Iceland: Into the Westfjords
Starts and Ends in
Call Us for Pricing
pp twin share
Departing
01 Jan 0001
Duration
0 days
Activity Level
Daily shore excursions, guided hikes & outings
Moderate
Season
2026
Discovery Expeditions
Arctic
Iceland: Into the Westfjords
Highlights
Christophe Bouchoux
Expedition Leader
Christophe is an experienced Expedition Leader and guide, who has worked on expedition ships all over the world. While his peers were in school, Christophe was busy gaining a global education travelling the world. Instead of maths or science, nature became his main source of wonderment. He spent an incredible 17 years exploring iconic and remote destinations, gaining invaluable experience in the tourism industry. Most comfortable in the polar regions, he worked as a guide in Finnish Lapland for seven winters and a tour bus guide in Norway for a decade, before discovering expedition cruising in Svalbard. To this day, he considers Svalbard his favourite destination, on account of its incredible diversity of wildlife and landscapes and because it still manages to surprise him.
On expeditions, Christophe encourages expeditioners to forget about any daily program they have been given, and to trust our Expedition Team and let nature decide what will happen. He is particularly skilled at explaining difficult scientific concepts in everyday language, which makes him a passenger favourite and huge asset to your Aurora expedition.
Alasdair McGregor
Naturalist & Historian
Alasdair is a Sydney-based painter, writer and historian, who has enjoyed a love of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean spanning more than 30 years.
Alasdair’s contact with the region began on the 1983 Heard Island Expedition – his first big adventure – in which he played a supporting role in the second only ascent of 3000-metre Big Ben, the active volcano that dominates the island. Two voyages with the Australian Antarctic Division's Humanities Program followed in the next couple of years.
In the late 1990s, Alasdair was the artist and photographer for two Mawson’s Huts Foundation summer conservation expeditions to Cape Denison, then in 1999 Alasdair staged Mawson’s Antarctica: A view from the huts, a major exhibition of his Antarctic paintings and photographs. In 2000, Alasdair curated the Australian High Commission to Canada's photographic exhibition, '… that sweep of savage splendour': A Century of Australians in Antarctica.
Alasdair has published three books with Antarctic themes: Mawson’s Huts: An Antarctic Expedition Journal (1999); Antarctica: that sweep of savage splendour (collected writings – editor 2011); and a biography of the renowned polar photographer Frank Hurley: A photographer’s life (2004). His other books include Grand Obsessions: The life and work of Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin, winner of the 2011 National Biography Award.
Away from Antarctica, Alasdair writes regularly for Australian Geographic and his research and creative interests range over architecture and design, natural history, and the history of exploration.
Alasdair has worked as a lecturer on tourist voyages to Antarctica since 2005, and has been a keen member of Aurora Expeditions’ Antarctic expedition team since 2012.
Pia Harboure
Photography Guide
As a child growing up in the 80s, Pia was fascinated by film and the power of images. Today, she still loves the role photography can play in creating awareness and inspiring social change. She asked for her first camera at age 9, started taking photography classes in high school and went on to study a degree in Audio-Visual Production and Photography. After graduating, Pia started her global education, traveling everywhere from Patagonia to Sri Lanka to the polar regions, working as a portrait and documentary photographer.
She has spent the last decade sharing the technical and creative photographic tips she has learned with travelers. For the past five years, she has tilted her practice to more collaborative and sustainable projects in areas of human rights issues, working for NGOs like UNICEF.
Meet our Expert Team
Each voyage is accompanied by our highly acclaimed expedition team who we believe are the best in the business. Many are recognized leaders in their fields, keen to share their daily insights on shore and onboard. While your actual team may vary between voyages, every member of our Expedition Team is among the world's best remote area specialists.
Included Activities
Lectures on wildlife, our environment, history and destinations
Marine Mammal Spotting
Photography
Polar Plunge
Scenic Cruising
Trips Ashore
Walking
Wildlife Watching
Zodiac Cruising
Bird Watching
Our Ship
The Sylvia Earle
Capacity
130 Passengers Maximum
Year built
2022
Cabins
71
Length
104 m
Decks
8
Speed
10-12 knots