What It's Like To Sail To Antarctica On The HX Nansen

Forbes

26-03-2025

The HX Nansen holds 490 passengers and is considered the most sustainable ship in the HX fleet.
HX Expeditions
Travel to Antarctica has exploded in recent years, and it's not hard to understand why. The White Continent offers tremendous wildlife viewing, extreme environmental beauty, and a fascinating history, full of discovery and adventure.
Sailing to Antarctica is the most common form of arrival and exploration, and where the travel industry has experienced the most growth in the last few decades. There are now myriad options of ships and itineraries to choose from, with a range of boat sizes, accommodation styles, and agendas.
One of the largest and most experienced companies operating in the polar regions is HX, formerly known as Hurtigruten. In fact, its operations began all the way back in 1893 as a shuttle service along the Norwegian coast, and it launched its first adventure cruise a few years later in 1896.
Its Antarctic operations kicked off in 2002, and today it operates two hybrid, battery-powered vessels down south, including the MS Fridtjof Nansen, considered to be the most sustainable cruise ship in its fleet.
Let's take a look through the ship and its offerings to get a sense of whether it's the right vessel for you.
The HX Nansen takes a scientific approach to exploring Antarctica, launching daily excursions with zodiacs and offering a series of scientific lectures on board.
HX Expeditions
When planning an adventure to Antarctica, ship selection is key. It will be your home for the long journey through icy waters—usually 1 to 2 weeks—and the jumping off point for exploration and adventure. Finding a ship that's the right size, offers the correct creature comforts, and provides the opportunities you want is not only the first step of planning, it's by far the most important.
In Antarctica, ships with a carrying capacity of less than 500 passengers can make landings on the White Continent (bigger ships are 'cruise only' and are not allowed to disembark their passengers). The HX Nansen has a capacity of 490 passengers, making it one of the biggest ships that can make landfall.
This large size means you won't necessarily get to know everyone on the ship—as you might, say, on a ship with less than 100 passengers—but larger ships do offer some noticeable perks, mostly in the way of creature comforts. For the Nansen, those perks include elite sailing stability (much appreciated when crossing the infamous Drake Passage) and on-board services, like a gym, spa, multiple restaurants, observation decks, program size, and a large staff.
Larger ships break passengers up into groups for daily adventures, which allows the ship to live a little smaller. The Nansen, for example, will assign you to a group that you will remain in for the length of the trip. Each daily excursion will be undertaken with your group, allowing you the opportunity to get to know some fellow passengers a little better, if you feel so inclined.
The HX Nansen offers a large sauna with a view, a relaxing option after a day out exploring the White Continent.
HX Expeditions
Someone asked me recently how cruising to Antarctica was different than, say, a Caribbean cruise. Was the vessel setup the same? Was the crowd similar?
In terms of the itinerary and crowd, an Antarctic cruise is more like an Alaskan cruise. The people on board are there to penetrate deep into the natural world and to learn as much as they can about it; the focus is more on traveling and experiencing the destination than it is on vacationing. For example, you won't find any themed bars, casinos, late-night discos, performative shows, or pool-side entertainment aboard the Nansen, as you might on a Caribbean cruise.
Instead, you'll get scientific lectures and zodiac-fueled excursions filling up the activity calendar, and the nightly entertainment is simply a piano player in the Explorer Lounge, where folks spread out in comfy chairs and watch the world go by through floor to ceiling windows. The biggest party night on the Nansen is the last night, when some members of the staff put together a makeshift band and play a few sing-along songs. Otherwise, the vibe is serene.
The back deck of the Nansen offers two small hot tubs, which aid in recovery after a day out and about amongst the ice and cold. My favorite amenity was the large sauna, beloved for its huge windows that look out the side of the ship. It's a nice chance to sweat it out and relax your body while watching the icebergs float past.
Life on board the HX Nansen is pretty simple in this way: Lectures, zodiac cruises, and landings by day, perhaps a sauna session in the afternoon, followed by a relaxing dinner at night, maybe a nightcap before bed as you sail past the Antarctic coast.
For food, there are three restaurants on board. One is an international buffet, one is an American-style eatery serving specialty burgers and sandwiches, and one is finer dining. Accommodation options include a variety of suites and cabins. For that, I have one important recommendation, which can be found below in the Tips section.
Daily excursions on the HX Nansen are undertaken in small zodiacs that zip around on scenic safaris as well as landings.
HX Expeditions
Though the HX Nansen is a highly modern vessel (see below), there are throwbacks in its approach to the old way of travel to Antarctica. No, we weren't in a wooden ship, but there is a strong similarity between the agenda of the Nansen and the explorer ships of old: a focus on scientific discovery.
When reading about explorers like Ernest Shackleton and James Clark Ross in the early 20th century, who were discovering and mapping Antarctica, the narrative sometimes gets tightened around them, and focuses only on them. But, as some research will reveal, they were surrounded by experts in a variety of fields, including biology, geology, and natural science. The discovery of new lands did not just include finding and arriving; it also included the collection of data and specimens from these foreign lands.
Captains and seamen alike reaped the benefits of having these scientists on board with them.
"Such a voyage shows nature in her most attractive form, and always there was a man close by whose special knowledge was in the whales, porpoises, dolphins, fish, birds, parasites, plankton, radium and other things which we watched through microscopes or field glasses," writes Apsley Cherry-Garrard in 'The Worst Journey in the World.'
Every man on board assisted with data and specimen collection and preservation. Such was the mentality of those discovery days.
"From first to last the study of life of all kinds was of absorbing interest to all on board, and when we landed in the Antarctic, as well as on the ship, everybody worked and was genuinely interested in all that lived and had its being on the fringe of that great sterile continent," writes Cherry-Garrard.
This old-world culture is instilled into the programming on the Nansen. First, they have a large expedition team featuring experts in a wide line of studies, including history, wildlife, climate, and geology. These experts narrate the daily zodiac and land-based activities offered each day, and also give focused lectures that help bring the ice-covered landscape around you to life.
Guests are encouraged to take an interest in these fields of study via the lectures, and also through daily science boat excursions and lab breakout sessions that allow guests to participate in the collection of scientific data. There is a large science center on board where collected specimens can be observed, and books and maps can be perused or checked out.
The HX Nansen brings along 'guest scientists' who are working on a specific project. For example, my passage included a team of scientists who were using drone technology to study the size and populations of humpback whales. HX provides these scientists free passage on the vessel (it is extremely difficult for scientists to get funding to go to Antarctica) and, in exchange, the scientists offer a lecture to guests about the research they are conducting.
HX has also created a course that folks can take prior to the cruise to become educated about Antarctica.
In addition to lectures, zodiac cruises, and landings, there are also opportunities for snowshoeing, kayaking, and camping during the trip. These activities require an extra fee and can only be signed up for once on board. Some activities, like camping and snowshoeing, are only offered once per voyage and are subject to a lottery. Kayaking occurs twice daily, weather permitting.
The Expedition Suites on the HX Nansen offer sitting areas and balconies.
HX Expeditions
The HX Nansen is considered to be the most sustainable ship in the HX fleet. It is a hybrid powered vessel (you'll see that advertised right on the side of the vessel in the photos), run by a combination of clean fuel and electricity.
Previously, HX produced the world's first battery hybrid-powered cruise ship, the MS Roald Amundsen, the Nansen's sister ship.
HX stopped using heavy fuel oil in 2009 and single-use plastics in 2018. Its company policy is to focus on reducing emissions rather than paying to offset its carbon footprint, a key design-focus of the Nansen.
The company's efforts were rewarded with one of the best ESG rankings (environmental, social, and governance) amongst global cruise companies in 2023.
If you're headed to Antarctica on the HX Nansen, or any ship, here are some tips for your adventure.
Five things to bring and 5 things not to bring. I recently wrote a piece recommending 5 things you should bring along with you to Antarctica, and 5 things you should leave at home. You won't want to forget things like binoculars and ski goggles.
Get a balcony. This is my recommendation for any cruise, because it provides you that much-needed private outdoor space, but it is especially true in Antarctica. You might think, why upgrade? It will be too cold to sit outside. True. But you'll definitely want the option to pop outside at a moment's notice, when the scenery is constantly changing and there's always the opportunity to view wildlife.
Familiarize yourself with the most important moments of Antarctica's history. Take it from me: 'Discovered by the West not much more than 200 years ago, Antarctica's history is unique when compared to the six other continents—because its exploration, mapping, and 'settlement' are all so relatively recent, we have incredibly detailed accounts of its earliest moments of human history via personal journals, media coverage, and even photographic documentation.' Read up on the most important moments in Antarctica's history before you set sail.
Read Books Before, During, and After. Again, so much of your experience in Antarctica will come from connecting with the continents past visitors. Check out a few of these wonderful books to add context to your trip. I recommend reading at least one or two beforehand, and you may want to bring one on your trip.