This was published 9 years ago
The Shipping News: From Chilean fjords to Antarctic forests
A new luxury cruise takes you to extremes, writes Brian Johnston.
Exploring Patagonia.
HOT AND COLD
Cruise from the driest place on Earth to the snowbound southern tip of South America on a new luxury cruise-tour created by cruise specialists Ecruising.travel for 2016. The 17-night voyage starts in Santiago in Chile, followed by a flight north to the Atacama Desert for trekking, stargazing and landscape admiring. Then MV Via Australis takes you south to the Chilean fjords and the Tierra Del Fuego archipelago, where scenery takes in sub-Antarctic forest, glacial waterfalls and the fabulous peaks of the Torres del Paine.
Phone 1300 369 848. See ecruising.travel.
See the Spanish island of Majorca on Saga Cruises.
THREE'S COMPANY
Looks like APT is doing well when it comes to luxury expedition cruising. It already makes use of two small ships and now a third, MS Sea Explorer, joins its fleet this month. Owned by Poseidon Expeditions, the ship will undergo significant refurbishment in early 2016 and will cruise mainly in Scotland and Norway for APT. Like its sister vessels, Sea Explorer comes equipped with a fleet of inflatable Zodiacs, allowing trips to more remote places for the 100 or so passengers looking for something different to a regular cruise.
Phone 1300 196 420. See aptouring.com.au.
ROYAL VISIT
As part of Cunard's round-the-world program in 2016 – with berths already on sale – its right royal shops will be cruising Australian waters, providing the opportunity to enjoy at least one leg of the epic journeys. For the first time, Queen Elizabeth will sail into port in Adelaide and Newcastle. Queen Victoria will also be making its maiden round-trip cruise from Sydney on a voyage that takes in Hobart, Melbourne and, in a first for Cunard, Kangaroo Island. Brisbane, Fremantle, Cairns, the Whitsundays and Darwin are also on Cunard's itinerary.
Phone 13 24 41. See cunard.com.
CONTINUING SAGA
There's no end to the demand for new cruise destinations, and Saga Cruises is rising to the challenge in 2015 with four maiden ports of call in Europe. Saga Sapphire heads to Fredericia on Denmark's Jutland peninsula, whose fortress dates to 1650. The town remains a military base. Saga Pearl II sails to Kemi and Rauma in Finland; the latter is a World Heritage town notable for neo-Renaissance architecture. The ships also makes its debut in the medieval port of Alcudia in the Spanish island of Majorca as part of a Mediterranean spring cruise.
See travel.saga.co.uk.
A VINE ROMANCE
Several river-cruise companies operate out of Bordeaux in France, and now Scenic Tours has announced a new cruise starting from July next year. The 11-day jaunt sails the Dordogne and Garonne River and the Gironde Estuary, docking at Cadillac, Libourne, Blaye, Pauillac and Bordeaux, all of which are destinations sure to please wine lovers. The cruise aboard Scenic Diamond also takes in market towns, fortresses and historic villages. With no overnight sailing on this languid journey, even the lightest sleepers should be satisfied.
Phone 1300 723 642. See scenictours.com.au.
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