Expedition cruising fans now have a much clearer picture of late-decade travel, with National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions releasing the second wave of its 2028–29 programme. The new batch rounds out itineraries announced in August and stretches across the Galápagos, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru's Amazon, Mexico's Baja California and Egypt.

The Galápagos remains the anchor, with eight itineraries running seven to 17 days across four ships: National Geographic Endeavour II, Islander II, Gemini and Delfina. The standout is a 2029 land-and-sea combo, the "Peru and Galápagos Escape", which chains Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu onto a Galápagos sailing in one continuous trip — handy for anyone who has always wanted both icons but dreaded stitching them together independently.

Central America gets its own headline act: a new 15-day "Epic Costa Rica and Panama" sailing links Guanacaste's highlands and Pacific wilderness with Panama's rainforests, the Pearl Islands and the Canal. An expanded eight-day Guanacaste route covers the same corner of Costa Rica in less time.

In Peru, "Upper Amazon: A River Expedition" runs from November 2028 to October 2029 through the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve aboard the river vessels Delfin II and Delfin III — skiff and kayak territory, deep in the rainforest rather than a big-ship port call.

Baja California offers three flavours. "Baja California Discovery" explores the Gulf of California's desert-meets-sea ecosystem on National Geographic Quest; "Among the Great Whales" times the voyage for gray whale season in the lagoons; and a holiday departure, "Baja California Holiday: A Living Sea and Desert Isles", covers the festive window.

Egypt returns via "Passage Through Egypt Aboard Oberoi Philae", a Cairo-to-Abu Simbel Nile run on a 44-guest vessel with dedicated Egyptologists — small-ship access to a stretch of river usually seen from crowded cruisers.

Why it matters: Lindblad's pitch is depth over distance. Chief expedition officer Trey Byus frames the deployment around longer time in place, active exploration and small vessels that reach spots bigger ships can't. Booking this far out matters for the small ships especially — Galápagos and upper-Amazon cabins routinely sell out well over a year ahead, and 2028–29 inventory is already on sale. If a Machu Picchu-plus-Galápagos double or a gray whale lagoon encounter is on your list, this is the moment to compare dates and lock one in.