Birding Down Under - New Zealand's penguins, albatross and wildlife spectacle! 

   
   2026

  • The pricing begins at $15, 995 for berth in triple room, twin cabins from $18,535. Suites and singles also available. 
  • Download the Birding Down Under 2026 Itinerary
  • Dec 2 - 18, 2026 from Queenstown, New Zealand. You may end in Queenstown or the coastal city of Invercargill, transportation to both are offered. 
  • On the comfortable Heritage Adventurer operated by Heritage Expeditions. To say that this ship is top class is an understatement. We have found it to be fantastic for birding, with great staff, comfortable cabins and absolutely THE best food we have experienced on a ship. 
  • We are working in collaboration with Hillstar Nature on this tour, George Armistead will be co-guiding with Alvaro Jaramillo.  
  • Why go with us??? The pricing to book with us is exactly the same as booking directly with the ship. But with us, you have dedicated birding guides that will help you on land, and on the ship to see and identify the birds and wildlife we encounter. We also make sure that we build camaraderie and have fun on the ship, eating dinner together and going ashore together. The smaller subgroup within the ship allows you to have more attention from us, your guides, and makes for a unique and richer experience. 
  • The archipelagos visited are legendary - Snares, Bounty, Antipodes, Auckland, Campbell, Macquarie and Chatham Islands. Ten !! species of albatross breed here, many of them breed nowhere else. A total of 40 species of seabirds breed here, including many penguin species. This is the world's most diverse area for seabirds, including tubenoses, unique shags, endemic penguins, and even some unexpected land birds - endemic snipe and parakeets for example! Truly an outstanding part of the world, rivaled only by South Georgia Island in the Atlantic for sheer spectacle of marine wildlife. 
  • Multiple cabin types available including singles. Triple Cabins begin at $18,535 pp, multiple double room options, as well as superior single cabins, and double suites. All meals, house beer/wine, landings, lectures and on land accommodation (one night double occupancy) pre-cruise are included. Alvaro and George will be there to guide and host you. We will have the ability to land as a group and have dinner/social time together and build community as Alvaro's Adventures/Hillstar Nature participants within the group, while also socializing with other trip participants, guides and crew from Heritage Expeditions. 
  •  The ship Heritage Adventurer is an expedition cruise ship, built in Finland and designed for polar expeditions. It will host 140 expedition clients, and an experienced ship's crew including experienced guides and lecturers with much nature and birding experience. A total of 14 zodiacs can be deployed to get folks on and off islands quickly and efficiently. More time on land and less time waiting around to be transferred. And should you require a little R&R, unwind in the library, pool, gym, hot tub, sauna and steam room, or indulge in some retail therapy​. There is also a cafe and bar, in case you want to celebrate with a hot drink or a cocktail! 
  • Led by Alvaro Jaramillo and George Armistead, along with Heritage Expedition staff leaders. Alvaro and George are fun, personable and easy going in their style and have a particular interest in seabirds and polar regions. They are highly experienced, great teachers, accomplished birders who you can "meet" by listening to the Life List Podcast they host with Mollee Brown. ​
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Below the Heritage Adventurer - Photo Aaron Russ. 
Photos below by Heritage Expeditions - G. Ryehle, S. Blanc, A. Fergus, Lysle Gwynne, Aaron Russ. 

Superior double cabin - The Heritage Adventurer is a very comfortable ship! Photo - Dana Brown.