For anyone who loves seeing legendary sites up close and walking around gorgeous landscapes, there’s a destination in the North Atlantic that has it all — actually, make that 6,000 destinations. The British and Irish Isles — which also include Scotland, Wales and the 6,000-plus islands around them — pack in endless fascination for travelers. For nature buffs, a trip to this Atlantic archipelago is an especially magical experience. It’s a chance to see spectacular animals and rare plants in the wild, all while hiking in beautiful surroundings dotted with archaeological ruins and local charm. A voyage around this part of the Atlantic brings unexpected daily discoveries along the cliffs, shores and hiking trails of the islands.
Off the western coast of Sweden lies a small group of ice-scoured granitic islands. Väderöarna (or the Weather Islands, in English) is one of those places that seeps into your soul. A remote oasis in the middle of the ocean, it’s way off the beaten path, far from the noise and stressors of everyday life.
Where Spain and Portugal meet southern France, the bounty of the ocean and farmlands, paired with traditional wines and spirits, create a culinary adventure like no other.
National Geographic photographer Alison Wright shares some of her favorite highlights along the European coastline--from enjoying a glass of local ruby port in Portugal to biking England's picturesque Tresco Island.
The medieval walled city of Saint-Malo has birthed explorers and privateers, and risen like a phoenix from the rubble of World War II to become a stunningly picturesque small city known for its authentic character.
Discover some of the awe-inspiring vestiges of history we explore on our diverse European expeditions: from the Suez Canal to the fortress on Belle-Ile-en-Mer.
These fascinating European cities each hold a secret identity, the result of ancient cultural influences. Here's your chance to discover two cultures in one stop.
It was hard to beat the final day of this voyage. On a misty morning in Tracy Arm Fjord, we were met with beautiful green waters and cascading falls down gorgeous mountain faces. We made our way up the winding fjord looking for wildlife and enjoyed the incredible scenery. In the morning, we headed out on Zodiac tours, viewing gorgeous turquoise icebergs and watching the face of South Sawyer Glacier. While appreciating harbor seals in the area, we learned about the natural history of the landscape and wildlife. We were lucky enough to even see the glacier calve. A splash and hearing the thunderous sound of the ice separating from the glacier face was extremely exciting! After a wonderful Zodiac trip, we cruised on the ship towards South Sawyer Glacier for our polar plunge. The ocean water is cold in Alaska, and even chillier when next to a glacier! However, we had some brave guests that wanted to take their plunge into the Alaskan waters. It was a wonderful experience cheering each other on and seeing others dive into the water. After the plunge, we visited a beautiful waterfall called “hole in the wall”. Guests were able to get close, getting covered in the mist of the waterfall. It was definitely a highlight of the trip. Overall, it was an exceptional day.
“Glacier Bay Day” is a naturalist’s delight, with its beautiful landscapes, plentiful wildlife, and the majesty of the wilderness. I spent much of the day on the bow, scouring my surroundings for creatures great and small with guests, staff, and crew alike. The day began with views of Lamplugh and Johns Hopkins Glaciers, the latter of which provided ample views of calving and harbor seals. As we continued our cruise through the bay, we were treated to glimpses of bald eagles, red throated loons, and harlequin ducks who flew in front of our bow. Terrestrial wildlife had their moment at Gloomy Knob, where well over a dozen mountain goats roamed the cliffside and four brown bears lumbered through the alluvial plains of the park. I considered the day’s highlight to be our evening cruise past South Marble Island. Tufted puffins, common murres, pelagic cormorants, and gulls of various clades took to the skies while sea otters, Steller sea lions, and a lone humpback whale provided an epic aquatic display.
Our full day on the fascinating island of Santorini (Thera) started with a stroll through the beautiful town of Oia, once a quiet village of blue domes and whitewashed houses, but now growing in size and popularity. After our visit, we headed for the archaeological museum in Fira, where numerous well-preserved frescoes from the Middle Bronze Age are on display. These spectacular paintings give us a tantalizing glimpse at life in the Aegean around 1630 BC, including one of our best depictions of ships and seafaring in this era. We paused for a leisurely lunch at Mario’s Restaurant, which featured both a refreshing seaside location and delightful local fare, such as a delicate fava spread, feta with herbs, and stuffed tomatoes. We ended our island visit with a tour of the archaeological site of Akrotiri, destroyed by a volcanic eruption around 1630 BC and popularly known as the Pompeii of the Aegean. Our tender back to the ship was a bit more leisurely than expected, but once aboard we enjoyed a Greek barbecue dinner on the Lido Deck, and we ended our splendid day with a performance of salty songs of the sea by the Sea Cloud Shanty Gang.
At some stage of the journey, every proper expedition involves mud. Timing being critical, preferably the muddiness doesn’t present itself first thing after breakfast, and this was duly averted by a morning Zodiac cruise past Pim Island in search of icebergs and walruses. As National Geographic Endurance cruised slowly deeper into Alexandra Fiord, the ice and walruses grew even thicker, and when we arrived at a former Royal Canadian Mounted Police post (occupied briefly for a decade in the mid-1900’s) we were excited to get onshore and see what else was waiting to be discovered. A spongy tundra covered in the last breaths of cotton-grass and hidden pools cloaked in hoarfrost greeted us, and for over two hours we wandered through the beautiful silence of an Arctic autumn. And then, at last, came the mud. Eastern Canadian tides can be legendary, and we watched as the beach we’d landed on grew steadily larger, grounding large icebergs and draining tidepools beneath our feet. With patience and persistence, we found enough stable footing to make it back into the Zodiacs and deep enough channels to get the boats out, but at one point it looked like some of us might be walking across the tidal flat to the ship! Fortunately, good timing and careful driving got everyone off the shore and back in time for dinner. What’s an expedition without adventure?
This morning, we set foot on South Plaza Islet, a tiny but full of life satellite rock located on the east side of Santa Cruz Island. This place has a large population of yellow land iguanas, a large colony of sea lions, and many other species to observe such as lava lizards, Swallow-tailed gulls, mockingbirds, and a variety of finches. As we walked through the cliffs, we could observe a few red-billed tropic birds and frigatebirds flying. The afternoon offered the first snorkeling of the expedition in the crystal-clear waters of Santa Fe Island. Snorkeling with sea lions can be one of the best experiences our guests can experience in the Galapagos, and today was spectacular. Sea lions were very playful and colorful fish were abundant. Later in the afternoon, we landed at one of the beaches in the bay to go looking for a different species of iguana, the pale land iguana. It was such a treat to find not one or two, but four of them together in the same place. Definitely a great afternoon as well!