by A cruise up a mountain may conjure up images of Noah’s Ark, unceremoniously wedged atop Mount Ararat after the Flood. But in fact, there are some innovative lines that have realized that there are many passengers who love the comfort and inclusivity of a cruise, but who don’t necessarily want to spend their entire vacation floating at sea level. The result? They’ve decided to inject a little altitude, and with the (literal) highs and lows of some of the most spectacular corners of the world combined, they create epic itineraries.
One such cruise company is Viking, which has teamed up with the iconic Rocky Mountaineer Railway to offer an inspired extension to its Alaska cruise. The journey begins among the icy bays and inlets of the 49th state, before ascending into deep gorges, dense forests, towering snow-capped mountains, fast-flowing whitewater rivers and vast lakes.
On the water, I saw countless glaciers spread across miles of high mountain or bright blue terrain and falling toward the ocean, the ship close enough that we could hear their moans as they calved icebergs into the icy green waters.
On a catamaran in Resurrection Bay, a sea otter floated by; a bald eagle perched among deep green trees; a dozen sea lions rested on the rocks; while jellyfish, which looked remarkably like fried eggs, transparent except for a bright yellow center, floated in the bluish-green waters of an inlet. Meanwhile, a colony of seals watched us myopia from a pebble beach, then a group of about 30 orcas arrived to swim alongside us until one of them burst out of the water wearing three magnificent pants.
Then we hit the tracks and the Rocky Mountains, where bears fished at the water’s edge, deer watched from the woods, ospreys nested on bridges, bald eagles soared, and salmon leapt, all framed by massive mountains. panoramic windows of warm glass windows. vaulted cars. So it’s not your typical cruise.
Essentials
Anna Selby was a guest of Rocky Mountaineer (rockymountaineer.com) and Viking Cruises (0800 319 66 60; viking.com), which offers the 10-night ‘Alaska and the Inside Passage’ cruise from £5,590pp, calling in Vancouver . , Ketchikan, Sitka, Juneau, Skagway, Valdez and Seward. Includes flights, transfers, all meals (including drinks), excursions, Wi-Fi and tips. It comes out on May 14. The five-night Rocky Mountaineer extension costs from £3,999 per person.
7 More Mountain Cruises to Book Now
The Jungfrau, Switzerland
Tauck’s cruise of the Rhine, the Swiss Alps and Amsterdam starts quite high (in Zurich) and continues to climb as you ascend by cog railway to the Jungfraujoch station, also known as the “top of Europe”, at 3,454 m above sea level. The scenery is quite impressive (except when you are inside the mountain) and there is a snowy outdoor platform, even in summer, to take the best altitude selfie.
After two nights at the Bellevue Palace Hotel in Bern, on the third day you will board your ship in Basel and cruise down the Rhine, that most romantic of rivers, over the next week, stopping at Karlsruhe, Cologne and Baden-Baden. with plenty of excursions and events (like a private dinner with the owners of a 14th-century castle) along the way.
Reserve: Tauck (0800 810 8020; tauck.co.uk) offers the nine-night “Rhine, Swiss Alps and Amsterdam” cruise from £5,030 per person, including all excursions, gratuities, drinks and transfers, but excluding flights. Several trips in April and May, then from July to October.
Machu Picchu, Peru
So numerous are the mountains involved in Hurtigruten’s Machu Picchu and Galapagos Islands cruise, that you won’t see your ship until the sixth day. Before that, you’ll be high in the Andes, staying in Lima, Quito and Cuzco, and visiting not only the iconic Machu Picchu but also the Cotopaxi volcano (“Neck of the Moon” in Quechua) in Ecuador. You’ll hike up to about 12,800 feet and see not only the active volcano (19,393 feet) and its enormous crater, but also one of the few equatorial glaciers in the world. So has everything been going downhill since day six? Only in the most literal sense.
Next stop is the Galapagos and then it will be a week of giant tortoises, evolving iguanas and blue-footed boobies.
Reserve: Hurtigruten (0208 846 2666; hurtigruten.co.uk) has several 13-day cruises from Machu Picchu to the Galapagos from £7,700 per person, including all tours, accommodation, flights and local and international transfers. Several departures between now and March.
Ben Nevis, Scotland
A little closer to home are the Scottish Highlands and Western Isles. Hebridean’s “Footloose Through the Western Seaboard” itinerary is tailor-made for walkers, making it one of the few cruises where you won’t spend the usual half a stone in a week (although they do their best anyway, with two gala dinners in just seven nights). The best-known mountain landscape here is the atmospheric landscape of Glencoe, where you can take a full-day walk in the foothills of Ben Nevis, but there is also the Paps, the wild mountain landscape of the island of Jura.
There are also plenty of quieter walking options and spectacular scenic cruises around Mull, Islay and the Firth of Lorn.
Reserve: Hebridean Island Cruises (01756 704704; hebridean.co.uk) offers a seven-night return trip from Oban from £5,200pp, all-inclusive. It departs April 23, with three more Footloose cruises scheduled for later in the year, all with different itineraries.
Mount Etna, Sicily
It is not exactly a mountain, but rather the largest active volcano in Europe, with a height of about 3,340 m (11,000 ft). Star Clippers offers two excursions to Etna on its Amalfi and Sicily cruise: either take a 4×4 and complete a grueling hike to the top, to gaze with some satisfaction over the Gulf of Catania and the forests, orchards and vineyards below; or take a scenic bus tour of the lower levels and enjoy a Sicilian brunch on the slopes. Etna drops halfway on a cruise that begins and ends in Civitavecchia (the port of Rome) and visits Lipari, Messina, Amalfi, Sorrento and Ponza.
Your cruise takes place on the Star Flyer, a replica of a four-masted clipper ship; The goal is to use the sails as much as possible, so expect plenty of 19th-century romance, but with much larger cabins than you would have found in the original. tea hair clipper
Reserve: Star Clippers (01473 242666; starclippers.co.uk) has a seven-night trip from £1,899 per person, including return flights from London, full board, transfers and port charges, but no additional excursions. Departure May 11 (with multiple alternative dates).
Mount Athos, Greece
The spiritual capital of the Orthodox Christian world sits atop the easternmost stretch of the Halkidiki peninsula in the Aegean Sea, and its densely forested slopes reach all the way to the summit (6,670 feet). Commonly considered a monastery, Mount Athos actually has 20 of them. It is home to around 2,000 monks, some of whom live in cells and caves dotted around the mountain. Religious protocol means only men are allowed to visit, but while walking, ladies can watch from the comfortable deck of the Maid Marian 2, while sipping the free-flowing champagne or riding a Seabob (jet skis that can submerge 40m) . ).
This privately owned vintage yacht is available for charter between May and September, and has a crew of six on board, including a top chef. You plan your own itinerary with the captain, meaning a typical week could start in Thessaloniki and continue to Sani Marina (also known as the Monaco of Greece), Mount Athos and the lovely hidden beaches, small islands and coastal towns of the region: Afitos, Vourvourou. , Neos Marmaras, Parthenonas: where you will often have the accommodation to yourself.
Reserve: Maid Marian 2 (maidmarian2.com) has a seven-night trip for 10 adults (shared) for €80,000 (£68,580), which includes all meals, drinks and excursions, but not international flights.
Table Mountain, South Africa
Spanning three months, Fred Olsen’s journey “The Fearless Beauty of Africa and the Indian Ocean” will likely be packed with highlights. Among them will surely be three nights spent in Cape Town beneath Table Mountain and, indeed, a day atop its remarkably flat summit. You can take the long walk up (it takes about nine hours, although you stop for lunch and take the cable car down) or opt for one of the less demanding options.
Other stops include Zanzibar, Madagascar, the Maldives and Seychelles, the Suez Canal, the pyramids and Valley of the Kings, India, Oman, Senegal and Togo, not to mention the chance to spot 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.
Reserve: Fred Olsen (fredolsencruises.com) has the 93-night ‘Fearless Beauty of Africa and the Indian Ocean’ voyage from £9,999pp (departs Southampton 19 November). Alternatively, you can choose to do a single section, such as the 60-night Seychelles to Southampton voyage (from £7,999pp, including flights; departs December 21), or the 36-night Seychelles to Cape Town voyage ( from £5,999 per person including flights; departs December 22).
