Looking for your next family adventure? Try an expedition cruise

With a growing number of tour operators and cruise lines offering intrepid family voyages, expedition cruising is no longer just for grown-ups. From following in the footsteps of Charles Darwin in the Galápagos Islands to charting a course through Alaska’s wildest corners as part of National Geographic’s Explorers-in-Training programme, these expedition cruises offer young conservationists and budding adventurers the opportunity to develop their passions on the open water.

1. Alaska with National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions

Best for: budding explorers
Soaring bald eagles, breaching humpbacks: this seven-night Inside Passage voyage feels like a school trip on steroids. Sailings between Juneau and Sitka take place on the National Geographic Venture and National Geographic Quest, both of which carry 100 passengers, weaving through some of Alaska’s most remote areas, including Tracy Arm and Glacier Bay National Park. The ships’ family programme — National Geographic Explorers-in-Training — is led by Certified Field Educators and has youngsters learning about geology and wildlife through onboard activities, with time ashore spent hiking forested mountains and kayaking mirror-like fjords. Sailing between May and September 2026. From £5,364 per person.

2. Galápagos with Abercrombie & Kent

Best for: naturalists
This eight-night Ultimate Galápagos expedition is a chance to follow in Darwin’s footsteps. Itineraries take in several islands, including San Cristóbal, Santa Cruz and Fernandina, with days spent spotting local wildlife — from marine iguanas to manta rays. Travellers are grouped depending on the age of their kids, so families with younger children (aged six and older) and those with teenagers travel on different expedition vessels. Programming is then tailored to each ship, with activities encompassing kayak safaris, sustainable cooking classes and photography. Sailing between January and October 2026. From £10,465 per person.

3. Greenland with HX Expeditions

Best for: intrepid teens
HX Expeditions’ 12-night Grand Greenland sailing is well-suited to older children and teens. It sees participants of all ages learn about Inuit culture and assist with the citizen science programme’s ongoing research into this fragile environment. Following a flight from Reykjavík, passengers board the sleek MS Fridtjof Nansen in Nuuk to sail to the UNESCO-listed Ilulissat Icefjord, home to blue-streaked icebergs and feeding whales. After witnessing the rugged beauty of Disko Bay, families are treated to more time exploring the sparsely populated west coast on nature walks and guided kayaking excursions. Sailing on 13 June and 23 June 2026. From £29,027 for a family cabin, including flights.

4. Svalbard with Hapag-Lloyd Cruises

Best for: midnight sun
Home to polar bears, walruses and Arctic foxes, the raw beauty of Svalbard is awe-inspiring. It’s also a relatively short hop from the UK, making it a wonderful expedition for families looking to avoid a long-haul flight. Hapag-Lloyd’s new 12-day circumnavigation of Spitzbergen on Hanseatic Nature sails from Tromsø to Longyearbyen, going deep into the Arctic Circle and taking in faraway Kvitøya, the remotest island in the Svalbard archipelago. Hapag-Lloyd’s Young Explorers programme for 10–17-year-olds brings seafaring and geography to life through nautical lessons on map reading and knot tying at the high-tech Ocean Academy. Sailing 18 July 2026, from $13,849 (£10,232) per person.

5. Costa Rica with UnCruise Adventures

Best for: tropical wildlife
UnCruise Adventures’ seven-night Kids in Nature Costa Rica expedition, aboard the 66-passenger Safari Voyager, is a round-trip voyage from Liberia, on the country’s wild Pacific coast. It includes a visit to island-studded Murciélago Bay, not to mention an excursion in search of scarlet macaws, spider monkeys and crocodiles in Curú Wildlife Refuge: a vast conservation area of thick mangroves and tropical forests. The minimum age to sail is eight, with the action-packed Kids in Nature trips (also offered in Alaska and Baja California) best suited to families with plenty of energy to burn. Expect scavenger hunts and nature walks, along with kayaking in a tropical fjord, swimming off volcanic beaches and snorkelling in vibrant coral reefs. Sailing 21 November 2026, from $6,500 (£4,802) per person.

6. Polynesia with Ponant

Best for: stargazers
Departing from Papeete, Tahiti, Ponant’s 14-night Polynesia expedition sees travellers board the 330-passenger Paul Gauguin for a chance to trek through jungles in the lesser-known Marquesas Islands and swim in the electric-blue lagoons of the Fakarava Atoll. During school holidays, the line’s Moana Explorer Program — created in partnership with marine education and conservation foundation Te mana o te moana — sees youngsters between the ages of six and 15 come together to conduct water experiments, hike volcanic mountains and learn about the night sky. Sailing on 20 June, 15 August and 19 December 2026. From £6,600 per person.

7. Antarctica with Quark Expeditions

Best for: polar landscapes
Seeing your children’s wide-eyed joy as they witness Antarctica’s ethereal landscapes for the first time might just leave you misty-eyed. Quark Expeditions’ seven-night Antarctic Express begins with a charter flight from Punta Arenas, Chile, to King George Island in the South Shetland Islands, bypassing the Drake Passage. It’s the fastest way to reach Antarctica and offers an extraordinary aerial view of snowy peaks, serrated icebergs and penguin colonies, while avoiding the Drake’s notoriously choppy waters. Sailing on Ocean Explorer or World Explorer, passengers eight and over are invited to join hiking trips, Zodiac rides and take a dip in arctic waters during the Polar Plunge. Sailings include 8 March, 1 December and 8 December 2026, from £12,308 per person.