1. Whales and volcanoes in Iceland and the Azores
Fred Olsen has joined forces with Orca, the marine conservation charity, for a 17-night cruise on Borealis combining four ports in Iceland with three in the subtropical Azores, departing from Liverpool. Orca’s team will conduct marine mammal surveys from the deck; passengers are invited to join in. You’ll be on the lookout for blue whales, pilot whales, orcas and humpbacks. The team will give talks, hold workshops and escort guests along remote shorelines in the ship’s Zodiac inflatables.
Details Seventeen nights’ full board from £2,499pp, departing on April 19, 2022 (fredolsencruises.com)
2. Along the Ganges with William Dalrymple
The story of the East India Company will unfold on this slow boat up the Ganges as the acclaimed author William Dalrymple brings locations and events from his latest historical page-turner, The Anarchy, to life. The smart 56-passenger Ganges Voyager sails a round trip from Kolkata, visiting historic battlefields, intricate Hindu temples at Kalna, riverside villages and, from Murshidabad, the Hazarduari Palace with its dazzling antiques.
Details Ten nights’ full board from £4,995pp, departing on February 23, 2022 (steppestravel.com). Fly to Kolkata
3. On Indonesia’s Wallace trail
Dr George Beccaloni leads this voyage through Indonesia’s Coral Triangle on the traditional wooden sailing boat Ombak Putih. Starting in Sorong, you’ll explore the jungles where Wallace discovered hundreds of species and where the underwater life is unparallelled.
Details Fourteen nights (eleven nights’ full board on the boat and three nights’ B&B in hotels) from £6,398pp, including flights and transfers, departing on January 23, 2022 (selectiveasia.com)
4. Music on the Rhine
Saga, the over-50s specialist, has launched a range of tours covering everything from music to astronomy. Aboard the new Spirit of the Rhine musicians from the Royal Academy of Music will play works by Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Schumann in six concerts on this sailing from Amsterdam. Insights from a guest lecturer will bring the ports where the great composers lived and performed into context.
Details Seven nights’ full board from £1,649pp, including drinks with meals, Eurostar and home pick-up, departing on April 6, 2022 (travel.saga.co.uk)
5. Norwegian fjords with the Hairy Bikers
Dave Myers and Simon King, aka the Hairy Bikers, will be cooking their favourite dishes against a backdrop of the Norwegian fjords on board Holland America Line’s new flagship, Rotterdam. You’ll sail from Amsterdam and visit Bergen, Geirangerfjord and Alesund. The duo will host a cooking demo, a Q&A session and a cocktail party.
Details Seven nights’ full board from £1,259pp, including Eurostar, departing on June 19, 2022 (ts.tripsmiths.com)
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6. Wine tasting in the Wachau
Experts from the English winemaker Chapel Down are the hosts on this seven-night sailing along the Danube from Budapest to Vilshofen. The smart AmaCerto will cruise from the Hungarian capital to Vienna, then head through the Wachau Valley, one of Austria’s top wine regions. Along the way there will be tastings, vineyard tours and wine-paired dinners, including a chance to sample Chapel Down’s sparkling and white wines.
Details Seven nights’ full board from £2,489pp, including wine with meals, excursions and flights, departing on November 13 (amawaterways.com)
7. Trace your roots in the British Isles
Delve into your family tree on this 12-night voyage on Regent’s ultra-luxurious Seven Seas Voyager. This Spotlight on Heritage cruise around the British Isles, sailing from Dublin, will be accompanied by Kyle Betit and Celia Heritage of AncestryProGenealogists. Their presentations and private sessions will help you to trace your roots.
Details Twelve nights’ all-inclusive from £8,239pp, including excursions and flights, departing on July 3, 2022 (rssc.com)
8. Anthropology in Central America
Explore the steaming rainforests of Costa Rica, Panama’s impenetrable Darien Jungle, and the remote coastlines of Colombia and Ecuador on this 11-night expedition on the luxurious Silver Wind, departing from Puntarenas. The anthropologist Dr Claire Allum will share stories of her work, including from her time living with the aboriginal Chachi tribe in Ecuador’s jungle. Besides hiking, snorkelling and kayaking, excursions include a day with the Embera tribe in Darien and a visit to a Panama hat-maker.
Details Eleven nights’ all-inclusive from £5,130pp, including excursions and flights, departing on October 27, 2022 (silversea.com)
9. Romans along the Rhône
The archaeologist Mark Corney, a Time Team regular and a specialist in Roman history, escorts this seven-night voyage from Chalon-sur-Saône to Arles on the riverboat A-ROSA Stella. Guided tours include the Gallo-Roman site of Bibracte, the Benedictine monastery at Cluny, and the Roman amphitheatres in Nîmes and Arles. There are nightly lectures.
Details Seven nights’ all-inclusive from £2,695pp, including flights, departing on October 16 (andantetravels.com)
10. Dame Darcey on the Danube
The former prima ballerina and Strictly Come Dancing judge Dame Darcey Bussell joins this dance-themed voyage on the Danube aboard the Scenic Jade. Departing from Budapest, the cruise calls at Vienna, where Bussell will compere a private concert at the Palais Liechtenstein. She will also host a Q&A session and a drinks reception. Other excursions include a day in Salzburg, cycling and wine tasting in the Wachau Valley, and a visit to a traditional brewery in Regensburg.
Details Seven nights’ all-inclusive from £2,320pp, including excursions and flights, departing on October 20 (scenic.co.uk)
11. Alaska with sir Ranulph Fiennes
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The explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes is the star speaker on this 19-night voyage from Tokyo to Vancouver. Fiennes will host lectures as the Queen Elizabeth glides past the icy fjords and forested wilderness of Alaska, telling stories of his madcap expeditions. Between talks you’ll explore ports such as Juneau and Ketchikan with hikes and kayak tours — or sip hot chocolate on deck, looking out for whales.
Details Nineteen nights’ full board from £2,650pp, including flights, departing on May 17, 2022 (cunard.com)
12. Sailing and Steinways
Three up-and-coming classical pianists selected by the piano-maker Steinway & Sons will play concerts on this sailing from Travemünde to Hamburg. Sea Cloud Spirit, the graceful new square-rigger, will circle Denmark, staying overnight in Copenhagen for a performance in the Danish Broadcasting Corporation’s futuristic concert hall. Steinway’s master piano-maker Ulrich Gerhartz will give talks on the history and construction of the piano.
Details Eight nights’ full board, including wine with meals, from £4,753pp, departing on August 6, 2022 (seacloud.de). Fly to Hamburg
13. Art in Abu Dhabi
Get behind the scenes of the Louvre Abu Dhabi on this art-themed voyage. Dr Yannick Lintz, the director of the Department of Islamic Art at the Louvre, will give lectures on the museum’s collections, culminating with a tour of the museum in Abu Dhabi. You’ll board the sleek expedition ship Le Jacques-Cartier in Muscat before visiting Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Details Eight nights’ all-inclusive from £3,770pp, departing on January 5, 2022 (uk.ponant.com). Fly to Muscat and return from Dubai
14. The Sea of Cortez with Sylvia Earle
Dr Sylvia Earle, a marine biologist, was the first female chief scientist of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Now she has lent her name to a ship, Aurora Expeditions’ new Sylvia Earle, and will be on board to explore Mexico’s Sea of Cortez next year. Besides enjoying the lecture programme, expect to snorkel with the dazzling marine life, spot blue whales and swim with sea lions. Plus there’s kayaking into sea caves and a barbecue under the stars.
Details Eight nights’ full board from £4,076pp, including one night in a hotel, wine with meals, all activities and crew tips, departing on May 4, 2022 (auroraexpeditions.co.uk). Fly to Los Cabos
15. Military history in the Balkans
Soak up tales of military history on this eight-night Danube voyage from Bucharest to Budapest in the company of Major General Patrick Cordingley, the commander of the Desert Rats during the 1991 Gulf War. You will stay overnight in Bucharest before boarding the elegant 1930s-inspired Royal Crown in Giurgiu. Stops include Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria’s ancient capital, the wind-sculpted sandstone rocks and fortress at Belogradchik, and Belgrade. There’s a full day on board as the ship squeezes through the narrow Iron Gates gorge.
Details Eight nights’ full board from £2,595pp, including wine with meals, excursions, one night in Bucharest, crew tips and flights, departing on October 3 (noble-caledonia.co.uk)
16. Antarctica with an astronaut
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Witness December’s total solar eclipse in Antarctica in the company of the astronaut Kathy Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space and a veteran of three Space Shuttle missions. She’ll be joined by the solar and space expert Dr David Crain. This 14-night trip starts in Santiago, Chile, with dinner at the Observatorio Astronomico Andino and a briefing about the eclipse. You’ll board the 199-passenger expedition ship Le Lyrial in Ushuaia and set out on a 12-night voyage to the Antarctic Peninsula, with landings on South Shetland, South Orkney and Elephant Island. On the day of the eclipse, conditions permitting, Le Lyrial will be in the centre of the path of totality.
Details Fourteen nights, including 12 all-inclusive on board and two in Santiago, from £16,175pp, including activities, departing on November 28 (abercrombiekent.co.uk). Fly to Santiago and return from Buenos Aires
17. Through the Northwest Passage
Follow in the wake of the Norwegian explorer on his namesake, Hurtigruten’s Roald Amundsen, through the icy Northwest Passage, on this 25-night expedition from Nome in Alaska to Greenland and Halifax. Whether you make it through the ice depends on conditions. However, what is guaranteed are whales, seals and narwhals, and there may be polar bears too. Experts onboard include a photographer, an archaeologist and local Inuit interpreters to escort visits.
Details Twenty-five nights’ full board from £14,426pp, including wine with meals, all activities, domestic flights and crew tips, departing on August 18, 2023 (hurtigruten.co.uk). Fly to Vancouver and return from Halifax
18. Archaeology in Turkey
Peter Sommer Travels is known for the top-notch experts who lead its small-group cruises on wooden gulets in Greece, Turkey, Italy and Croatia. This week-long voyage is a cruise-and-walk adventure, exploring archaeological sites along the mule tracks and shepherds’ paths of the Lycian Way, which winds along the coastline. You’ll see the ghost town of Kayakoy, the ancient citadel of Simena, and Patara, the capital of Roman Lycia.
Details Seven nights’ full board from £2,535pp, departing on May 15, 2022 (petersommer.com). Fly to Dalaman
19. Polynesian immersion in the Marquesas
The Polynesia expert Victoria Andrews will give talks on everything from early Pacific exploration to the work of the artist Paul Gauguin on Aranui 5’s 12-night sailing through the Marquesas islands. Starting in Papeete, you will explore the archaeological sites of the Taipivai Valley on Nuku Hiva and cross the volcanic peaks of Ua Huka by four-wheel drive or on horseback. On Hiva Oa there’s a visit to the former home of Gauguin. The voyage ends with a beach day on Bora Bora. Aranui 5 is a working ship, carrying cargo as well as passengers, with the all-Polynesian crew sharing their culture through food and music.
Details Twelve nights’ full board from £3,941pp, including excursions and drinks with meals, departing on October 7 (aranui.com). Fly to Papeete
20. On the trail of the Vikings
Dr Fenella Bazin, the author, knows a thing or two about Viking history. On this 14-night Viking Homelands sailing from Bergen to Stockholm she will give lectures on the voyages of the Vikings and will be on hand for one-to-one chats over coffee and cake. What’s appealing about this cruise is the pleasingly slow pace; the cruise includes overnight stays in Stockholm, Bergen and St Petersburg.
Details Fourteen nights’ full board from £5,390pp, including drinks with meals, excursions and flights, departing on May 19, 2022 (vikingcruises.co.uk)
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