled Northwest Passage, along with Aurora’s immersive expeditions in Antarctica.
Aurora’s two state-of-the-art, purpose-built expedition small ships – Greg Mortimer, launched in 2019 and brand-new sister ship, Sylvia Earle debuting in December 2022 – are designed for education and enrichment to create lifelong ambassadors for the planet.
“The 2024 Arctic & Global program is designed with the intention of building on our existing strengths and leveraging our expertise in the polar regions by sending two ships up to the Arctic,” said Justin Ewin, Aurora Expeditions Global Head of Product. “Having just completed a successful Arctic and Global season, we have taken the opportunity to make exciting enhancements to some of our 2024 itineraries.”
A unique Founder’s Voyage, led by acclaimed explorer Greg Mortimer, and a Special Guests program covering photography, history, archaeology, conservation, art and Inuit communities, will add to Aurora’s education and enrichment offerings.
“Our greatest desire is for our passengers to disembark richer for the experience and as an ambassador for the good of our fragile planet,” added Peacock-Gower.
Aurora Expeditions is offering savings of up to 25% off when booking an Arctic or global destination prior to 31 December 2022. Additionally, guests can save up to 10% when booking back-to-back voyages.
View Aurora Expeditions’ Arctic 2024 program at auroraexpeditions.com.au/destination/arctic-cruises/.
Sylvia Earle delivered to Aurora
Meanwhile, Aurora Expeditions has accepted delivery of its second expedition vessel, Sylvia Earle, in Singapore. The vessel’s inaugural sailing is now a voyage from Ushuaia to Antarctica, departing 10 December 2022, a month later than originally scheduled – as flagged exclusively by LATTE this month.
Named after marine biologist, oceanographer, explorer and conservationist Dr. Sylvia Earle, this state-of-the-art expedition ship will be a floating ambassador for the conservation of the planet.
“We cannot wait to introduce her to our loyal trade and consumer partners worldwide and, of course, a new generation of global expeditioners in search of adventure, discovery and extraordinary life-changing experiences,” said Michael Heath, Chief Executive Officer of Aurora Expeditions.
With its strong focus on education and conservation, the new Sylvia Earle is designed to accommodate an average 132 passengers per voyage in a relaxed, fun and informal onboard setting.
Each of the new ship’s decks is named after six other pioneering female conservationists – Jo Ruxton (MBE), Dr Carden Wallace (AM), Sharon Kwok, Bernadette Demientieff, Dr Asha de Vos and Hanli Prinsloo – with a deck dedicated to Dr Earle herself.
In February 2023, Dr Earle, in partnership with Ocean Geographic will lead a world-first ‘Antarctic Climate Expedition’ on the new ship to raise public and government awareness of the environmental importance of the Antarctic. This special voyage aims to deliver resolutions to inspire transformative changes for global net-zero emission by 2035 from an ocean perspective.