Autumn expedition cruises

North America, Japan and the Russian Far East come alive with autumn colours, and this is the end of the cruising season in Europe and the Arctic. Many ships are on the move, repositioning to their winter bases, so look out for some interesting itineraries along the coasts of Africa and South America.

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Autumn expeditions...

7 Night Galapagos Inner Loop Cruise

Celebrity Cruises

15 Sep - 22 Sep 2024 (7 Nights)

From £4,865 pp

Tiled roofs of the Old Town in Dubrovnik, Croatia

Croatia, Under Sail Aboard Le Ponant

Ponant

15 Sep - 22 Sep 2024 (7 Nights)

From £8,860 pp

The Coastal Express – South (Kirkenes – Bergen)

Hurtigruten

15 Sep - 20 Sep 2024 (5 Nights)

From £1,546 pp

Great Lakes - North America's Scenic Shores

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises

16 Sep - 29 Sep 2024 (13 Nights)

From £8,500 pp

Langsdorff's lousewort in the tundra on St Matthew Island, Bering Sea, Alaska

Nome to Vancouver

Silversea Expeditions

16 Sep - 4 Oct 2024 (18 Nights)

From £13,400 pp

The Coastal Express – South (Kirkenes – Bergen)

Hurtigruten

16 Sep - 21 Sep 2024 (5 Nights)

From £1,392 pp

The Coastal Express - Roundtrip (With transfers)

Hurtigruten

17 Sep - 28 Sep 2024 (11 Nights)

From £3,203 pp

Expedition into Greenland & the High Canadian Arctic

Scenic

17 Sep - 4 Oct 2024 (17 Nights)

Find an autumn expedition cruise

Our insight

Adventures in autumn

Canada and New England are well known for their 'fall colours', and this is a popular region for mainstream cruise ships at this time of year. Expedition vessels also ply this route, but don't expect anything too adventurous. For a more unusual autumn colours voyage, head to the Russian Far East; this is a particularly good time of year for spotting brown bears.

Japan also puts on quite a show when it comes to autumn foliage, providing an interesting counterpoint to the cherry blossom season in spring, and you'll often find expedition ships here at this time of year. As autumn moves into winter, look out for interesting itineraries around the myriad islands of Indonesia. This is also a good time to visit the South Pacific, when the weather is cooler and drier.

October and November can be a good time to visit West Africa, when the fierce summer heat has subsided, and some cruise lines linger here before repositioning to South America or the Indian Ocean. By the end of October there are already ships in Antarctica, and while these early season cruises are too soon to see penguin chicks or whales, you will experience the snowy scenery at its most pristine.