Our Story
With an award-winning fleet of six vessels sailing 12 destinations, Aqua Expeditions has expanded its global presence since 2007 and become a leading luxury small-ship expedition company.
The history of Aqua Expeditions
2007 - 2008Birth of Aqua ExpeditionsAfter years of experience in international tourism, founder Francesco Galli Zugaro sought to reshape the landscape of luxury expedition cruising starting with the Peruvian Amazon.
2011Aria Amazon sets sailAria Amazon made her debut in 2011 and now, after over a decade sailing the Peruvian Amazon, she has become a classic expedition ship who is well known in these waters.
2014Enter the MekongCrossing over to the other side of the world, Aqua Expeditions’ next river ship took on the mighty waters of Cambodia and Vietnam. Aqua Mekong launched in October 2014 and ever since then, she has shown guests the incredible sights and culture of Indochina.
2019Into the oceanAfter a decade of exploring rivers, Aqua Expeditions unveiled its very first long-range explorer yacht in the waters of East Indonesia. Aqua Blu operates 7- and 12-night itineraries across three destinations: Bali-Komodo, the Spice Islands, and Raja Ampat
2021Back and betterWith Aria Amazon still going strong, it was time to introduce another vessel in the Peruvian Amazon. The state-of-the-art Aqua Nera joined her sister ship in 2021 and has since taken over the mantle as the finest river ship in the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve.
2022Towards enchantmentPrior to Aqua Expeditions, Galli Zugaro spent a significant part of his career in the Galapagos Islands. As such, he had always dreamt of coming full circle. With Aqua Mare – the Galapagos’ first superyacht – dreams turned to reality and Aqua Blu found a companion yacht halfway across the world.- 2023Into uncharted territoriesFurthering its quest to sail the world’s most remote destinations, Aqua Expeditions unveiled new itineraries to West Papua & Asmat on board Aqua Blu.
2025Joining the PONANT FamilyPONANT EXPLORATIONS GROUP, a world leader in luxury expedition cruises — for small ships under 500 passengers — acquired a majority stake in Aqua Expeditions, enabling Aqua to further expand its footprint in experiential travel.
2025A third and fourth continentAqua Expeditions expands to East Africa and the Arctic Circle with Aqua Lares, the world’s first luxury superyacht offering both charter and cabin bookings for 5- to 14-night voyages exploring Seychelles, Tanzania, the Norwegian Arctic, and Scottish Isles.
Francesco Galli Zugaro
Leveraging his expertise in international tourism and experience in the world-renowned cruise destination of the Galapagos Islands, Francesco Galli Zugaro launched Aqua Expeditions in 2007 in Peru as the pioneer luxury small-ship river cruise operator in South America with global ambitions.
As CEO, Galli Zugaro has personally supervised every Aqua Expeditions vessel launch, completely changing the landscape of luxury expedition cruising around the world.
Unprecedented acclaim has followed the ships’ elegant, trailblazing style and bespoke guest experience, featuring personalized service with a 1:1 crew-to-guest ratio, world-class cuisine by celebrated chefs, and immersive, expert-led excursions into wildlife and culture. Aqua Expeditions has received rave reviews and prestigious awards from the world’s leading travel media including Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, Forbes, Robb Report, Departures, The Times, The Australian and more.
A distinguished speaker, Galli Zugaro is regularly asked to share his travel industry insights on innovation, sustainability, entrepreneurship, and market trends at a diverse range of leadership gatherings. His focus also lies in driving sustainable development through travel, prioritizing the social and environmental impacts and solutions of operating in culturally significant and unspoiled natural destinations.
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