by A sea voyage going up a mountain could shatter images of Noah’s ark, unceremoniously wedged atop Mount Ararat after the Flood. But, in fact, there are a few innovative lines that have realized that there are plenty of passengers who love the comfort and comprehensiveness of a cruise, but don’t want to spend their entire vacation walking at sea level. The result? They’ve decided to inject a little height – and with the (literal) highlights of some of the world’s most spectacular corners together, boy does it make for some epic itineraries.
One such cruise company is Viking, which has partnered with the iconic Rocky Mountaineer railroad to offer an inspired extension to its Alaska cruise. The journey begins among the frozen bays and inlets of the 49th state, before reaching deep gorges, dense forests, soaring snow-capped mountains, rushing whitewater rivers, and vast lakes.
On the water, I saw many glaciers scattered across the terrain miles of high or blue mountains glistening and falling down into the ocean, the ship close enough that we could hear their groans as they calve icebergs into the green waters freezing
On a catamaran in Resurrection Bay, a water dog swam alongside; a bald eagle sat among the deep green trees; a dozen sea lions lounged on the rocks; and jelly fish – looking remarkably like fried eggs, transparent but for a bright yellow center – over the colored waters of the inlet. Meanwhile, a colony of seals watched us briefly from a pebbly beach, then a pod of about 30 orcas swam alongside us until one pulled itself out of the water in three spectacular lunges.
Then it was onto the tracks and into the Rockies, where bears fished at the water’s edge, deer peered out of the woods, ospreys nested on bridges, bald eagles soared and leaping salmon – all framed by the panoramic windows. huge hot glass. dome carriages. Not your usual cruise, then.
Fundamentals
Anna Selby was a guest of Rocky Mountaineer (rockymountaineer.com) and Viking Cruises (0800 319 66 60; viking.com), whose 10-night “Alaska and the Inside Passage” cruise from £5,590 per person, calls at Vancouver. , Ketchikan, Sitka, Juneau, Skagway, Valdez and Seward. Includes flights, transfers, all meals (including drinks), tours, Wi-Fi and gratuities. Departing on May 14th. A five-night Rocky Mountaineer extension costs from £3,999 per person.
7 more mountain tours to book now
The Jungfrau, Switzerland
Tauck’s cruise through the Rhine, the Swiss Alps & Amsterdam starts quite high (in Zürich) and continues to climb as you ascend by roller coaster to Jungfraujoch station, known as “the top of Europe ”, at 3,454m above sea level. The scenery is breathtaking (except when you’re inside the mountain) and there’s an outdoor platform – even in summer – for the ultimate height selfie.
After two nights at the Hotel Bellevue Palace in Bern, on the third day board your ship in Basel and Cruise the Rhine, the most romantic of the rivers, for the next week, stopping at Karlsruhe, Cologne and Baden-Baden, with plenty of tours and events (like a private dinner with the owners of a 14th-century castle) along the way.
Book it: Tauck (0800 810 8020; tauck.co.uk) nine-night “The Rhine, Swiss Alps & Amsterdam” cruise from £5,030 per person, including all tours, gratuities, drinks and transfers but excluding flights included. Some launches in April and May, then from July to October.
Machu Picchu, Peru
There are so many mountains on Hurtigruten’s Machu Picchu and Galapagos Islands cruise, you won’t see your ship until the sixth day. Before that, you’ll be high in the Andes, staying in Lima, Quito and Cusco and visiting not only the iconic Machu Picchu but also the Cotopaxi Volcano (“Neck of the Moon” in Quechua) in Ecuador. You will walk to around 12,800 feet and not only will you see the active volcano (19,393 feet) and its crater, but one of the few equatorial glaciers in the world. So is it all downhill from day six? Except in the most literal sense.
The next stop is the Galapagos and then it’s a week of giant tortoises, evolutionary iguanas and blue-footed tits.
Book it: Hurtigruten (0208 846 2666; hurtigruten.co.uk) has a number of 13-day trips from Machu Picchu to the Galapagos from £7,700 per person, including all trips, accommodation, local and international flights and transfers. Various events between now and March.
Ben Nevis, Scotland
A little closer to home are the Highlands of Scotland and the Western Isles. The Hebridean “Footloose through the Western Seaboard” itinerary is tailor-made for walkers, so it’s one of the few cruises where you won’t put on the usual fifty stone in a week (although they do try their best, with two big dinners in just seven nights). The mountain scenery is best known here in the evocative landscape of Glencoe, where you can walk for a whole day at the foothills of Ben Nevis – but there are also the Paps, the wild mountain landscape of the Isle of Jura.
There are also many gentler walking options, and scenic hiking around Milne, Islay and Lorne Basin.
Book it: Hebridean Island Cruises (01756 704704; hebridean.co.uk) offers a seven-night round trip from Oban for £5,200 per person, all inclusive. It will depart on April 23, and three more Footloose cruises are scheduled for later in the year, all with different itineraries.
Mount Etna, Sicily
It’s not exactly a mountain – but the largest active volcano in Europe, rising to around 11,000ft (3,340m). Star Clippers offers two trips to Etna on its Amalfi and Sicily cruise: take a 4×4 and complete a grueling hike to the peak, so you can look out in delight across the Gulf of Catania and the woods, orchards and vineyards below; or take a scenic bus tour around the lower levels and enjoy a Sicilian brunch on the slopes. Etna falls halfway on a cruise that starts and ends in Civitavecchia (the port of Rome) and visits Lipari, Messina, Amalfi, Sorrento and Ponza.
Your cruise is on the Star Flyer, a replica of a four-masted clipper ship – the aim is to use the sails as much as possible, so expect plenty of 19th century romance, but with much larger cabins than you found on the original. tea clippers.
Book it: Star Clippers (01473 242666; starclippers.co.uk) has a seven-night cruise from £1,899 per person, including return flights from London, full board, transfers and port charges but not additional excursions. Departs May 11 (with multiple alternate dates).
Mount Athos, Greece
The spiritual capital of the Orthodox Christian world is situated on the easternmost point of the Halkidiki peninsula in the Aegean Sea, its densely forested slopes reaching up to the summit (6,670 feet). It is commonly thought of as a monastery, and there are actually 20 of them in Mount Athos. About 2,000 monks live there, some living in cells and caves around the mountain. Religious protocol means that only men are allowed to visit, but although they walk, the ladies can watch from the comfortable deck of the Maid Marian 2, while sipping on the free-flowing champagne or riding on Seabob (water divers that can dive to 40m). ).
The privately owned vintage yacht is available on charter between May and September, with a crew of six on board, including an excellent chef. You plan your own itinerary with the captain, meaning a typical week might start in Thessaloniki and go on to Sani Marina (aka the Monaco of Greece), Mt Athos and the beautiful hidden beaches, small islands and seaside villages of the region – Afitos, Vourvourou , Neos Marmaras, Parthenonas – where you often have the place to yourself.
Book it: Maid Marian 2 (maidmarian2.com) has a seven-night trip for 10 adults (sharing) for €80,000 (£68,580), including all meals, drinks and excursions but not international flights.
Table Mountain, South Africa
Over the past three months, Fred Olsen’s “The Intrepid Beauty of Africa and the Indian Ocean” tour is likely to have many highlights. Among them will certainly be the three nights spent in Cape Town under Table Mountain, and indeed a day on top of its summit will be extremely fair. You can take the long walk up (it takes around nine hours, although you stop for lunch and take the cable car down) or choose one of the less popular options.
Other stops include Zanzibar, Madagascar, the Maldives and Seychelles, the Suez Canal, the pyramids and the Valley of the Kings, India, Oman, Senegal and Togo – not to mention seeing Africa’s Big Five on safari. Another highlight? Wildlife TV presenter Michaela Strachan will be on board from Cape Town as part of an enrichment programme.
Book it: Fred Olsen (fredolsencruises.com) 93-night “Intrepid Beauty of Africa & Indian Ocean” cruise from £9,999 per person (departs Southampton 19 November). Alternatively, you can choose to do one part, such as the 60-night sailing from Seychelles to Southampton (from £7,999 per person including flights; departure 21 December), or the 36-night sailing from Seychelles to Cape Town (from £5,999). per person including flights; departs December 22).
