Swan Hellenic today announced the world-renowned expert lecturers and guides that are accompanying its 2025 Arctic Cultural Expedition Cruises. At the same time, the company also confirmed booking is now available for all 40 of its 2025-2026 Arctic Voyages, sailing six thoughtfully-curated itineraries aboard the 5-star boutique ice-class ships SH Vega and SH Diana.
The four core itineraries are the 7-night roundtrip cruise Exploring Svalbard 2025-26, from Longyearbyen, Norway, the world’s northernmost settlement; the 10-night Iceland to Greenland Roundtrip Cruise 2025 from Reykjavik, Iceland; the 10-night Roundtrip Cruise to the Edge of the Arctic 2025-26 from Tromsø, Norway; and the 10-night Cruise from Iceland to Greenland 2025, sailing Reykjavik to Kangerlussuaq.
Complementing these are two longer cruises offering exceptional opportunities to experience the amazing Northern Lights from pristine arctic wilderness locations and the sea: the 16-night Greenland and Northern Lights Roundtrip Cruise from Kangerlussuaq, and 15-night Canadian Arctic and Northern Lights Cruise from Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, to Halifax, Canada.
Transforming these once-in-a-lifetime experiences, guests will be accompanied by world authorities in their fields, who will give lectures, lead expeditions and take part in the social life on board. The experts just announced for 2025 are, in order of departure:
Uli Reyer: A Ph.D. biologist and former professor at the University of Zurich, Uli is a specialist in animal behavior and Alpine birds. A seasoned Arctic lecturer, he blends science and myth-busting with adventure, bringing the polar world to life in German and English.
Uli will be accompanying guests on the 20 and 27 June 2025 sailings of Exploring Svalbard.
Urs H. Fischer: A glaciologist fascinated by ice, Urs has spent decades studying glacier dynamics across the Arctic, Himalayas and Alps. A passionate adventurer, he brings deep scientific insight into the frozen landscapes shaping our planet.
Urs will be accompanying guests on the 9-night Cruise from Svalbard to Norway from Longyearbyen, Svalbard, to Tromsø, Norway, departing on 22 June 2025, and two sailings of the 10-night Roundtrip Cruise to the Edge of the Arctic from Tromsø, Norway, departing on 1July 2025 and 11 July 2025.
Aleqa Hammond: Aleqa, Greenland’s first female Prime Minister, is a passionate advocate for Arctic culture, politics and the environment. Fluent in six languages, she shares deep insights into Greenland’s past, present and future with warmth and wisdom.
Aleqa will be accompanying guests on the 31 July 2025 sailing of Iceland to Greenland Roundtrip Cruise.
Arielle Montgomery: A Stanford-educated engineer turned Greenland advocate, Arielle (AKA ‘Icebergchick’) captures the Arctic’s beauty through photography. Passionate about Kalaallit culture and climate awareness, she inspires change through storytelling.
Arielle will be accompanying guests on the 10 August 2025 sailing of Iceland to Greenland Roundtrip Cruise from Reykjavik, and the 20 August 2025 sailing of Greenland in Depth from Reykjavik, Iceland, to Kangerlussuaq, Greenland.
Antony Jinman: A polar explorer, educator and entrepreneur, Antony is the 12th Briton to have skied to both the North and South Poles, the latter solo. He shares his adventures to inspire and educate on conservation, exploration and climate change.
Antony will be accompanying guests on the 16-night roundtrip Canadian Northwest Passage & Northern Lights, departing Kangerlussuaq, Greenland on the 30 August 2025.
Gabrielle Slowey: A political scientist and Fulbright Arctic Chair, Gabrielle researches Indigenous governance, resource politics and reconciliation. With decades of community-driven work, she brings deep insight into Arctic policy and self-determination.
Gabrielle will be accompanying guests on the 16-night roundtrip Canadian Northwest Passage & Northern Lights, departing Kangerlussuaq on 30 August 2025, and the 15-night Canadian Arctic and Northern Lights, departing Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, for Halifax, Canada, on 15 September 2025.
“We’re delighted to announce the experts accompanying our 2025 Arctic Cultural Expedition Cruises,” says Swan Hellenic Chief Commercial Officer Patrizia Iantorno. “They’re all world authorities who are incredibly approachable and passionate about their fields. So they’ll bring transformative depth of knowledge and personal experience to our guests’ voyages seeing what others don’t.”
The experts who will be accompanying guests and working alongside the expedition teams on Swan Hellenic’s 2026 Arctic sailings are in the process of being finalized.
All Swan Hellenic cruises are fully inclusive and feature gourmet cuisine, specialist talks and hands-on, expert-led expeditions.
Complete information is available on the Swan Hellenic Website and a full-color brochure of all Swan Hellenic’s 2025-2026 Arctic Voyages can be downloaded here.
