PHOTO: Tongat Mountains, Labrador. (Photo courtesy of 2015 Hurtigruten, Barrett&MacKay)

Known for its coastal Norway voyages, its northern lights sailings, and its Antarctica expeditions, Hurtigruten has announced that it is planning a major expansion of its destination roster in 2017.

The company’s Explorer Program, which visits some of the most remote polar lands in the world, will see a tripling of its berths to Antarctica next year, as well as the launch of a new vessel, MS Spitsbergen.

By 2017, Hurigruten plans to have four vessels operating its popular expedition voyages, including the Arctic program which will stretch to Newfoundland and Labrador. Other new destinations for 2017 include Greenland’s Scoresby, the longest fjord in the world and an Amazon River voyage.

“We want to offer our guests unique and meaningful experiences regardless of the water temperature,” said Hurtigruten CEO Daniel Skjeldam. “Hurtigruten attracts guests who want to be involved, not be passive spectators.”

Canada

Hurtigruten’s new itinerary will include excursions in Newfoundland & Labrador at places so isolated, they are only accessible by ship or zodiac boats.

This is Hurtigruten’s first return to Canada since 2008; the 2017 voyages will offer expanded content than previous sailings.

The Canada itinerary includes a visit to L'Anse aux Meadows, the small fishing village and UNESCO World Heritage site where Norwegians Anne Stine and Helge Ingstad and their daughter Benedicte discovered a Viking settlement in 1960. Benedicte Ingstad, now 72, is a researcher and professor of medical anthropology and will participate on select voyages. Other guest lecturers include experts in areas such as history, zoology, botany and environmental science.

Amazon

For more than 120 years, Hurtigruten has provided passengers with the opportunity to explore nature along the Norwegian coast and the Arctic, and eventually Antarctica. Now Hurtigruten is setting sail for tropical waters.

Starting deep inside the Brazilian rainforest, the MS Fram will sail down the immense Amazon River, where shore excursions include canoes trips, wildlife hikes, and other wildlife viewings which could result in sightings of jaguars, tapirs, howler monkeys, parrots, piranhas and caimans.

South America

Hurtigruten is also introducing sailings along South America’s Atlantic and Pacific coasts. The “Penguins, Patagonia and Poetry” sailings begin in Ushuaia, Argentina and pass Cape Horn and the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula before continuing through the Chilean fjords and on to Valparaíso, Chile.

Atlantic Crossings

Trans-Atlantic sailings will also be available, including a stretch from Bergen to Lisbon, with landings in Amsterdam, Guernsey and La Coruña and a stretch from Lisbon to Brazil, via Cadiz, Casablanca and Cape Verde.

Extreme Experiences

On the east coast of Greenland, guests an can explore Kangertittivaq or Scoresby, a fjord which extends 350 kilometres into the island. Guests can see glaciers calving huge icebergs and also see live volcanoes. An Arctic expedition to the remote town of Thule on the northwestern tip of Greenland is also available.

Hurtigruten’s fleet of intimate ships, which carry 100 to 646 guests, allows travelers to enjoy the scenery and culture of the destination in a relaxed atmosphere. Additional information and reservations can be obtained from travel agents or Hurtigruten's visitor-friendly website, www.hurtigruten.com; brochures can be ordered online or by calling 800-582-0835.

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