From the Arctic to the Andes: Explora introduces 2027 expedition season, including the first winter | News
Explora, named the world’s leading expedition company by the World Travel Awards for six consecutive years, today introduced its 2027 collection of expeditions, led by the debut of its first winter route in Iceland – a route not offered by any other full-service operator and unique in the market. Stretching from the Arctic to the high Andes and the far south of Patagonia, the season brings together four point-to-point voyages: the new Iceland Winter Expedition as a counterpart to Explora’s established summer expedition of the country, the Sacred Mountains Expedition in Peru and the Tierra del Fuego Expedition in Chile, each with select sailings through 2027.
Built for travelers drawn to the places that anchor a lifetime of exploration, Explora’s Expeditions travel in a small group of no more than eight, led by the company’s expert guides, into an area that is difficult to reach on your own. Together they open authentic access to some of the most remote landscapes on earth, from a winter ice walk on Europe’s largest glacier to the ancient Inca trails above the Sacred Valley and the fjords at the end of the world, with overnight stays in lodges, camps and historic hotels along the way.
“Travel is, at its best, a form of mindfulness, and the places that change you are usually the hardest to reach,” says Sebastián Correa, VP Expeditions & Explorations, Explora. “That belief is reflected in all these expeditions, from the winter glaciers of Iceland, the newest of the four, to the high passes of the Andes and the fjords at the southern end of Patagonia. On all our trips, the idea is the same: go slowly, in a small group, until a landscape stops being a landscape and starts to feel alive. What we’re really looking for is that shift, from looking at a place to caring about what becomes of it.”
Winter expedition Iceland
Explora’s first winter route in Iceland encounters the island at its most dramatic season, spanning four regions over seven days and guiding a small group through volcanic landscapes, glacial fields and winter coastlines. While exploring Iceland’s nature in winter may seem only suitable for experienced adventurers, Explora is designed to make the season accessible, with expert guides and specially equipped vehicles opening up the country in the quieter, less busy months. The route favors places where few travelers reach the busiest stops, leaving room to visit places without the high season crowds.
The journey begins and ends in Reykjavík and follows the natural wonders of Iceland, from the tectonic rift in Þingvellir National Park, where the world’s first parliament once met, and the waterfalls and geysers of the Golden Circle, to the black-sand beaches of the south coast and the iceberg-filled lagoon of Jökulsárlón. The core of the experience is a guided ice walk on Vatnajökull, Europe’s largest glacier, exploring the blue ice and crevasses on foot with crampons and ice axes – an accessible introduction to the glacier that requires no prior experience. Additional highlights include a snowmobile ride under the Eyjafjallajökull volcano, a morning at the interactive Lava Center, and a geothermal dip in the Sky Lagoon as the chill settles over the coast. Timed around Iceland’s changing winter lights, when days are short and nights are long, there’s a good chance of seeing the Northern Lights with every departure.
Travelers travel in specially adapted 4×4 vehicles and stay in a number of exceptional accommodations, including Reykjavík’s landmark Hotel Borg, the family-run farm of Hotel Skálakot and the glacier-view Hotel Jökulsárlón. The inaugural departure is scheduled for December 5-11, 2026; February 22–28, 2027; and March 3-9, 2027.
Summer expedition Iceland
While the winter route turns towards the coast and the cold, Explora’s summer expedition, first offered in 2025, heads inland and spends eight days in the long light of northern summer. The expedition reaches some of the least visited areas of the highlands, far away from Iceland’s most visited sights. The route starts and ends in Reykjavík and includes the Þórsmörk Valley, the banded rhyolite mountains and geothermal fields of Landmannalaugar, the southern Fjallabak highlands, Vatnajökull and remote Lake Langisjór. The journey includes walks and overland drives through stark, volcanic land with glaciers, canyons, waterfalls and ice-blue lagoons, as well as the landscapes around Eyjafjallajökull, which shares a magma system with neighboring Katla.
The nights will be spent in small boutique hotels, rural guesthouses and hotels in Reykjavík, with departures in 2027 on June 18 and 25; June 28 – July 5; July 9–16; July 19–26; August 7–14; August 17–24; and September 4–11, 2027.
Expedition of the Sacred Mountains
The Sacred Mountains Expedition was created for experienced trekkers looking for a trail to Machu Picchu that few ever travel. It is a nine-day journey through the Sacred Valley of the Incas in Peru. Instead of the classic Inca Trail, the route follows one of the lesser known paths and reaches Machu Picchu via ways that few trekkers ever see. Starting and ending at Explora’s award-winning Valle Sagrado lodge, the route begins with acclimatization walks to the archaeological site of Machu Kolka above Chinchero, along the ancient Qhapaq Ñan road to the ruins of Wata, and on ancient shepherd trails between Lamay and Pisac. It then becomes nomadic and camp-supported, climbing to the Misquiyaco Private Conservation Area through cloud forest and above treeline before penetrating deep into the Vilcabamba range below Apu Salkantay, the snow-capped peak revered as a mountain ranger. After a descent towards the Vilcanota River and a day at Ollantaytambo, with its Temple of the Sun and a traditional pachamanca lunch cooked in the earth, travelers board the Vistadome train to the Inca Trail and climb through the cloud forest via Wiñay Wayna to Inti Punku, the Sun Gate, for a first view of Machu Picchu on foot, as the Inca approached it.
Daily walks range from approximately 3.5 to 15 kilometers (2.2 to 9.3 miles), with elevations of 4,671 meters (15,324 feet). In addition to Explora’s Valle Sagrado lodge, accommodations are arranged at private tented camps and at the Las Qolqas Hotel in Ollantaytambo, with two restorative massages along the way. The 2027 departures are scheduled from May 4 to 12; May 15–23; May 29 – June 6; June 9–17; June 26 – July 4; July 6–14; July 17–25; August 7–15; and August 18-26, 2027.
Expedition Tierra del Fuego
At the southernmost tip of South America, where the continent turns into islands, channels and ice, the seven-day Tierra del Fuego expedition explores the ‘Land of Fire’. Starting in Punta Arenas, it crosses by boat the Strait of Magellan, the passage Ferdinand Magellan made in 1520 to reach the island he named after the large bonfires he saw from the sea, probably made by the indigenous Selk’nam who inhabited the area. The route then continues past Porvenir, the island’s main town, and over open pampas and working estancias to a colony of king penguins, before entering the island’s forests. Walks there lead to Karukinka Park, a private reserve of more than 300,000 hectares (741,000 acres), with overnight stays in huts near Fagnano Lake, organized by the Genkowsky family, one of the last settlers of this remote frontier. Later days we sail through the Patagonian fjords from Caleta María to Parry Fjord and the Almirantazgo Sound, with elephant seals, leopard seals and black-browed albatrosses along the coast, and a full day in the Yendegaia National Park, closed to the public but open to Explora, among the high glacial lagoons.
Suitable for all fitness levels, with options for more active days, the expedition includes stays in family-owned huts and traditional lodges, ending with a small plane flight from Pampa Guanaco back to Punta Arenas. The 2027 departures are scheduled for January 18 and 24; February 8–14; March 1–7; April 3–9; October 26 – November 1; November 4–10; November 13–19; December 20–26, 2027; and December 28, 2027 – January 3, 2028.
All four expeditions travel in small groups of up to eight and take place on selected sailings in 2027, including accommodation, all meals, guided explorations, equipment, return transfers and expert guides. Please get in touch to book or to inquire about private and solo packages [email protected] or +56 2 2395 2800. For more information, visit explora.com.
