From novice birders to expert ornithologists, HX expeditions are a birder's paradise! In addition to offering mindful adventures with minimal environmental impact, all HX voyages feature:

Alaska

McKay's Bunting | Plectrophenax hyperboreus

One of the world’s rarest birds, McKay’s Bunting is on every birder’s checklist, breeding mostly on St. Matthew Island and Hall Island, remote outposts in the Bering Sea. The best and easiest way to see McKay's Bunting short of chartering your own ship is to sail with HX to the Aleutians. You'll likely spot auklets, murres, puffins, ptarmigans, eagles, and other Alaskan birds.

Antarctica

Wandering Albatross | Diomedea exulans

With the longest wingspan of any living bird at over 11 feet, the Snowy Albatross is on every serious and not-so-serious birder’s list. Antarctica is home to 73 species of birds, including albatrosses, shearwaters, petrels, cormorants, skuas, gulls, terns, and of course, penguins. The best time to see chicks? Late January through the end of February.

Galápagos Islands

Galápagos Penguin | Spheniscus mendiculus

The Galapagos Penguin, found mostly on Fernandina and Isabela Islands, is one of several species of sea birds in the Galápagos archipelago, along with Blue-footed Boobies, Red-footed Boobies, Nazca Boobies, Frigatebirds, flamingos, and cormorants. For land birds, your spotting list includes the mockingbird, short-eared owl, Galapagos hawk, Galapagos dove, and 17 species of Darwin's finches.

Greenland

Snow Bunting | Plectrophenax nivalis

Greenland is home to about 252 different species of birds, only 30 of which live there all year. The snow bunting breeds in high Arctic, lining their nests with fur and feathers which warm the deep cracks and rock cavities where they incubate their eggs. Because the female can't leave the nest very often, the male brings her food almost every 15 minutes. In addition to snow buntings, you'll likely see black guillemots, northern fulmars, sea eagles, auks, puffins, and terns.

Iceland

Atlantic Puffin | Fratercula arctica

Over 2,000,000 pairs of Atlantic Puffins reside in Iceland, making it a near-certain sighting in this northern European nation. Visitors will find millions of them nesting in the Látrabjarg cliffs in the Westfjords, as well as in the Westman Islands. Avid birders can also search for more than 421 different species in Iceland, including the Arctic tern, Tufted Duck, Common Eider and Whooper Swan.

Svalbard

Red Phalarope | Phalaropus fulicarius

You'll be lucky to spot one of a few ocean-going shore birds, the Red Phalaropes. In terms of ocean mammals, keep an eye out for beluga and minke whales. You'll likely see puffins, northern fulmars, kittiwakes, terns, and other auks, too!