If you’ve always dreamed of seeing magnificent wildlife up close and personal, a cruise is a wonderful chance to do just that. From spotting birds and marine life from the ship itself to seeing amazing animals when you visit ports, a cruise lets you see the natural world from a different view.

Experience European cruises and encounter unforgettable wildlife experiences. Explore the diverse ecosystems of the continent, from majestic marine life to enchanting birdwatching. Our guide unveils the top wildlife encounters on European cruises, promising an immersive journey with nature. 

This guide shares European cruise destinations for wildlife experiences, all of which promise to take you an immersive journey with nature. We’ve found the top nature conservation cruises so you can explore varying European ecosystems, whether you’re heading north to the Arctic or searching for warmer waters further south.

Ranging from marine life exploration to birdwatching cruises, these recommendations will help you discover the wild side of Europe.

Incredible wildlife moments in the British Isles

When planning nature excursions on cruises, staying close to home is a great place to start – there’s a plethora of birds, fish and mammals that you spot off British and Irish shores.

Seeing whales and dolphins is on many people’s travel bucket list, and this is something you can definitely tick off in the UK. In Scotland, you might glimpse native harbour porpoises swimming with visiting bottlenose and common dolphins, and if you’re extremely lucky, you may even see a whale or two. Heading south, the Scilly Isles are home to common dolphins, harbour porpoises and the rarer Risso’s dolphins, alongside minke and humpback whales.

Over in Ireland, Irish waters are home to 25 different cetacean species, making the country one of the world’s top spots for whale and dolphin watching. Southern coastlines around County Cork and County Kerry are your best bet for seeing these marine mammals, species of which include fin whales, minke whales and common dolphins.

Look up at the sky to see a fascinating range of seabirds, including kittiwakes, guillemots, shags, great skuas, terns and razorbills. And puffins live along the cliffs of the UK, with the Shetland Islands, Orkney Islands and Scilly Isles being some of the best places to spot this adorable ‘clown-faced’ birds.  

Sound like your kind of cruise? HX Hurtigruten Expeditions, Fred. Olsen and Ambassador Cruise Line offer wildlife cruises around the British Isles and Ireland, with departures throughout the year.

The wild side of North Europe

When choosing a cruise to explore arctic wildlife, look for ones heading to Norway, Greenland and Iceland – HX Hurtigruten Expeditions is a great choice for this region.

On land you may see Arctic foxes and hares, polar bears, reindeer and musk oxen. Swimming in the sea are many species of whales, including minke, orca and humpback, alongside their smaller cousins such as harbour porpoises and Atlantic white-beaked dolphins. The water is also home to walrus, grey seals and harbour seals.

The Arctic is a paradise for ornithologists, too: you stand an excellent chance of seeing a huge number of birds including snow buntings, finches, white-tailed eagles, Arctic terns and sandpipers. And one of the most distinctive birds that you can spot is the Atlantic puffin, with its brightly coloured beak and snowy white bib.

For the ultimate in northern immersive nature journeys, check out a cruise going to Svalbard, the Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Circle. Svalbard’s frozen tundra is home to ringed seals, walrus, Arctic foxes, reindeer and, of course, its most famous resident – the magnificent polar bear. In fact, Svalbard has more polar bears than people!

Wildlife experiences in the Azores and Madeira

Heading out into the Atlantic with a cruise line such as Fred. Olsen, the islands of the Azores and Madeira open up opportunities to view even more fascinating wildlife. Their subtropical climate means warmer waters so you’re more likely to see dolphins that favour these higher temperatures, such as bottlenose and striped.

28 species of cetaceans have been spotted in the waters around the Azores, including sperm whales, false killer whales and pilot whales. You may also be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a hammerhead shark and loggerhead or leatherback turtle. Up in the air you’ll find chaffinches, Cory’s shearwaters, Bulwer’s petrels and the northern goshawk or açor, for which the islands are named.

Madeira is home to the Madeira pigeon, which lives in the island’s laurel forests. The Zino’s petrel is also endemic to the island, which is one of Europe’s most endangered seabirds. And Madeira is also well-known for its large colonies of monk seals, which are the only earless seals.

Fun fact: apart from marine mammals and bats, all land mammals on Madeira and the Azores were introduced to the area when they were settled by Europeans. So while you may spot animals such as weasels, mice and hedgehogs when you’re on shore, these aren’t native.

Conserving wildlife for future generations

Protecting all this wonderful wildlife is crucial, especially at this time of climate emergency. The good news is you can help do this while enjoying your European wildlife cruise.

HX Hurtigruten Expeditions, Fred. Olsen and Ambassador all work in partnership with marine conservation charity ORCA, with selected cruises hosting conservationists from the charity. As well as helping you to identify species and sharing their wildlife knowledge, these experts also using the voyage to collect scientific data to help with conservation work.

Hurtigruten Expeditions also offers a comprehensive onboard science programme of lectures, workshops and projects. You’re encouraged to be a citizen scientist during trips, working with experts to provide invaluable data. For example, HX partners with Happywhale to log photos of whales and other marine animals spotted by guests, which helps to map the movement of these animals all around the world. Being involved in projects such as this also gives you a greater understanding of the areas you’re travelling in and the conservation efforts needed to preserve these amazing ecosystems for future generations.