The National Geographic-Lindblad 2028-29 program is now complete: on October 29, 2026, National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions released its final collection of 2028-29 voyages, with eight Galápagos itineraries of 7 to 17 days, a new Peru and Galápagos Escape, a new 15-day Costa Rica and Panama expedition aboard National Geographic Venture, an expanded Guanacaste itinerary, the Upper Amazon on Delfin II and Delfin III, three Baja California voyages and Egypt aboard the Oberoi Philae. The official release gives no fares and no on-sale date.
This is the second half of a two-part announcement. The first, on August 10, 2026, covered French Polynesia, Alaska, the British and Irish Isles, the Arctic and Antarctica; the October release covers only Latin America, Mexico and Egypt. So if you are looking for Antarctic sailings, they were in the August news, not this one. Separately, the release comes six weeks after Lindblad’s White Desert and Echo Charlie deal, the biggest transaction in the company’s history.
National Geographic-Lindblad 2028-29: Key Facts
- Operator: National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions (22 owned and chartered vessels, 100+ itineraries, 70+ countries and territories, per the August release)
- Announced: October 29, 2026 (final 2028-29 collection); first collection August 10, 2026
- Galápagos: 8 itineraries, 7 to 17 days, on National Geographic Endeavour II, Islander II, Gemini and Delfina
- New: Peru and Galápagos Escape (2029)
- New: 15-day Costa Rica and Panama expedition on National Geographic Venture
- Expanded: 8-day Guanacaste itinerary
- Upper Amazon: November 2028 to October 2029, Delfin II and Delfin III
- Baja California: three itineraries
- Egypt: Passage Through Egypt aboard the 44-guest Oberoi Philae
- Fares: not published
- Booking opens: no on-sale date in the release
Galápagos Back to Back, Plus a Peru Escape
Lindblad’s Galápagos program runs eight itineraries on four ships: National Geographic Endeavour II, Islander II, Gemini and Delfina. They run from 7 to 17 days, and the longest are back-to-back sailings packaged as one trip.
Chief Expedition Officer Trey Byus summed up the thinking in the release: “Every destination has its own rhythm.”
The new Peru and Galápagos Escape, scheduled for 2029, links Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu with the islands in one continuous land-and-sea journey. Lindblad hasn’t published its length, ship or price yet.
Costa Rica and Panama on National Geographic Venture
The new 15-day Costa Rica and Panama expedition takes National Geographic Venture through Costa Rica’s Pacific wilderness and the Guanacaste highlands, then on to Panama’s rainforest, the Pearl Islands and the Panama Canal, with access to Barro Colorado Island along the way.
Travelers who want Costa Rica on its own get an expanded eight-day Guanacaste itinerary.
Amazon, Baja California and Egypt
Upper Amazon: A River Expedition runs from November 2028 through October 2029 in Peru’s Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve, aboard the chartered Delfin II and Delfin III. Peru’s Amazon keeps drawing expedition news; I’ve also covered &Beyond’s Amazon Explorer in Peru.
Baja California gets three voyages. Baja California Discovery: Exploring Mexico’s Gulf of California sails on National Geographic Quest; Baja California: Among the Great Whales heads for the gray whale lagoons; and Baja California Holiday: A Living Sea and Desert Isles runs over the festive season. Lindblad hasn’t named ships for the last two.
Passage Through Egypt travels from Cairo to Abu Simbel aboard the 44-guest Oberoi Philae, with Egyptologists on board and stops including Saqqara, Dendera and Kom Ombo. No dates have been released.
Why It Matters
The Galápagos is where this release counts. Eight itineraries across four ships, with packaged back-to-back sailings of up to 17 days, let travelers see more of the archipelago in one trip, and the Peru and Galápagos Escape folds Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu into the same journey instead of two separate bookings.
The 15-day Costa Rica and Panama trip on National Geographic Venture is the new itinerary that interests me most, because it puts Barro Colorado Island and the Pearl Islands on the same route as the Panama Canal.
Who it’s not for: anyone who needs a price before committing, since nothing is published; anyone expecting Antarctica news, which came in August; and divers chasing Darwin’s hammerheads, who will still want a dedicated liveaboard.
Prices and How to Book
There are no fares and no on-sale date yet for the National Geographic-Lindblad 2028-29 voyages announced in October. Neither appears in the October 29, 2026 release, and I found none when I checked on November 2, 2026. Once released, the voyages will be bookable through National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions and expedition cruise specialists, and I’ll add fares here when they appear.
For new Antarctic ships rather than itineraries, see my Magellan Discoverer story.
The Lens I’m Reading This Through
I haven’t sailed with Lindblad, so my benchmark is two Galápagos weeks with other operators. A March week aboard Theory on the “Beaches & Bays” route, in the warm, rainy season, earned 4.5/5 in my Origin, Theory and Evolve review: identical below-deck cabins with panoramic windows, and guides Jose and Fabricio running four excursions a day on time. The only thing holding it back was rough weather, which canceled kayaking and a beach walk at Española.
Underwater, my Galápagos diving week on Galápagos Sky in March 2024 was a 5/5: a hammerhead at Darwin Arch within a minute of the first dive, four oceanic mantas at Cape Marshall and a mola mola at 30 meters in 14°C water at Punta Vicente Roca. What I’d test on Lindblad’s back-to-back sailings is whether 17 days smooths out the weather lottery that cost me Española’s beach walk.
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This preview is based on official announcements — I haven’t sailed with National Geographic-Lindblad yet. Read more about how I review or visit my Work With Me page.
