HX Expeditions has unveiled its 2028\/29 season, introducing 26 new voyages across 14 destinations as the expedition cruise line expands into new regions, gateways and itinerary formats.<\/strong><\/p>\n This season marks more than 130 years of expedition heritage for HX, with highlights including a new Falkland Islands gateway to Antarctica and South Georgia, shorter-format sailings in Alaska and Greenland, and the company\u2019s first dedicated Scandinavia program.<\/p>\n The season features 57 unique voyages in total, including five major product innovations, with itineraries ranging from six nights to 25 nights.<\/p>\n \u201cThe voyages may be new, but the expertise behind them is not,\u201d HX Expeditions CEO Gebhard Rainer said.<\/p>\n \u201cAt HX, exploration is about more than reaching remote destinations. It\u2019s about how you experience them: with insight, intention and respect. The 2028\/29 season builds on more than 130 years of expedition heritage, creating fresh ways for guests to connect with the people, wildlife and landscapes that make these places so extraordinary.\u201d<\/p>\n HX Expeditions ANZ sales director, Amber Wilson, told Travel Weekly<\/em> the new program is an chance to pair its expedition heritage with a broader range of product.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing 130 years old is an incredible milestone, and it\u2019s something we\u2019re very proud of. It just means that we have so much experience and expertise in this area,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n HX\u2019s expanded Antarctic offering includes a new 19-day Antarctica & South Georgia voyage aboard MS Roald Amundsen<\/em>, combining two polar destinations into one with HX becoming the first major cruise company in more than a decade to use the Falklands as a gateway to the South Pole.<\/p>\n Another highlight is the In-Depth Antarctica, Falklands & South Georgia voyage departing from Stanley, combining the three destinations in a shorter timeframe.<\/p>\n The new season will mark HX\u2019s first dedicated Scandinavia program, with MS Spitsbergen<\/em> sailing the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Bothnia for the first time.<\/p>\n The 13-day Sweden & Finland: Autumn in the Gulf of Bothnia will explore the UNESCO-listed Kvarken Archipelago and coastal communities across Sweden and Finland.<\/p>\n The program also includes the 10-day Southern Scandinavia: Between Norwegian Fjords and Swedish Isles, connecting Denmark, Sweden and Norway, as well as the 14-day Norway Cape to Cape \u2013 Beyond the Arctic Circle from Lindesnes to the North Cape.<\/p>\n One of the season\u2019s most ambitious new itineraries will see MS Roald Amundsen<\/em> attempt to circumnavigate Baffin Island on a 19-day Into the Northwest Passage \u2013 Circumnavigating Baffin Island expedition.<\/p>\n The voyage attempts a transit of the Fury and Hecla Strait, before continuing through the landscapes of eastern Baffin Island, Foxe Basin and the High Arctic. The itinerary also brings an emphasis on Inuit culture and history, with calls including Qikiqtarjuaq and Kinngait, known as a centre of Inuit art.<\/p>\n Wilson said the season has been deliberately designed to cater to different levels of expedition experience.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are some serious expedition voyages like Antarctica or the new Baffin Island itineraries\u2026which are really the final frontier,\u201d she said. \u201cBut then to introduce new guests to expedition, there are a range of shorter voyages to choose from.\u201d<\/p>\n In Alaska, the expedition line is replacing its previous 10- and 13-day Inside Passage itineraries with new eight-day northbound and southbound sailings between Vancouver and Sitka.<\/p>\n The voyages feature five full days in Southeast Alaska and just one sea day, with the two itineraries sharing no ports in common. This means travellers can combine both into a 15-day Vancouver-to-Vancouver expedition without repeating a destination.<\/p>\n A new 17-day Aleutian Islands itinerary between Vancouver and Whittier will also join the program. The routes have been developed alongside Indigenous communities, with Kake and Elfin Cove joining the itineraries.<\/p>\n Wilson said the shorter formats could provide another way into expedition cruising, allowing advisors to combine an expedition with a longer land-based holiday.<\/p>\n \u201cAustralians love to travel and we love to travel for a really long time. The shorter voyages mean that guests can top and tail with some land components and add a HX Expedition as part of a bigger itinerary,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n HX is also introducing a new eight-day, seven-night Discovering West Greenland \u2013 Icebergs & Communities of Disko Bay itinerary, sailing roundtrip from Nuuk, alongside an 11-day version of Exploring the Garden of Greenland between Reykjavik and Nuuk.<\/p>\n Wilson expects the shorter Greenland itineraries to be particularly well suited to the Australian market.<\/p>\n The line will also offer new charter flights from London to Nuuk, streamlining the journey into Greenland for international travellers.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s such a very popular hub for our market, and we will have charter flights from London straight into Nuuk,\u201d Wilson said.<\/p>\n HX will operate 23 departures to Svalbard in 2028 \u2013 its longest season in the archipelago to date.<\/p>\n The program will run from the Midnight Sun through to September, when darker nights return and create the possibility of Northern Lights sightings.<\/p>\n Nine new Ocean Crossing voyages will give guests the option to spend more time at sea between expedition regions, with onboard lectures, workshops, wildlife watching and opportunities to engage with HX\u2019s expedition teams.<\/p>\n The voyages span the Atlantic and Pacific, with port calls including Bermuda, Cape Verde, Salvador, Recife and Golfito. Ocean crossings can also be combined with expedition voyages to create longer journeys between the Arctic and Antarctica.<\/p>\n Wilson said the new format is designed to make the time spent at sea part of the experience, rather than simply a means of getting between destinations.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is really allowing people to spend time on the ships, really focussing on lectures and education and being in the science centre and really truly spending time with the expedition leaders,\u201d Wilson said.<\/p>\n The 2028\/29 season goes on sale from 15 September 2026, with savings of 5 per cent on cabins or 10 per cent on suites available on select voyages for a limited time.<\/p>\n Eligible HX Explorer loyalty members can receive up to 10 per cent off cabins and 15 per cent off suites when combined with existing loyalty benefits.<\/p>\n![\"Antarctica.](\"https:\/\/travelweekly.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Antarctica-0A8A4197-1024x886.jpg\"\/)
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New routes into Antarctica<\/strong><\/h2>\n
HX heads to Scandinavia<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Baffin Island expedition<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Alaska gets a shorter format<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Greenland\"](\"https:\/\/travelweekly.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Greenland_JFoxton_Lifestyle_2026-163-985x1024.jpg\"\/)
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Greenland in eight days<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Polar](\"https:\/\/travelweekly.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/POLAR-BEAR-IN-ICE.-SVALBARDJPG-1024x675.jpg\"\/)
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Svalbard season extended<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Ocean crossings become a product in their own right<\/strong><\/h2>\n
On sale now<\/strong><\/h2>\n