HISTORY BUFFS

Aurora Expedition’s incredible 15-day Across the Arctic Circle journey starts in Aberdeen and then travels northwards as far as Svalbard. As well as the nature that you’d expect on an Arctic cruise, this packs in plenty of history, bringing in the prehistoric settlements of the Scottish islands to the Vikings, and fishing traditions of the Norwegian fjords. The ship is the Greg Mortimer, a 2019 purpose-built, 79-cabin expedition ship. It’ll likely be a comfy ride — this was the first passenger ship to be built with the Ulstein X-Bow, essentially a reshaped hull that hits waves at a different angle, making for a much smoother crossing.

The first stop on the cruise is the Orkney Islands, where you can hike and birdwatch on Fair Isle, before continuing to the Shetlands and their incredibly preserved ‘brochs’, Iron Age fortifications. On-board naturalists will transform your at-sea day en route to Norway with their birdwatching help, before you glide up the Norwegian coast, zipping into inlets that only a small boat like this can get into, stopping off at the Lofoten islands, and spotting blue whales, humpbacks and orca in the ocean as you head towards Svalbard. You fly back from Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen.

Aurora Expeditions offers 15 days Across the Arctic Circle from £8,771.25 per person, including all shore excursions and Zodiac cruises, airport transfers from Aberdeen and to Longyearbyen, one night’s hotel stay in Aberdeen, and all meals. Excludes flights, optional excursions and activity surcharges, and airport arrival and departure taxes. Departs 16 May 2023. auroraexpeditions.co.uk

This journey is a full-on immersion into Bahamian history, culture and nature, slotting in unforgettable experiences such as kayaking through mangrove forests and snorkelling over multi-coloured reefs. Discover the Bahamas’ archipelago of 700 islands: instead of being limited to the 30 or so that are inhabited, on an expedition cruise, you can get truly wild. Not least because your ship, the National Geographic Sea Lion, has been specifically designed to navigate the narrowest of inlets and wildlife spots that larger boats can’t get close to.

From Miami, you’ll fly to Great Exuma to board the ship. Highlights include visiting the fishing communities of former pirate hangout Acklins Island, the easternmost island of Mayaguana, and Eleuthera, home to a unique Island School, which teaches conservation. This is an intimate trip — the Sea Lion only has 31 cabins.

National Geographic Exhibitions offers the eight-day A Voyage to the Bahamas’ Out Islands from £4,500 per person, including arrival and departure transfers (if booked on recommended flights), meals, excursions and activities detailed in the itinerary. Excludes flights. Departs 29 December 2022, or February, March or December 2023. nationalgeographic.com/expeditions

G Adventures saw a gap in the busy Galápagos market for a vessel that was more upmarket than others, but catered to solo travellers, too. Enter the Reina Silvia Voyager, which debuted in April. Two of its nine cabins are singles: they’re in prime upper deck positions with a balcony for each. It’s a small, nimble craft but the onboard kayaks and Zodiacs mean that you can get even closer to the wildlife once you hop off.

On the eight-day Central and Eastern Islands itinerary, you’ll take in some Galápagos classics — the sea lions on San Cristóbal, iguanas on Santa Fé and red-footed boobies at Genovesa’s Darwin Bay. There are guided walks aplenty, whether that’s through wildlife colonies or to dramatic volcanic formations, and you’ll also get lots of free time for swimming or snorkelling, or simply watching the sunset from your balcony or the top deck of the boat.

G Adventures offers an eight-day Galápagos — Central and East Islands cruise on the Reina Silvia Voyager from £3,289, including all meals, landings and excursions, a certified Galápagos National Park Service guide, and use of wetsuits and snorkelling equipment. Excludes flights. Departs 12, 26 August 2022, with further departures in 2022 and 2023. gadventures.com

Edwina Lonsdale, from Mundy Adventures, tips Raja Ampat in Indonesia as an adventure cruise destination that’s set to boom. Here’s a fascinating way to explore it — New Scientist’s 13-day, intriguingly named, In the Wake of Alfred Wallace: Cruise Indonesia trip.

Wallace was a renowned naturalist — you may know him as the guy who ‘discovered’ the theory of evolution through natural selection, had Charles Darwin not stolen his thunder. He spent eight years studying in the Malay Archipelago, and this trip will follow in his footsteps, sailing through Raja Ampat and Indonesia’s Spice Islands in the company of no fewer than three specialists, including entomologist and evolutionary biologist Dr George Beccaloni.

The ship is the 22-berth Ombak Putih, a traditional small pinisi boat. Though it’s not as fancy as the state-of-the-art ships that bigger players are launching, its dinky size means it can access bays they can’t, plus it’s a sailing boat, to minimise environmental impact.

Your journey will take you to places where Wallace made significant discoveries — and you’ll make your own as you meet the resident wildlife, from giant fruit bats flying overhead to exotically plumed birds of paradise giving it their all in courtship displays, plus enormous golden birdwing butterflies, which Wallace thought the world’s most beautiful. Activities include snorkelling in this underwater paradise. You’ll also get the chance to sleep on deck under the stars.

New Scientist Discovery Tours offer the 13-day In the Wake of Alfred Wallace: Cruise Indonesia tour from £10,580 per person, including all meals, activities and excursions, one night’s hotel accommodation on day one, and transfers. Excludes international flights. Departs 22 January 2024. newscientist.com/tours