Hybrid-powered ships, a science center, and penguins at the end of it.
HX is Hurtigruten’s expedition arm, now a line in its own right: hybrid-powered MS Roald Amundsen and MS Fridtjof Nansen, the classic MS Fram and the smaller MS Spitsbergen, each with a science center and an expedition team that lectures, drives the Zodiacs and leads the landings. It suits travelers who want a real expedition at a sensible price: Antarctica from November to March, Svalbard and Greenland in the Arctic summer, plus Alaska, the Northwest Passage, the Galápagos and West Africa. SmartCruiser shows every HX sailing with taxes and fees included, puts SmartCruiser picks first, and adds SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit per stateroom on sailings where the line allows it.
Three ways to sail with HX
Pick one and the list below filters to it; the poles are the core, the Galápagos is the warm-water surprise.
Antarctica from Buenos Aires
- Charter flight to Ushuaia or sail the whole way from Buenos Aires; 11 to 18 nights, with the Falklands and South Georgia on the longer voyages
- Zodiac landings, kayaking and citizen-science projects run from the science center
- Hybrid ships that cut emissions by about a fifth and run quietly near the ice
Best for: bucket lists at a fair price, science-minded travelers
Svalbard, Greenland and Iceland
- Circumnavigate Spitsbergen on MS Spitsbergen or MS Fram: polar bears, walrus, glaciers calving into the fjords
- Greenland’s east coast and the Disko Bay icebergs, often paired with Iceland
- June to September under 24-hour daylight
Best for: wildlife, photographers, summer vacations
Galápagos on MS Santa Cruz II
- 90 guests, year-round, 6 to 10 nights from Baltra
- Naturalist guides licensed by the national park, snorkeling with sea lions, Zodiac and glass-bottom boat rides
- Easy to combine with Quito or Machu Picchu
Best for: families, warm-weather expeditions, first expeditions
HX deals: SmartCruiser picks first
Every HX expedition, polar and tropical, priced live with taxes, fees and port expenses included. The picks at the top are sailings where booking with SmartCruiser gets you something extra: instant savings, SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit or a Special SmartCruiser rate. Below them, every other sailing with full sorting by date, length and price.
SmartCruiser picks
Sorted by what you save, biggest firstEvery HX sailing
Stack any filters, then pick a sortPrices are per person, double occupancy, in US dollars, and include cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses as published by the cruise line at the moment you load this page. Fares are capacity controlled and change daily; the fare is confirmed when you book. Flights, hotels and transfers are extra unless the line’s offer says otherwise. SmartCruiser instant savings and bonus onboard credit are provided by SmartCruiser on top of the cruise line’s price and are not available when booking direct; amounts are per stateroom, vary by stateroom category and are shown for the lowest category offered. Special SmartCruiser rates are pricing SmartCruiser holds on that sailing for its clients, with extra onboard credit; you book your own stateroom and travel on your own. Senior fares apply to guests 55 and over; resident fares need proof of residency in a listed state or province at check-in; police and fire fares apply to active or retired police, fire and EMT personnel with ID. Qualifier-fare savings are measured against the best fare the cruise line offers the general public for the same stateroom category on the day the list was pulled, updated weekly.
Where HX sails
Pick a region and the list above filters to it.
Lines you may also like
HX is the value expedition; these lines go to the same ice with smaller ships, bigger budgets or both.
When to go
The fleet follows the summer: Antarctica in the northern winter, the Arctic in the northern summer, the Galápagos all year.
HX questions we answer every day
What is included on an HX expedition?
Your expedition jacket to keep, boots to borrow, every landing and Zodiac cruise, the lectures and the science center, and wine, beer and soft drinks with lunch and dinner. Kayaking, hikes and other activities are included on many departures and sign-up extras on others, so we check the one you pick. Flights to the ship are extra unless the fare says they are included.
How bad is the Drake Passage, and can I skip it?
Two days each way from Ushuaia, anywhere from flat to rough. MS Roald Amundsen and MS Fridtjof Nansen are big and stabilized for expedition ships, which helps, and the ship’s doctor hands out patches. HX also sells select departures with a charter flight that cuts the sea days; ask us which dates.
How big are the ships and the cabins?
MS Roald Amundsen and MS Fridtjof Nansen carry about 500 guests, more than most expedition ships, which buys you three restaurants, a sauna with a view and an infinity pool, but Antarctica allows only 100 people ashore at a time, so landings rotate in groups. MS Fram (about 200) and MS Spitsbergen (about 180) are the intimate options with more time on the ice per guest. Nearly all cabins are outside and about half on the hybrid ships have balconies.
Are flights and fly-cruise packages available?
On most Antarctica departures HX includes or packages the charter flight between Buenos Aires and Ushuaia, and on many it sells fares with flights from the US. In the Arctic you fly to Longyearbyen via Oslo, or to Reykjavik and Greenland on charters the line arranges. We price the package against booking your own air so you can choose.
Do I need a passport or visa?
A passport valid six months beyond your trip. US citizens need no visa for Argentina, Chile, Norway, Iceland, Greenland or Ecuador; the Galápagos adds a transit card and park fee paid on arrival unless your fare includes them. Antarctica itself has no border control; your ship holds the permit.
Are taxes and fees included in the prices here?
Yes. Every price on this page includes the expedition fare, taxes, fees and port expenses. Flights, hotels, gratuities and optional activities are extra unless the fare you choose says otherwise.
Talk to an HX specialist
Tell us which pole and which month, and we match the ship, the cabin and the flights, with the kayaking and landings sorted out before you pay. Monday to Thursday 9 to 6, Friday 9 to 5, Saturday 10 to 6 ET.