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Yachts for Charter
Explorer Yachts for Charter

Best Explorer Yachts for Charter

Why charter an explorer yacht.

Chartering an explorer yacht is the perfect way to explore the world’s most remote locations in ultimate luxury, comfort, and style. Explorer yachts (or adventure/expedition yachts) are designed for cruising the world’s most remote regions yet offer all the luxury of a traditional superyacht. Explorer yachts for charter boast a range of amenities, including luxurious accommodation, gourmet cuisine, spa facilities, entertainment options, and a spectacular selection of tenders and toys, from helicopters to submersibles, providing an unforgettable experience for adventure seekers and nature lovers. Contact our team to learn more about renting an adventure yacht.

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What are the unique features of an expedition vessel?

There are many features that are unique to expedition vessels. One of the key features is that they are built to ice-class standards and are purposefully designed for cruising in extreme conditions. Explorer yachts are equipped with advanced navigation systems, communication devices, and tenders, while their large volume enables them to carry more provisions and fuel for extended periods at sea. For charterers, this puts the world’s most remote and exciting destinations within reach, including Antarctica , Patagonia, and the Arctic Circle. Other destinations include the Galapagos Islands and exotic locales such as the South Pacific Islands . If you want to explore the world’s most spectacular off-the-radar destination , contact N&J and let our team craft an incredible charter itinerary aboard an expedition yacht.

Helicopter leaving explorer yacht while at anchor

What are some of the world’s most famous explorer yachts?

Some of the most famous explorer yachts include:

417’ft (126.2m) M/Y OCTOPUS
78’6”ft (24m) Rena Umut Kocali U-BOAT NAVIGATOR
279’8”ft (85.3m) Silver Yachts BOLD

Contact an Explorer Yacht Broker

Find the best expedition yacht charter

Northrop & Johnson has access to every expedition yacht for rent on the planet including those built by the world’s most esteemed shipbuilders. Contact our team today, and let us connect you with your ideal vessel.

Find out more about Yacht Charter with N&J here .

Proud to be part of the MarineMax family

IHC Verschure 1974

Winter Charter

From €625,000 p/w

Summer Charter

Adventure. Everywhere.

Built for the wanderlust explorer, 77.4m expedition yacht Legend features all the facilities required for Arctic and off the beaten track adventures, from submersibles to heli operations and jet skis. Comfortable in the harshest of environments, she is as at home in the polar regions as she is in the fjords of South America or Northern Europe, and a crew experienced in expedition charters prioritise guest comfort and safety.

Not for sale or charter to U.S. residents while in U.S. waters

CHARTER LOCATION

Winter: South America, Northern Europe, Scandinavia, Arctic, Antarctica

Summer: Mediterranean, West Mediterranean, East Mediterranean, Northern Europe, Scandinavia, Arctic

Standout Features

This is Legend

Class 1 Icebreaker

Legend is a Class 1 Icebreaker, reaching the unreachable.

Swedish Spa

Tranquility at sea with a Swedish Spa, pampering guests luxuriously.

Culinary Excellence

Gourmet delights from the award-winning onboard culinary team.

Multi-Functional Vessel

Supports submersibles, heli-ops, and dive expeditions in diverse terrains.

Gym equipped with state-of-the-art facilities for optimal fitness.

Cinema Room

Private cinema room hosts movie nights and expedition lectures seamlessly.

Spacious Accommodations

Accommodates up to 22 guests in 11 staterooms, with optional expedition staff.

Legendary Exploration

Helideck, toys maximize exploration in wild landscapes for Legend's guests.

Discover the Depths

Submarine onboard allows deep-sea exploration.

Yacht Video

Take a Tour On Board

Media Gallery

Legend Through the Lens

For the wanderlust explorer

Intrepid Explorer. Luxury Cruiser.

Don’t be fooled by her sturdy exterior; Legend’s line-up of amenities allows guests to live the superyacht lifestyle to the full. An ultra-heated on-deck hot tub and Balinese spa invite relaxation. A well-equipped gym provides diversion for active guests. And a private cinema room can play host to intimate movie nights or expedition lectures.

Stately Interiors

Legend’s interior spaces are expansive yet homely, thanks to a combination of rich marquetry and soft fabrics, while bespoke fittings, furniture and artwork retain her feeling of worldliness. Formal dining for the entire complement of guests, a piano and whisky bar are counted among her lavish social spaces, providing endless options for entertainment.

A Swedish style spa offers the perfect retreat after a day of exploring, with dedicated spa therapist, an 8-person Jacuzzi, sauna, massage/treatment room, and beauty salon. On the main deck, a 16-person ultra-heated Jacuzzi with waterfall feature offers panoramic views of the surrounding destination.

Main Deck Gym

Retreat to Legend’s main-deck gym, complete with a treadmill, step machine, cross trainer and free weights, for workouts with spectacular views of the sea.

Legend’s 14-seat cinema room has a full HD TV screen and professional 5.3 surround sound system, perfect for enjoying a movie with family or replaying footage of the day’s adventures.

Accommodation

Eleven City-Themed Cabins.

Legendary Cabins

Legend is fully equipped to accommodate up to 22 guests in 11 guest cabins, with the ability to bring on board up to 6 extra expedition staff if required. Her eight double cabins, one twin and two convertible cabins allow for extensive flexibility according to the charter group, each one of them offering the utmost levels of comfort.

Cabin Arrangement

Dedicated deck, his and hers ensuites, walk-in closet, study, lounge.

London suite on upper deck: ensuite, bath, shower, closet, study, lounge.

Moscow suite on main deck: ensuite, shower, bath, closet, office, lounge.

New York suite: bar, lounge, breakfast table, ensuite with shower/bath, closet.

Amsterdam suite: aft of Master, convertible twin/double, ensuite with shower.

Dubai suite: Master Deck, convertible to double, ensuite shower.

Beijing and Istanbul

Upper deck port side: Beijing and Istanbul suites with ensuite, closet, desk.

Tokyo and Surabaya

Upper deck starboard: Tokyo and Surabaya suites with ensuite, closet, desk.

Panama suite on upper deck, convertible to double, ensuite with shower.

Experts in Expedition

Tailor-Made Adventure

Legend’s crew to guest ratio of 28:22 rivals that of the most exclusive hotels. Expect bespoke service, world-class menus tailored exactly to your preferences, and activities and expeditions planned out to exacting detail. The only thing you have to do is enjoy.

Massage and Beauty Treatments

A fully-qualified spa therapist can soothe tired muscles with a range of massage treatments and can also keep guests looking their best by performing shellac manicures and pedicures and facials.

The Ultimate Adventure Squad

Legend’s 28 crew – which can be supplemented with up to six extra expedition staff if required – are experienced in expedition charters and prioritise guest comfort and safety.

Legendary Chefs

Two highly experienced chefs, with experience working in a variety of high-end restaurants and kitchens around the world, pride themselves on producing everything from scratch, no matter how remote the cruising. Tailoring each menu to guest needs, they can provide alternative menus for vegetarians and vegans, or those curious about trying to reduce meat consumption.

Ready. Set. Adventure.

What's in the Toybox

1 x submarine 2 x water skis 10 x snorkeling sets 1 x fishing equipment 2 x helicopters 10 x diving equipment 2 x wakeboards 6 x stand up paddle boards 4 x seabobs 7 x tenders 8 x kayaks 5 x inflatable toys 10 x snorkeling sets.

Please note that the tenders and toys on board the yachts are regularly updated. Please contact Y.CO for the most up to date list.

The Ultimate Toybox for Summer and Winter

Nowhere is out of reach with Legend’s wide selection of toys. Start the day with deep sea exploration with the onboard submarine and end it with your head in the clouds, lifting off from Legend’s fully-commercial helideck. Of course, if you’d rather keep your feet firmly at sea level, her Targa 37’ Chase Boat, two expedition tenders, jet-skis, kayaks, diving and ice-diving equipment will more than satisfy your exploration needs.

Heli Operations

Legend’s fully commercial helideck is capable of supporting a range of heli-operations, from airborne arrivals and departures to heli-skiing and remote exploration. A helicopter can be chartered at an extra cost, with heli-pilot accommodated in addition to the crew.

Whether Island hopping in the Mediterranean or exploring the polar regions of Antarctica and Svalbard, you can dive beneath the waves in comfort, thanks to Legend’s onboard U Boat Works C Explorer, which can carry 5 guests up to 200m below sea level.

37’ Targa Chase Boat - Summer Only

Available for Svalbard and the Mediterranean, Legend’s sleek 37’ Targa Chase Boat, aptly named Myth, has an interior living space and cabin and is perfect for longer excursions or transferring guests ashore in comfort and style.

Polar Expedition Equipment – Antarctica Only

Polar trekking and camping gear is carried on board, meaning your exploration of Antarctica needn’t finish at the shoreline.

Charter Legend in the Med

Balearic Beach Club

Palma to Palma. Pack a bikini and shorts. Our swim-snorkel-sunbathe tour of the Balearics’ 375 beaches is 100% fun in the sun.

Ultimate Greek Odyssey

Athens to Athens. Where history began. Embrace the pace with a demure paced cruise through the greatest of Greek Islands.

Croatia Treasure Islands

Dubrovnik to Sibenik. Cruise through an archipelago of 1,200 islands. Marvel at the history and beauty of the Dalmatian coast.

Italian Riviera Coast Of Colour

Genoa to Portovenere. Charter a yacht on the Italian Riviera’s most colourful coastline for cliff dives, nightclub jives and Italian dinners on deck.

Côte d'Azur Classic

Monaco to St Tropez. Cruise through the sybaritic history of the South of France. With a cast of painters, writers, winemakers and chefs.

Sardinia Circumnavigation

Bonifacio to Bonifacio. This itinerary begins and ends in Corsica, pouring French sparkle over La Dolce Vita and showcasing every island highlight.

7 Islands in 7 Days

Corfu to Zakynthos. Greece's Ionian Islands are a diverse playground of jaw dropping destinations entwined with ancient history.

Turkey Blue Coast Adventure

Gocek to Bodrum. Why swim from your beach club when you can cliff dive instead? Jump from a rope swing. Fall off a jetski. Or leap head-first down an inflatable slide.

Charter Legend in Northern Europe

A Land of Natural Phenomena

Frænfjorden to Stavanger. A natural wonderland of waterways and mountain peaks, Norway is a superyacht charter with a difference.

Adventures In The Arctic

Longyearbyen to Longyearbyen, Svalbard. Not as cold in summer as you might expect, these islands have a rugged beauty and offer unforgettable wildlife encounters.

Discover the Baltic Sea

Bergen to Riga. The Land of Fairytales, the Baltics may be small, but culturally, it is as diverse as it is beautiful.

Geothermal Springs, Rock & Lava Scapes

Reykjavik to Akureyri, Iceland. An untamed expanse that is teeming with wildlife and geographical phenomena. Thundering waterfalls, captivating scenery.

More Yachts Like Legend

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Top 10 largest explorer yachts in the world

Helipads. Dive centres. Ice-breaking hulls. Submersibles. What makes an explorer yacht? True to their name, explorer yachts are well equipped to take on adventurous journeys to the most far-flung places in the world. Equipped with a long-range and vast storage capacity for food, fuel and water to enable weeks at sea, expedition yachts are increasingly popular with owners wanting to leave behind the popular Mediterranean and Caribbean cruising grounds for more challenging adventures. We round up the top 10 largest explorer yachts in the world, starting with a new entry from German shipyard Lürssen...

Solaris | 139.7m

One of the most memorable launches of 2021, the 139.7 metre super explorer yacht Solaris travelled to the top of this coveted list of expedition yachts when she hit the water last year. The highly secretive project is built by Lloyd Werft , which also delivered the 115m explorer Luna in 2010, the fourth largest explorer yacht in the world. Spread across an impressive eight decks, Solaris was designed by Australian designer Marc Newson and hit the water for the first time at the German yard in February 2021. While nothing has been made public about the project, images of the superyacht show a large helipad, sun deck and spacious beach club aft.

Builder: Lloyd Werft
Country of build: Germany
Delivery year: 2021
Length Overall: 139.7 m
Gross Tonnage 11247 t

More about this yacht

Ulysses | 116.15m

After four years in construction, Ulysses first hit the water in summer 2018. The explorer yacht is almost 10 metres longer than her predecessor, the 107 metre Andromeda (formerly Ulysses ), which was commissioned by the same owner, New Zealand's richest man Graeme Hart. Kleven finished the yacht's technical build in Norway in December 2016, after which Ulysses was sent to Bremerhaven for interior and external completion under the project management of Dörries Maritime.

Ulysses is equipped with a heli-hangar on the top deck, a Bell 429 helicopter, and a fleet of high-speed and day-cruising tenders including a 21 metre Princess 68 stowed inside the well deck. Inside, her huge 18 metre beam is able to accommodate up to 66 guests.

Builder: Kleven
Country of build: Norway
Delivery year: 2018
Length Overall: 116.15 m
Gross Tonnage 6862 t

Luna | 115m

Delivered in 2010, Luna was built for Roman Abramovich as an upgraded replacement for his former exploration yacht Le Grand Bleu .

The yacht was later sold to Roman Abramovich's close friend, Farkhad Akhmedov in April 2014. The new owner sent her to the yard in Germany for an extensive 14-month refit costing €50 million and including around 130 jobs. Sporting exterior design by Frank Neubelt, Luna is famous for a low aft deck that sacrificed interior volume in favour of more space for sunbathing. The swimming pool takes centre stage and made headlines for being the largest ever seen on a superyacht at the time of delivery. Elsewhere, the yacht features two tender garages, a gym and an expansive beach club wrapping around a spa, with a steam bath, plunge pool and sauna. Two helipads sit on the upper deck while the entire lower deck is dedicated to the crew. Luna is ice-classed and built to the highest possible standards, allowing her to travel to the far reaches of the world's oceans.

Delivery year: 2010
Length Overall: 115 m
Gross Tonnage 5655 t

Le Grand Bleu | 112.8m

Le Grand Bleu was built for US telecommunications tycoon John McCaw who subsequently sold the yacht to the Russian businessman Roman Abramovich who had Le Grand Bleu refitted to his own specifications. The main addition was the 4.8 metre swim platform. Le Grand Bleu is now reportedly owned by Ambramovich's friend and business associate Eugene Shvidler.

The yacht has many features that make her ideal for exploration, including a large tender garage with storage for two sports boats as well as a landing craft capable of carrying a 4x4 Land Rover for excursions ashore. Le Grand Bleu even has a 22 metre sailing yacht and a 21 metre Sunseeker motor yacht stored on the aft deck. The yacht is operated by a massive crew of 65 staff.

Builder: Bremer Vulkan
Delivery year: 2000
Length Overall: 112.8 m
Beam: 17.68 m
Gross Tonnage 5556 t

Andromeda | 107.40m

First commissioned by New Zealand businessman Graeme Hart as Ulysses , Andromeda is now reportedly owned by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg . A capable explorer yacht ready for any conditions, Andromeda was built at Kleven Verft, a Norwegian company known for building offshore commercial vessels. Specially designed to have a long-range, Andromeda is capable of carrying 36 guests to the furthest corners of the world’s oceans and is equipped with an extensive inventory of toys and tenders, including six motorbikes, two ATVs, a helicopter, a twin-hulled 50-knot support boat, a Sealegs amphibious RIB and full-on landing craft. Guests each get very generous quarters, spread across three decks, with the choicest digs being the two VIPs on the boat deck, each with its own private superyacht balcony .

Delivery year: 2016
Length Overall: 107.4 m
Gross Tonnage 5937 t

Tranquility | 91.5m

The 91.5m explorer yacht Tranquility was the first yacht built to PYC standard when it was first delivered in 2014 by Dutch yard Oceanco originally called Equanimity. Since then, the yacht has enjoyed a colourful reputation, after being seized by Indonesian authorities at the request of the US Department of Justice in 2018 . The yacht hit the headlines again in 2019 as the renamed Tranquility when it played host to Kylie Jenner, who celebrated her 22nd birthday on board . However, one thing has remained constant. Tranquility has remained among the top 10 largest explorer yachts in the world since being it was first delivered in 2014. Spanning five decks, Tranquility is packed with premium superyacht features, including a foredeck helipad, spa and wellness area and 20 metre swimming pool. The tender garage houses two 10.5 metre Hodgson tenders – one sport and one limousine that can carry up to 12 guests and two crew each. Tranquility is well equipped for adventure with a range of water toys including Jet Skis, Wave Runners, SeaBobs and an electric surfboard.

Builder: Oceanco
Country of build: Netherlands
Delivery year: 2014
Length Overall: 91.5 m
Beam: 14.6 m
Gross Tonnage 2999 t

Voyager | 91.4m

The 91.4 metre explorer yacht Voyager is not only one of the largest explorer yachts in the world, but one of the most adventurous . The yacht travelled more than 27,000 nautical miles in 2020, exploring a selection of far-flung locations such as South Africa, Madagascar and Antarctica. The explorer entered this list in 2019, when it completed a three-year conversion from a supply ship into an explorer yacht. The yacht was first built by Swiftships in 1997 as Candy Trader with an initial length of 63 metres. It was later renamed HOS Trader in 2003 and used as an offshore supply ship. Now, the yacht features five decks and a crew of 70. Other features include multiple galleys, pantries and media rooms and a standout deep dive centre – one of the primary purposes of the yacht.

Builder: Swiftships
Country of build: United States of America
Delivery year: 1997
Length Overall: 91.4 m
Gross Tonnage 2785 t

Ice | 90.1m

One of the most iconic yachts in the world , Ice was sold to Suleiman Kerimov following delivery and is more than just imposing and stylish. Ice is also environmentally friendly, extremely quiet and free from vibration thanks to two Azipod units powered by up to eight Deutz generating sets. This provides household power and doesn't sacrifice performance, with the yacht still capable of reaching 18.6 knots.

One of the world's largest explorer yachts, Ice has an arsenal of toys and sailing dinghies as well as a helipad for the Eurocopter EC135 helicopter. A range of 6,000 nautical miles means she can travel anywhere in the world.

Delivery year: 2005
Length Overall: 90.1 m
Gross Tonnage 3268 t

Olivia O | 88.5m

Like many explorers on this list, the 88m Olivia O was built by a yard better known for its commercial vessels. The yacht was delivered by Ulstein Verft in 2020 and designed by legendary superyacht designer Espen Øino . Characterised by a striking reverse bow and explorer profile, Olivia O is believed to be the first time Ulstein’s trademarked X-Bow has appeared on a yacht. The feature pierces smaller waves and reduces pitching and roll in high seas. With a reported gross tonnage of just under 5000GT, Olivia O has plenty of room down below, including accommodation spread over five decks for a total of 20 guests in eight cabins, including Pullman beds. Olivia O also carries a full-time crew of 30. The interior, which was designed by Droulers , is “orientally themed”, specifically around Japan. Other features include a gym, cinema room, large swimming pool and helipad.

Builder: Ulstein Verft
Delivery year: 2020
Length Overall: 88.5 m
Beam: 16.3 m
Gross Tonnage 4989 t