Whether you’re spotting whales in Iceland, searching for bears in Alaska or on the look out for dolphins in Mexico, some of the best wildlife encounters can be found on cruises. Excursions are led by specialist guides who will ensure you can see the world’s magnificent beasts safely and without causing harm. Here are seven of the most spectacular cruises for nature lovers.

This article contains affiliate links that will earn us revenue

1. Spot whales with experts in Iceland

The nutrient-rich waters of Iceland, especially around the remote Westfjords, are some of the best places for whale and orca sightings in summer. On this cruise from Dover on Saga’s Spirit of Discovery, a team from the conservation charity Orca will be surveying the water from the top deck and passengers are invited to help them identify different whales and log sightings for scientific research. You’ll sail from Dover and visit Orkney before circumnavigating Iceland, exploring glaciers, volcanoes, fjords and Viking history, calling at Shetland on the return journey.
Details Fourteen nights’ all-inclusive from £6,385pp, including chauffeured car to and from the port, crew tips, excursions and travel insurance, departing on June 29, 2026 (travel.saga.co.uk)

• 12 of the best northern lights cruises for 2025

2. Learn about giant tortoises in the Galapagos

A giant tortoise on Santa Cruz, one of the islands in the Galapagos

GETTY

The Galapagos doesn’t have to cost a fortune; the wildlife will be spectacular, whether you’re on a five-star expedition ship or a more homely yacht such as G Adventures’ Eden, which carries 16. This five-night sailing includes two chances to see giant tortoises. There’s a trip to the misty highlands of Santa Cruz Island, where these gentle creatures, some of them more than 100 years old, graze in the wild. You’ll also visit the Giant Tortoise Breeding Centre on Isabela Island, established in the 1950s when the animals were threatened by extinction. In addition, there will be iguanas galore, sea lions, flamingos, penguins, boobies and sea turtles; a nature lover’s dream, in other words.
Details Seven nights — two B&B in Quito and five full board on Eden — from £3,499pp, including domestic flights and all activities, departing on April 20, 2026 (gadventures.com). Fly to Quito

3. Search for bears in Alaska

A black bear in Ketchikan, Alaska

ALAMY

There’s nothing like the thrill of spotting bears foraging in the wild. This cruise from Seattle to Alaska on Cunard’s elegant, 2,081-passenger Queen Elizabeth takes you to some of the best places to encounter these majestic animals. The forests around Ketchikan are full of rushing streams and where there are salmon forcing their way upstream to breed, bears will be feasting. From Juneau, you can hike, kayak or take a shore-hugging boat trip with a naturalist, who knows where bears are likely to be seen. In Sitka, visit the Fortress of the Bear, which rears orphaned cubs. Back on board, wrap up warm on deck with a hot chocolate, binoculars at hand, and scan the shoreline for bears foraging on log-strewn beaches at the forest’s edge as you glide through the Inside Passage.
Details Nine nights’ full board from £819pp, departing on June 2, 2026 (cunard.com). Fly to Seattle

4. Glimpse penguins in Antarctica

Gentoo penguins dive from an iceberg at Cuverville Island in Antarctica

ALAMY

December is a wonderful time to visit Antarctica as the first penguin chicks, enchanting little balls of fluff, are hatching. On this 11-night expedition on HX’s 490-passenger Fridtjof Nansen, which is hybrid powered, you’ll sail from Ushuaia at the tip of South America and cross the Drake Passage to the White Continent. Expect to see gentoo, adélie and chinstrap penguins and if you’re lucky, jaunty macaroni penguins, distinguished by their yellow crests, in the South Shetland Islands. There will be plenty of whales at this time of year too, as well as Weddell and fur seals and enormous elephant seals. On board, there are three restaurants, a science centre, infinity pool and a massive sauna with floor-to-ceiling windows.
Details Eleven nights — one B&B in a Buenos Aires hotel and ten all-inclusive on board — from £9,694pp, including flights from Ushuaia, activities, expedition gear and crew tips, departing on December 9, 2025 (travelhx.com). Fly to Buenos Aires

• 10 of the best luxury cruises to Antarctica

5. See polar bears in Svalbard

A polar bear mother with her cub beside her, on Spitsbergen in Svalbard

ALAMY

A polar bear sighting is the ultimate goal for visitors to Norway’s frozen northern archipelago, a landscape of jagged black mountains, tundra and vast glaciers. There are no guarantees but the chances are good; there are about 300 resident bears in Svalbard itself and ten times that number roaming the ice floes of the Barents Sea. They’re protected here, so no longer hunted, and you could see them on the ice, swimming, feeding or tending their cubs. Sail on the swish new Ultramarine, which is operated by Quark Expeditions and carries 199, as well as a crack expedition team who will lead hikes and forays on Zodiacs to search for wildlife.
Details Ten nights — two nights’ B&B in Helsinki and eight full board on the ship — from £6,730pp, including international and domestic flights, expedition jacket, drinks with meals and all activities, departing on June 6, 2026 (mundyadventures.co.uk)

6. Watch elephants from the water in Botswana

An African elephant drinking from a water hole at Chobe National Park in Botswana

GETTY

Botswana’s Chobe National Park is one of the best places in the world to observe elephants in the wild as they come down to the banks of the Chobe River, a tributary of the Zambezi, with their calves at sunset to splash around in the water and drink. CroisiEurope offers a land and cruise safari, departing from Johannesburg, staying at its Cascades Safari Lodge on a private island in the Zambezi, with forays by small boat along the Chobe River, and a cruise on Lake Kariba on the 16-passenger RV Zimbabwean Dream, looking out for hippos. There’s a safari in Zimbabwe’s Matusadona National Park too, where you could spot lions. The adventure ends with a night at Victoria Falls to marvel at the “smoke that thunders”.
Details Ten nights’ all-inclusive from £6,870pp, including flights, one night each in Johannesburg and Victoria Falls, four in the lodge and four on board, and safari activities, departing on January 18, 2026 (croisieurope.co.uk)

• Read our full guide to cruise holidays

7. Dolphin-spotting in the Sea of Cortez

A pod of common dolphins in the Sea of Cortez

ALAMY

The Sea of Cortez, sandwiched between Baja California and the west coast of Mexico, is a paradise for nature lovers; Jacques Cousteau dubbed it “the world’s aquarium”. You could see grey, pilot and maybe blue whales, as well as mobula rays, pelicans and blue and brown-footed boobies. But what’s arguably the biggest thrill is the sheer variety of dolphins; some 21 species of dolphin and porpoise have been recorded here and it’s not uncommon to see a “superpod” — literally hundreds of dolphins, of mixed species, completely surrounding the ship, often so close that you can hear (and smell) them. Join the search on Uncruise’s Whales and Sealife itinerary, sailing round-trip from La Paz on the 66-passenger Safari Voyager.
Details Seven nights’ all-inclusive from £5,185pp, including snorkel gear and all activities, departing on various dates in 2026 (uncruise.com). Fly to Los Cabos