The National Geographic Endurance, one of the most luxurious recently built ships dedicated to polar tourism, made a stop this week in Canarias before continuing with its schedule of expeditions between the two poles.
From Antarctica to the Arctic passing through Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, La Palma and Funchal, which is its current destination. Afterward, it will sail back across the Atlantic and embark on its next adventures in Greenland or Iceland, two destinations closed off to enjoy summer fjords and Northern Lights.
The usual route of the cruise ship, which belongs to the American group Lindblad Expedition, is from the port of Ushuaia, in Argentina, to Longyearbyen, in Norway. However, between these two final destinations, the company has organized this mini-tour through Canarias and Funchal, with landscapes completely different from the ice it is used to navigating on the Endurance.
Metopa in Tenerife
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The vessel arrived at the Port of Las Palmas in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, and made a brief stop before setting sail towards the ports in Tenerife, where it received the traditional plaque from the Port Authority as its first visit to this province.
It’s not the first time, however, that the cruise ship has called at Las Palmas, where it was already in April 2022. The ship was delivered by the Norwegian shipyards of the Ulstein Group in the summer of 2021, so that first stop at La Luz coincided virtually with its inaugural voyage and grand debut. At that time, the Covid pandemic was still in full swing, and for that reason, the Port Authority of Las Palmas couldn’t provide the usual welcome gifts to the captain. Hence, the visit of this impressive vessel went unnoticed until now.
The ‘National Geographic Endurance’, in the Port of Las Palmas. / Agustín Padrón / Cadena Ser
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The Endurance is 124 meters long, 23 meters wide, and can accommodate 138 guests, with a crew of around 112. Its main attraction, besides the luxurious interior layout, lies in the design of its inverted bow, named X-bow, enabling it to cut waves more easily. This not only provides smoother navigation even in adverse conditions but also reduces fuel consumption and splashing on the deck, offering better landscape viewing opportunities.
Innovative Design
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In that sense, it has six decks for guests and over 3,000 square meters of glass windows, aiming to enhance expeditions to the North Pole and the South Pole, as it boasts the highest ice classification to navigate through ice, even when completely surrounded by medium-sized ice floes, as stated in its technical specifications.
These large windows, in some cases from the ceiling to the floor itself, such as in the yoga studio or the main of its three restaurants, give an idea of the comfort of its design, inspired by ice and fire as concepts.
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Additionally, it offers services for disembarking and expeditions, such as fast boats, kayaks, and even a submarine. The specialized National Geographic photographers, who always travel aboard, are another exclusive resource of the cruise.
The Endurance, named in homage to the polar explorer Irish Ernest Shackleton, has a twin brother, the Resolution, which in turn pays tribute to Captain James Cook.
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Another ship from the same company, the Explorer, is well known to Astican, as it led its conversion in 2008 and completed the modernization of its cabins in 2021.
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