When Lindblad Expeditions first set sail more than 50 years ago, travel information was found at the turn of a page rather than the click of a button. For our founder, Sven Lindblad, the key to connecting travelers with the world’s most authentic experiences lay in the pages of National Geographic magazine and its archive of fascinating species and cultures from the far corners of the globe.
For the past two decades, Lindblad Expeditions has partnered with National Geographic to enhance the experiences we offer our guests through the power of our shared purpose. Together, we strive to reveal the beauty and wonder of the world through immersive travel in wild places—to help people see our planet through a new lens and think differently about our role in protecting it.
When you step on board the Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic fleet, you step into the pages of National Geographic magazine—and you access all the resources that stem from our shared legacy in exploration.
Our ships bear the National Geographic name because they are equipped for genuine exploration. Featuring microscopes, hydrophones, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), and other essential tools, these purpose-built expedition vessels sail the high seas with a dual mission: to deepen discovery for our travelers, and to provide a basecamp for the National Geographic Experts who join us on select departures to conduct important research in fields like oceanography and wildlife biology.
National Geographic Experts are photographers, scientists, storytellers, and educators seeking conservation solutions in the most remote parts of our planet—and they go there with Lindblad Expeditions. When you travel alongside these explorers, you see your destination through their eyes. They participate in our Guest Speakers and Visiting Scientist Programs, giving you a firsthand look at their latest findings and, on occasion, inviting you to participate in the scientific process.
Geographer, educator, and author Stephen F. Cunha spent ten years as a national park ranger in Yosemite and Alaska. Now a geography professor at California's Humboldt State University, he studies diverse landscapes around the world. He is the author of National Geographic's Our Fifty States and How to Ace the National Geographic Bee: The Official Study Guide.
Join him aboard the Apr. 16, 2023, departure of Columbia & Snake Rivers Journey.
See BioDr. Ashli Akins is a cultural ecologist, writer, and photographer who is passionate about cultural revitalization and sustainable development. She has experience as a tour guide, a teacher, and Park Naturalist in British Columbia and is currently working with UNESCO on Ecotrust Canada's Indigenous Home-Lands Initiative.
Join her on the May 8, 2023, departure of Treasures of the Inside Passage: Alaska & British Columbia.
Cultural expert and photojournalist Massimo Bassano has worked for National Geographic since 1990, as well as for numerous worldwide publications. He brings with him all the warmth, curiosity, culture, and history that you find in Southern Italy, more specifically from Calabria, where he was born.
Join him on the May 15, 2024, departure of Northern Italy Under Sail: Maritime Heritage and Cultural Treasures aboard Sea Cloud II; the Aug. 14, 2024, departure of Navigating Southern Italy and Coastal Croatia aboard Sea Cloud II; and the Aug. 24, 2024, departure of Coastal Gems of Croatia and Slovenia aboard Sea Cloud II.
Archaeologist and storyteller Bill Saturno is best known for his 2001 discovery of a 2000-year-old Mayan mural at San Bartolo in northern Guatemala. A National Geographic Explorer and a former NASA research scientist, he has conducted fieldwork around the globe, both on the ground and from space, to understand the ideological and environmental foundations of how the great Czars, Khans, Emperors, and Ajaws of the past ruled over their societies.
Join him on the May 23, 2023, departure of Mediterranean Gems: Southern Italy and Sicily aboard Sea Cloud and the Apr. 25, 2024, departure of Isles of Antiquity: Malta, Sardinia, and the Balearic Sea aboard Sea Cloud.
see bioTravel writer Don George is an editor-at-large for National Geographic Traveler magazine, as well as host of the National Geographic Live series of conversations with notable authors. In four decades as a travel writer and editor, he has visited more than 90 countries on five continents. Don has received dozens of writing awards, including the Lowell Thomas Travel Journalist of the Year Award.
Join him aboard the Sep. 16, 2023, departure of Sailing the East China Sea: Japan, Okinawa, and Taiwan.
Australia-based photographer Michaela Skovranova specializes in nature and underwater photography. Her work has focused on capturing environmental stories in extreme environments—from photographing the Great Barrier Reef and capturing the remote wilderness and diverse wildlife of the Kimberley to documenting the annual humpback whale migration in Tonga and exploring the underwater worlds of Antarctica.
Join her on the Oct. 2, 2023, departure of Wonders of the Western Pacific: Orangutans, Sun Bears, and the Coral Triangle.
An ethnographer, writer, photographer and filmmaker, Wade Davis holds degrees in anthropology and biology and received his Ph.D. in ethnobotany, all from Harvard University. He is Professor of Anthropology and the BC Leadership Chair in Cultures and Ecosystems at Risk at the University of British Columbia. He has been described as, “a rare combination of scientist, scholar, poet, and passionate defender of all of life’s diversity.”
Join him on the Oct. 24, 2023, departure of Roots of the Pacific: Exploring New Zealand and Melanesia.
See BioA Volcanologist and National Geographic Explorer, Arianna's Ph.D. focused on Central American volcanoes, including Arenal and Poas in Costa Rica and Pacaya and Fuego in Guatemala. Currently she is a Professor at North Carolina State University. She was the scientific expert for National Geographic Kids book Absolute Expert: Volcanoes and has written for CNN and Scientific American.
Join her on the Nov. 26 and Dec. 1, 2023, departures of Wild Costa Rica Escape: Exploring Guanacaste’s Natural Wonders.
Behind every photograph in National Geographic magazine is an intrepid photographer who has spent decades traveling the globe, capturing the world’s most iconic and impactful images. These National Geographic Photography Experts join select expeditions in captivating places from the Amazon to the Arctic, sharing stories from their adventures in the field and helping travelers hone their camera skills. Every expedition is also accompanied by a certified photography instructor, trained by the pros at National Geographic. They are always available to help you decipher your camera settings or improve your composition, whether you’re a beginner or a professional with a portfolio.
Award-winning photographer Sisse Brimberg has produced and photographed more than 30 stories for National Geographic magazine over the past 40 years. As contributing photographer for National Geographic Traveler, she has shot stories in Amsterdam, Casablanca, Oaxaca, Saint Petersburg, and beyond. She has earned first prize honors from the prestigious Pictures of the Year International (POY), and her images have been exhibited around the world.
Join her aboard the May 9 or May 23, 2023, departures of Circumnavigating the Baltic Sea; the Jun. 6, 2023, departure of North Sea Voyage: Northern Europe and the Normandy Beaches; the Jun. 29, 2023, departure of Legendary Northern Isles: Scotland, Faroes, & Iceland; the Jul. 29, 2023, departure of Iceland & Greenland: Edge of the Arctic; or the Jan. 6 or Jan. 16, 2024, departures of Journey To Antarctica: The White Continent.
See BioKrista Rossow began her career as a photography editor at National Geographic Traveler magazine. She has shot feature stories as a contributing photographer for Traveler in Japan, South Africa, Morocco, Costa Rica, New Zealand, and various U.S. cities. She regularly judges Instagram contests for @NatGeogTravel and edits photos for National Geographic Books.
Join her on the May 24, 2023, departure of Ancient Polynesia: Tuamotu and Marquesas Islands; the Jul. 27, 2023, departure of Kimberley Expedition: Australia’s Wild Northwest; the Oct. 24, 2023, departure of Roots of the Pacific: Exploring New Zealand and Melanesia; the Dec. 21 or 31, 2023, departures of Journey To Antarctica: The White Continent; and the Jan. 26, 2024, departure of Sailing the Caribbean aboard Sea Cloud.
Camille Seaman has spent the last two decades documenting the rapidly changing landscapes of Earth's polar regions. Her work has appeared in National Geographic, Outside, TIME, The New York Times Sunday Magazine, and American Photo, among other outlets. She leads photographic workshops all over the globe and enjoys inspiring others to develop a unique visual voice.
Join her on the May 30 and Jun. 6, 2023, departures of Land of the Ice Bears: An In-Depth Exploration of Arctic Svalbard; the Dec. 1 and Dec. 11, 2023 departures of Journey To Antarctica: The White Continent; or the the Feb. 19, 2024, departure of Antarctica, South Georgia, and the Falklands.
see bioJennifer Lopez leads commercial and civil lunar payloads as the Director of Business Development, Commercial and Civil Space, fostering science investigations, technology demonstrations, and media partnerships, at Astrobotic—a space robotics and lunar logistics company providing full service, end-to-end payload delivery to the Moon.
Join her on the Jun. 3, 2023, departure of Pearls of the Pacific: Exploring The Society and Tuamotu Islands; the Nov. 30, 2023, departure of Southern Odyssey: A Voyage to New Zealand and the Subantarctic Islands; and the Dec.17 and 27, 2023, departures of Journey to Antarctica: The White Continent.
see bioUnderwater photographers David Doubilet and Jennifer Hayes are married partners who work together as a team to produce National Geographic stories from equatorial coral reefs to beneath the polar ice.
Join them on the Aug. 6, 2023, departure of Kimberley Expedition: Northwest Australia and Indonesia; the Oct. 9, 2023, departure of Iconic Melanesia: New Guinea, Sepik River, and the Solomon Islands; or the Dec. 8, 2023, departure of Galápagos Aboard National Geographic Endeavour II.
One of the first women photographers to work for National Geographic, Annie Griffiths has photographed in more than a hundred countries during her illustrious career. She has worked on dozens of magazine and book projects for the National Geographic Society, including stories on Lawrence of Arabia, Baja California, Galilee, Petra, Sydney, New Zealand, and Jerusalem.
Join her aboard the Aug. 24, 2023, departure of South Greenland Exploration: Fjords, Waterfalls, and Fishing Villages.
See BioAward-winning photographer and filmmaker Rich Reid has specialized in environmental and adventure photography for over two decades. North American Nature Photography Association elected Rich as a Fellow for his significant contributions to the nature photography industry, and he was a finalist for the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year for his time-lapse video documenting forest fire ecology.
Join him aboard the Aug. 8, 2023, departure of Wild Alaska Escape: Haines, the Inian Islands, and Tracy Arm Fjord; the Aug. 11, 2023, departure of Wild Alaska Escape: Leconte Bay, Wrangell, and the Misty Fjords; or the Sep. 8, 2023, departure of Galápagos Aboard National Geographic Endeavour II.
See Bio
On a planet where nearly every inch of land has been mapped, few places offer the opportunity for true exploration like the ocean—a mysterious realm that remains largely unknown. As part of our undersea program, developed in partnership with National Geographic, an undersea specialist accompanies each of the voyages aboard our expedition fleet to reveal the wonders hidden beneath the waves.
Undersea specialists don diving gear or deploy ROVs to document our marine environment, feeding footage to the ship lounge during your expedition’s daily recaps. They have been known to discover new species—such as a cold-water coral in Norway—and through their images and insights, guests enjoy a rare and privileged look at life in the deep sea, whether you are exploring the turquoise expanse of the South Pacific or the icy lagoons of Antarctica.
The National Geographic Global Explorers Program was built on the belief that the natural world is the ultimate classroom where the next generation of global stewards are nurtured. Developed in partnership with National Geographic Education, this interactive program teaches kids and teens ages 18 and under how to explore like scientists and tell the stories of their surroundings in fascinating and fun places—from Alaska to Antarctica and Baja California to the Galápagos.
Kids will discover their destination like an explorer, honing their observation skills and capturing their experiences through photographs, videos, drawings, and more. Throughout their journey, they are led by Certified Field Educators—inspiring mentors who help children connect with nature in a deeper way, sending them home with a newfound passion for the planet that lasts a lifetime.
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Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic are partners in a shared mission: to protect the world’s wonders and help forge a sustainable path forward for our planet and its people. We believe that travel can be a positive force in this pursuit—and we have seen that ethos in action through the Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic Fund.
Since the fund’s inception in 2008, it has supported nearly 250 projects designed to protect our world’s ocean, restore critical marine and coastal habitats, and foster environmental stewardship around the world. Together with our guests, we have contributed more than $18 million to initiatives like the Alaska Whale Foundation, dedicated to protecting Southeast Alaska’s spectacular marine mammals, and National Geographic’s Pristine Seas program, which aims to establish marine conservation areas in the ocean’s wildest places.
read our impact report
