Travelling Responsibly with Heritage Expeditions

Heritage Expeditions makes every effort to respect the environment in all aspects of its operation. We are leaders in Responsible Travel to remote places around the globe and our objective is to tread and cruise lightly wherever we go.

We minimise waste and employ recycling practices on our ships and in our head office by selecting environmentally friendly products and produce. Our goal in managing our vessels is to minimise fuel consumption and emissions with regular servicing and a proactive maintenance program. We annually clean and antifoul our vessels’ hulls to reduce the risk of biofouling. When selecting our specialist expedition equipment, we research this carefully to ensure that they are the most suitable and environmentally responsible.

We travel in small groups (max of 50 pax on Spirit of Enderby and up to 110 pax on Kapitan Khlebnikov) and endeavour to maintain a high guide to guest ratio. Each expedition is led by an experienced Expedition Leader familiar with the region being visited and, where at all possible, we employ local experts. We make sure that all expedition members are respectful of local customs and traditions, and are aware of, and abide by, the conditions of our entry permits to nature reserves and specially protected areas.

Heritage Expeditions supports numerous worldwide conservation programs with funds, advocacy and logistical support. We are proud to be a Species Champion for the critically endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper with BirdLife International. We are not afraid to take a stand on issues we feel strongly about and joined with Whale and Dolphin Conservation in a successful lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service opposing the importation of wild Beluga Whales from Russia into a United States aquarium. We have also partnered with both New Zealand and Russian government agencies to negotiate and develop sustainable and best practice tourism policies for their respective world-class nature reserves.

Heritage Expeditions works closely with the Department of Conservation (DOC) to ensure that our impact on New Zealand’s National Parks and reserves is minimal. We are an approved concession holder, ensuring that your visit with us to conservation lands adheres to best practice and contributes to the management of these protected areas.

In Russia we work closely with several National Parks and Federal Reserves, including Beringia National Park and the Wrangel Island Reserve. Our goal is to minimise impact on the environment and on the wildlife, while ensuring a world-class experience for all our expeditioners.

Heritage Expeditions holds active membership in a number of conservation and travel organisations including the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO), Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO) and the Tourism Sustainability Commitment.