Cruises are one of our favourite ways to travel, especially when they are wrapped up in a specific theme and one Norwegian company is promising a maritime adventure that shines a light on the secrets of the skies above.

Setting sail for the skies from February 1 is Havila Voyages, which will offer guests an opportunity to deepen their knowledge of star constellations and space missions, as well as steal a glimpse of The Northern Lights, with three new astronomy themed cruises for 2024.

Sailing for 11 nights from Bergen to Kirkenes, passengers will be able to enjoy lectures from John Zarnecki, a distinguished English space scientist and former President of the Royal Astronomical Society, and Ian Ridpath, Editor of the Oxford Dictionary of Astronomy. Joining the March expedition, Zarnecki’s lectures will cover an array of fascinating topics, such as spacecraft and cosmic creatures posing the question ‘Are we alone?’, with Ridpath boarding the February and October trips to talk about the Northern Lights, comets, stars, and the Apollo space missions.

But undoubtedly the highlight of the tour will be nature’s fluorescent sky pyrotechnics, the Aurora Borealis, which will be visible from Havila’s vessels. And should you not be able to see the incredible show on one of the voyages, Havila will offer a six or seven-night cruise the following winter, free of charge.

Of course, no cruise would ever be complete without disembarking to explore various towns and villages, and passengers will be able to experience the Norwegian coast on terra firma throughout their voyage, with dog sledding, visiting the North Cape and exploring Kirkenses’ snow hotel.

Prices for the Astronomy cruise begin at £1,058 (Dhs4,882) per person based on two sharing an inside cabin on full board basis, with the lectures from Zarnecki or Ridpath available for an additional £250 (Dhs1,153) per guest.  

www.havilavoyages.com