In the Wake of Great Explorers Collection

Exploring some of the most remote and fascinating places on Earth is a regular feature on many bucket lists, and for good reason. These are routes that enable travellers to follow in the wake of the great explorers of old, from Darwin and Wallace to Ross and Shackleton.

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In the Wake of Great Explorers Voyages

Aerial view of countryside around Darwin

Singapore to Darwin

Silversea Expeditions

23 May - 10 Jun 2024 (18 Nights)

From £16,300 pp

In the Wake of the Great Explorers | Eastbound

HX Hurtigruten Expeditions

20 Aug - 14 Sep 2024 (25 Nights)

From £15,882 pp

Epic Antarctica: Crossing the Circle via Falklands and South Georgia

Quark Expeditions

15 Dec 2024 - 9 Jan 2025 (25 Nights)

From £28,025 pp

Scott & Shackleton’s Antarctic - Ross Sea Expedition

Ponant

26 Jan - 16 Feb 2025 (21 Nights)

From £18,670 pp

Expedition Semi-circumnavigation of Antarctica - the Emperor's Route

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises

28 Jan - 2 Mar 2025 (33 Nights)

From £26,700 pp

Wild Antarctica featuring the Weddell Sea

AE Expeditions

6 Mar - 17 Mar 2025 (11 Nights)

Zodiac cruising past icebergs in Antarctica

In Shackleton's Footsteps

AE Expeditions

14 Mar - 6 Apr 2025 (23 Nights)

18-Day Chilean Fjords & Antarctica

Seabourn

28 Oct - 19 Nov 2025 (22 Nights)

Emperor Penguin Quest: Expedition to Snow Hill

Quark Expeditions

15 Nov - 28 Nov 2025 (13 Nights)

From £23,385 pp

Mawson's Antarctica

AE Expeditions

10 Dec 2025 - 4 Jan 2026 (25 Nights)

From £20,995 pp - 20% saving 20% saving

In the wake of Jean-Baptiste Charcot

Ponant

20 Dec 2025 - 3 Jan 2026 (14 Nights)

From £19,830 pp

Antarctica's Ross Sea: Majestic Ice & Wildlife

Scenic

5 Jan - 30 Jan 2026 (25 Nights)

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Our insight

In the Wake of Great Explorers Collection

From venturing to rarely-explored seas to visiting historically important and world-famous sites, all from the comfort of a luxury expedition cruise ship, following the great explorers of the 'heroic age' of remote exploration across the world provides a journey that is truly unforgettable.

Perhaps emulate the likes of Shackleton and Scott with an Antarctic exploration, visiting the site of Shackleton's infamous Endurance shipwreck, or venture to the White Continent's rarely-visited Ross Sea, whose eponym is the pioneering British explorer James Clark Ross. There's chances to visit Cape Royds in McMurdo Sound, used by Shackleton and his crew during their legendary but ultimately unsuccessful attempt to reach the South Pole, and even land at historic Cape Denison in the subantarctic islands, the site of Mawson's huts - one of just six sites which remain untouched from the 'heroic era' of Antarctic exploration led by famed Australian explorer Sir Douglas Mawson from 1911-14.

Or, swap polar regions and head to the mythical North Pole, following in the wake of explorers like Cook and Peary as you navigate through the ice among giant icebergs and frozen landscapes home to seals, humpback whales and polar bears, or make like famed Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen and sail along the fabled Northwest Passage, with incredible scenery along the way including Greenland's fjords, glaciers and icebergs, spotting whales, seabirds, seals and narwhals.

Away from the cold, there's even the chance to follow in the footsteps of Alfred Wallace, whose travels around the islands of Indonesia led to the development of the theory of evolution at the same time as Darwin.