The Xpedition’s stateroom offers an amazing view
I grew up reading National Geographic, and Jacques Cousteau was an early hero. The oceans called to me. I’d rather watch orcas hunting in Glacier Bay than performing for me at a marine show. But I didn’t want to explore them aboard a party boat.
After a Caribbean cruise to ports of mostly store-lined waterfronts, I hunted for cruise ships from which I could disembark in the wildest, most remote places on earth. Lest you stop reading, fearing I’m leading you into piranha-infested water (that comes later), know that this article is about small expedition ships with luxury accommodations and ports in the middle of nowhere that appeal to more than just rugged nature lovers.
Perhaps because environmentalists tell us they may not last, places of rare beauty are undergoing a kind of worshipful popularity. Just as interest is peaking, small expedition ships that go beyond the beyond are being introduced.
In the Americas, this is particularly so. Think the Galapagos, the Amazon, Patagonia—places that still speak the language of sky, sea, and forest from a forgotten time.
Galapagos Islands Aboard Celebrity Xpedition
National Geographic coverage uncovered the rarity of the Galapagos Islands; they became renowned for featuring the oddest fauna in the world, and as a place where blue-footed boobies crash into schools of fish, where twenty-six highly adapted species of Darwin’s finches mate and nest (helping the naturalist formulate the theory of evolution), and where giant tortoises enjoy twice the life span of humans.
Charles Darwin would envy the amenities and luxuries of the Celebrity Xpedition. The ninety-passenger ship provides just what you want, but wouldn’t expect, in the Galapagos: a stateroom that opens to the outdoors. After a busy day with the boobies, you can sit on your veranda wrapped in a Frette bathrobe, perhaps catching sight of iguanas silhouetted at sunset. You can sip champagne or anything your heart desires aboard this all-inclusive luxury liner.
The M/V Aqua on the Amazon
Amazon River with Aqua Expeditions
No place on earth illuminates nature’s puckish ways better than Peru’s Amazon River. The M/V Aqua, operated by Aqua Expeditions, chugs upriver from Iquitos at a steady ten knots leaving behind villages and all signs of civilization. On day six, the ship reaches Pacaya Samiria Reserve, the world’s largest wetlands. Exploring the reserve’s waterways, passengers click cameras until their fingers cramp. Tamarins peer out from trees with tufted-hair faces like Dr. Seuss characters; other monkeys scamper and caterwaul, and tropical birds sport plumage like drag queens of the Amazon.
The guides take guests out every day in launches often escorted by pods of pink river dolphins. On one afternoon expedition, you can try your hand at spearing piranha. Don’t be surprised when the catch of the day appears on the dinner menu. As the ship’s twenty-eight passengers dine on Peruvian specialties, the riverbank slips by. Come sundown, the illuminated ship piques the curiosity of nocturnal animals, drawn by the strange sight. The ship’s naturalist can put a name to the amber eyes glowing in the dark. No jaguars lurk in these parts to disturb your sleep, but that’s not in jeopardy anyway because you have the delight of sleeping in the tropics on a king-sized bed in an air-conditioned cabin.
The Atomsphere is the ultimate adventure boat
Patagonia with Nomads of the Seas
Also not to be missed is the Chilean Patagonia. The twenty-eight-passenger Atmosphere, operated by Nomads of the Seas, grants access to untouched rivers, lakes, and lagoons teeming with life. The ship covers six hundred nautical miles from the bay of Puerto Montt to the Taitao peninsula, and it’s outfitted to the nines with kayaks, fly fishing gear, and a helicopter.
One day the copter flies over snowcapped volcanoes, another it lands next to natural hot springs. The Zodiac zips guests up a stream, landing beside a thick, evergreen rainforest, with coigüe, laurel, and larches which date back more than 4,000 years. A short hike also reveals cougar tracks and midget deer camouflaged among the trees.
Coming off the day’s adrenaline rush, women retire to thalassotherapy pools on the upper desk, and guys head to the stern for cigars and cognac. The Peruvian chef pairs each course with reserve wines from Chile. Luxuries, never before seen in this part of the world, appear like magic from the galley.
The Orion In Papua New Guinea
In a previous century, a trip to this remote corner of the Pacific Ocean would have earned you Explorers Club membership. The Orion sails passengers to inaccessible areas in five-star comfort. More a mega-yacht than an expedition ship, the vessel pampers 106 guests with marble bathrooms, a health spa, internet access, a celebrity chef and crack expedition team.
Zodiacs land at different islands every day so you can swim and snorkel in turquoise water, then stretch out on white sand. On Fergusson Island, the locals still cook in a beachside hot spring. In the garden town of Madang, you can browse the crafts market for shell jewelry, wood carvings and woven bags. A highlight of the cruise is the optional charter flight to the Goroka Highlands, where mud-men perform war dances. Their mud masks were once used to frighten their enemies during warfare and still serve today in payback raids against neighboring villages to address wrongdoings.
Windstar In The Adriatic Sea
Leave the legions of folks cruising the Mediterranean for a summer idyll in the Adriatic. The elegant dining—with Rosenthal china and Riedel wine glasses—makes up for the small cabins. The Windspirit (and the identical Windstar) is supremely outfitted for water sports. Guests spend their days waterskiing, windsurfing, kayaking, sailing, tubing, and snorkeling. The push of a button unfurls the computer-operated sails; the ship has six total, four of which billow from 204-foot masts.
Heads turn when a tall ship pulls into port. On the Venice-to-Venice route, the ship calls on Croatia’s rarely visited ports. Known for its first-century temples and amphitheater, Pula was regarded by the Romans as a source of healing and pleasure. Hvar, in the heart of Dalmatia, has a sunlit piazza, cathedral and highly regarded wines.
Nature’s protected enclaves live on as memorials to a time when the earth was young, preserving wonders that will engage the most seasoned traveler. Albeit now, exploring and experiencing such far-off destinations is a tad more luxe.
Home for Donna Peck is Noe Valley. She writes for a variety of lifestyle publications, on everything from wining and dining to great escapes. She thanks pink river dolphins and blue-footed boobies for adding color to her life.
