Aqua Expeditions – Cruise

Aqua Expeditions is a luxury small-ship expedition company founded in 2007, now part of the PONANT Explorations Group. Its boutique vessels carry just 16 to 40 guests to remote corners of the Amazon, the Galápagos, the Mekong, Indonesia, the Seychelles and the Arctic, with expert guides, chef-designed menus and intimate, design-led suites.

View voyages About Aqua Expeditions

About Aqua Expeditions

Luxury expedition cruising on rivers and seas less travelled

Aqua Expeditions was founded in 2007 by Francesco Galli Zugaro, who launched the first luxury small-ship river cruises in the Peruvian Amazon. Since then the company has built a small fleet of boutique vessels that bring the comfort of a fine hotel to some of the world’s most remote places: the Amazon, the Galápagos Islands, the Mekong, the islands of eastern Indonesia, the Seychelles and the Arctic.

Every ship carries only 16 to 40 guests, so you explore in small groups with expert local guides, return to a beautifully designed suite, and dine on menus created by acclaimed chefs. In 2025 PONANT Explorations Group became Aqua Expeditions’ majority shareholder, joining two of the leading names in luxury expedition travel.

2007Founded in the Peruvian Amazon

6 vesselsBoutique river and ocean ships

16–40Guests per ship, never more

6 regionsAmazon, Galápagos, Mekong, Indonesia, Seychelles, Arctic

The Aqua style

What makes an Aqua expedition different

Intimate by design

Small ships with a high crew-to-guest ratio mean personal service, no queues and the freedom to reach places larger ships cannot.

Expert-led exploration

Naturalists and local guides lead small-group landings, tender rides, nature walks, snorkelling, kayaking and paddleboarding, usually twice a day.

Destination dining

Menus by celebrated chefs, such as Peru’s Pedro Miguel Schiaffino on Aqua Mare, are built around local ingredients and the region you are exploring.

Relaxed luxury

Designer suites with large windows, a no-shoes, casual-dress feel on board, and inclusions such as excursions, house wines and beer, Wi-Fi and laundry.

Destinations and fleet

Where Aqua Expeditions sails

Galápagos Islands, Ecuador

Aqua Mare

A 50-metre Italian-built superyacht, refurbished in 2021, exploring the eastern and western islands on 7- and 14-night expeditions with two naturalist guides.

7 suites · 16 guests · now on Sedunia

Peruvian Amazon

Aqua Nera

Launched in 2021, with a plunge pool, spa, gym and a rainforest-to-table menu by Pedro Miguel Schiaffino.

20 suites · 40 guests

Seychelles & Tanzania · Svalbard & the Arctic

Aqua Lares

A 77-metre former icebreaker turned expedition yacht, with a spa, cinema and heli-deck, and menus by Michelin-starred chef Karime López.

15 suites · 30 guests

Indonesia: Komodo, Spice Islands, Raja Ampat

Aqua Blu

A 60-metre explorer yacht, formerly a British naval vessel, sailing the islands of eastern Indonesia with cuisine by chef Benjamin Cross.

15 suites · 30 guests

Mekong: Cambodia & Vietnam

Aqua Mekong

A river ship with a spa, gym, cinema and plunge pool, and its own private fleet of four tenders for exploring the river.

20 suites · 40 guests

Peruvian Amazon

Aria Amazon

Aqua’s original Amazon ship, launched in 2011, with an outdoor jacuzzi, observation deck and skiff excursions in groups of no more than 12.

16 suites · 32 guests

Galápagos with Sedunia

Start with Aqua Mare in the Galápagos

Our first Aqua Expeditions programmes explore the Galápagos aboard Aqua Mare: the eastern islands of Genovesa, Bartolomé and Española, the volcanic west of Isabela and Fernandina, or both circuits on a 14-night expedition. On board, chef Pedro Miguel Schiaffino’s Nikkei-style menu draws on Ecuadorian and Galápagos ingredients.

Prices shown are cruise-only, per person. Speak to our cruise specialists to add flights, hotels in Quito or Guayaquil, or Aqua’s other destinations, which we will be adding soon.

Sail with Aqua Expeditions