Lindblad Expeditions: what the fare buys
Lars-Eric Lindblad took the first group of non-scientists to Antarctica in January 1966. Sixty years on, the company sails ten National Geographic ships into 2027 — and its fares carry more inside them than most buyers check.
Lindblad is the line you pick for the guiding, not the suite. Every ship carries naturalists and a certified photo instructor, and the four polar ships add a National Geographic photographer. The bar tab, kayaks, park fees and basic Wi-Fi are in the fare almost everywhere.
The money surprises sit outside the headline. Flights and polar charter flights are extra on every voyage we priced, and crew gratuities are included on some ships and not others. Solo travelers pay a real premium — about 64% on the 2027 polar price sheets we read.
Price the whole trip, not the fare. Then compare.
A family company that borrowed a yellow border
Lindblad Expeditions started with one idea: ordinary travelers could go where scientists went. In January 1966 Lars-Eric Lindblad led the first non-scientific group to Antarctica. A year later he did the same in the Galápagos.
The National Geographic part came later. In November 2023 the two companies extended their alliance by 17 years, through 2040, and gave Lindblad global rights to the brand for expedition cruises.
That’s why the ships read National Geographic Endurance, not Lindblad Endurance.
The brand is National Geographic’s. The expedition team is Lindblad’s.
Today the ships page lists 22 vessels and says the fleet is 24 — most of them partner ships on rivers, under sail or in Egypt and Asia. The ocean expedition core is ten National Geographic ships, plus the chartered Greg Mortimer from 2027.
Two older ships just left. Sea Bird and Sea Lion, both built in the early 1980s, ran their farewell season through late October 2026. Read the full fleet guide before you pick a sailing.
Where Lindblad sails, month by month
Dark cells are the core season. Pale cells are the edges, when departures thin out.
The Lindblad year
Built from Lindblad’s destination and voyage pages. Tap any month for the voyage that fills it.
Read it as two halves. The polar ships follow the light — Antarctica from October to March, then Svalbard, Greenland and the Canadian Arctic from late April to September, with the Canadian Maritimes running into October. The small American ships shuttle between Baja’s whale lagoons and Alaska. The Galápagos never stops.
Lindblad also runs the South Pacific on Orion and a long list of partner trips, from the Amazon to Scotland’s canals. Its ships page lists no Kimberley season on its ships page; for that coast, start with our Kimberley guide.
Pick the region first and the month second — the ship usually follows. Our Antarctica, Arctic, Greenland, Alaska and Galápagos guides cover what each month trades away.
You’re paying for who stands in the Zodiac
Endurance, Resolution, Explorer, Orion
A National Geographic photographer sails on each, alongside the naturalists, an undersea specialist and a certified photo instructor. Crew gratuities are included, and guests can use the OM System Photo Gear Locker.
Quest, Venture and the Galápagos ships
Naturalists, an undersea specialist and a certified photo instructor — but no National Geographic photographer on Lindblad’s list, and no Photo Gear Locker in the Galápagos. Delfina, the 16-guest catamaran, carries neither an undersea specialist nor a medical professional.
Lindblad’s FAQ puts its expedition staff-to-guest ratio at no more than 1-to-16 — the guides, not the ship’s crew. On a 100-guest Quest, that’s a small group at every landing, not a crowd behind one guide.
The team is picked per departure. Lindblad lists expedition leaders, naturalists, undersea specialists, photo instructors, cultural specialists and historians.
The photographer matters most if photography is the point of your trip. For most guests the naturalists do the heavy lifting — they decide where the Zodiacs go and when to stay with a whale.
If a National Geographic photographer is on your wish list, book Endurance, Resolution, Explorer or Orion. Ask us to confirm it for your departure.
Inside the fare, ship by ship
Four ship groups, seven lines that change what you pay. Bold means it’s in the fare.
| Item | Polar four | Quest & Venture | Galápagos ships | Greg Mortimer (2027) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beer, wine, cocktails, spirits | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Crew gratuities | Included | Extra, at your discretion | Extra, at your discretion | Included |
| Basic Wi-Fi | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Kayaks, Zodiacs, snorkel gear | Where the ship carries them | Where the ship carries them | Where the ship carries them | Where the ship carries them |
| National Geographic photographer | Yes | No | No | Not on Lindblad’s list |
| Parka or jacket | On select polar voyages | No | No | Not listed |
| Flights and charter flights | Extra | Extra | Extra | Extra |
Every row comes from Lindblad’s own What’s Included page and its reservation terms, updated September 30, 2026. Park and site entrance fees, special permits, port taxes and airport transfers inside the recommended window are included across the fleet.
In the Galápagos that covers a real number: the park’s own fee for international adult visitors rose from $100 to $200 on August 1, 2024.
What’s left out is the usual expedition list — premium spirits, enhanced Wi-Fi, laundry, spa, scuba and travel protection. Lindblad’s Arctic brochure prices enhanced Wi-Fi at $25 a day or $150 a voyage.
The gratuity line is the one that splits the fleet — same company, two policies. Check which ship your voyage uses before you compare fares.
The fare, then everything around it
Price a Lindblad voyage
Pick a voyage. Tick what you’ll add, and type in your own numbers where Lindblad doesn’t publish one.
Fares are Lindblad’s lowest published “from” prices per person, double occupancy, before flights. The Antarctica and Svalbard fares were re-read on November 1, 2026; Alaska, Galápagos and Baja fares are as published on October 31. Lindblad’s 2027–28 listing shows $14,900 for the Svalbard voyage, so ask us which year your fare covers. Its “Take Flight” offer gives an air credit of up to $2,000 per person on select 2027 and 2028 voyages booked by November 4, 2026. Lines marked $0 have no published price; we’ll quote them for your dates.
Notice how many rows read “not published”. Antarctic group flights, the Quito-to-Baltra hop and the Svalbard group flights are all added at checkout, at a cost the voyage pages we read don’t show.
Ask for those numbers first, then compare the total against another line.
What a day costs, region by region
The Galápagos runs about $640 to $810 a day from Lindblad’s lowest fares. Antarctica starts near $1,100. The Northwest Passage is in another bracket.
One clock, three steps down
15% down
The advance payment is 15% of the cabin fare, taken at reservation.
Balance due
Final payment is due 120 days before departure. Lindblad’s Travel Protection Plan has to be bought before this date.
Half the trip
Cancel now and the fee is 50% of the total price, including extensions and charter airfare.
All of it
From 89 days out the fee is 100%. Only insurance stands between you and the full loss.
The “no penalty” window is a credit, not a refund. Cancel 120 or more days out and your advance payment becomes a Travel Certificate, valid 12 months and usable only toward final payment on another booking.
Lindblad’s own plan is refundable only within 10 days of receipt, and its terms say plan payments aren’t refunded even if Lindblad cancels the voyage.
Insurance is recommended, not required. The terms don’t demand cover, but Lindblad’s health and safety page recommends extra medical and evacuation cover. The CDC puts a remote evacuation above $250,000.
Select voyages also need a VIKAND medical evaluation form. Compare plans in our expedition insurance guide before final payment.
The solo math, in Lindblad’s own numbers
On the Svalbard sheet, Category 1 is $15,510 a person and the A Solo cabin is $25,450. On Endurance, solo occupancy is offered only in Categories 1 and 2.
Lindblad’s FAQ says it offers solo accommodations on all its expeditions, but cabins are limited on some ships.
The cheaper path is Share and Save. Agree to share with a same-gender guest and you pay the double rate, even if no roommate turns up.
Ask us which departures carry the 25% offer this month. It rotates, so check before you book.
Book Lindblad, or don’t
You travel for the wildlife and the people explaining it
Naturalists on every landing, a photo instructor on every ship, and an expedition staff-to-guest ratio of 1-to-16 at most.
You’re bringing children to the Galápagos or Alaska
The minimum age is 6 months on most voyages. It rises to 4 for Antarctica, Svalbard, Greenland, Iceland and the Canadian Arctic.
You want the polar ship built for ice
Endurance and Resolution are PC5 polar-class sisters, each with a National Geographic photographer aboard.
You want butlers and the biggest suites
Lindblad sells guiding, not service theater. Compare Silversea and Seabourn.
You want helicopters in Antarctica
Lindblad’s ship pages list no helicopters. If that’s the draw, price Quark first.
What buyers ask about Lindblad
What does a Lindblad fare actually include?
More than most expedition lines put in writing. Lindblad's terms and its What's Included page list your cabin and meals, excursions, kayaks, Zodiacs, paddleboards and snorkel gear where the ship carries them, park and site fees, port taxes, airport transfers inside the recommended window, basic Wi-Fi and beer, wine, cocktails and spirits on every ship except Sun Goddess, Oberoi Philae, Connect and Evolve. Flights, charter flights, premium spirits, enhanced Wi-Fi, laundry, spa and travel protection are extra.
Are gratuities included on Lindblad?
On some ships, not all. Crew gratuities are included on National Geographic Endurance, Resolution, Explorer and Orion, on Greg Mortimer and on several partner ships such as Sea Cloud II and Lord of the Glens. They are not included on Quest, Venture, Endeavour II, Islander II, Gemini or Delfina, where Lindblad's FAQ leaves crew tips to your discretion and publishes no amount.
How much more does a solo traveler pay?
It depends on the voyage, and Lindblad doesn't publish one supplement. Two Lindblad group price sheets for 2027 polar voyages put the lowest solo cabin about 64% above the lowest shared cabin. Its solo offers page advertises reduced supplements from 25% above current fares on a rotating set of departures, and its Share and Save program guarantees the double rate if you agree to share and no roommate is found.
Which Lindblad ship goes to Antarctica?
Four of them. Lindblad's Antarctica page lists National Geographic Endurance and Resolution, the two PC5 polar-class sisters, plus National Geographic Explorer and Orion. The classic 12-day Voyage to Antarctica sails round trip from Ushuaia on Endurance or Resolution, from $13,500 per person before flights.
When is final payment due, and what if I cancel?
Final payment is due 120 days before departure, after a 15% advance payment at booking. Under the standard policy effective May 1, 2023, cancelling 120 or more days out costs no penalty, but the advance payment comes back as a Travel Certificate valid 12 months, not cash. From 119 to 90 days the fee is 50% of the total price, and from 89 days it is 100%. Longer voyages and holiday departures can carry different terms.
Does Lindblad require travel insurance?
No. Its reservation terms, updated September 30, 2026, recommend its Travel Protection Plan but don't require cover. That plan is for U.S. residents, must be bought before final payment, and is refundable only within 10 days of receipt. Lindblad's health and safety page also recommends extra medical and evacuation cover, since fees are typically due at the time of service.
What does National Geographic actually add?
Mostly people and access. A National Geographic photographer sails on Endurance, Explorer, Orion and Resolution, and a certified photo instructor sails on every ship. The partnership, extended in November 2023, runs through 2040 and gives Lindblad global rights to the National Geographic brand for expedition cruises. The naturalists themselves are Lindblad's own team.
Pricing a Lindblad voyage? We’ll get the numbers it doesn’t publish.
Tell us the region, the month and who’s traveling. We’ll ask Lindblad for the flight, charter and solo prices it doesn’t publish, and put the full total beside one or two other lines.
- Group flight and charter prices for your departure
- Whether gratuities are in your ship’s fare
- Live solo offers and Share and Save availability
No fee, no obligation. You pay the cruise line’s own fare. A real advisor replies, usually within one business day.
Ask about Lindblad
Answers come straight from this guide.
Answers come from our guides and are general information. Confirm details with us before you book.
Where every number came from
Fares, inclusions, terms and ship details are Lindblad’s own published figures on the date shown. The per-day costs, the 64% solo figure and the fit verdicts are our arithmetic and judgement, not Lindblad’s. Departures and prices change often; your invoice governs.
Where to go next
The voyage, the gateway night, and the cover that matters out there.
Expedition trips have more moving parts than a Caribbean week: a charter flight, a night in a gateway city, gear lists and an evacuation clause the line sets for you. We book them together and check that the dates and the fine print agree.