Cruising the Amalfi Coast with Peter Sommer Travels Italy.
GERMANY DISCOVERED
Uniworld has a new river-cruise itinerary this year between Munich and Cologne. The Rhine-Main Discovery & Munich cruise on River Ambassador sails two of Europe's most culturally dense rivers with two nights in a hotel in Munich, from which an excursion can be made to Neuschwanstein castle or to Dachau concentration camp. Ports of call include Nuremberg, Bamberg, Würzburg, Miltenberg, Braubach and Cologne, with visits to Heidelberg, Strasbourg, and a focus on the Jewish history of this region. The cruise also has selected family-friendly sailing dates for programs and shore excursions aimed at children.
Phone 1300 780 231. See uniworldcruises.com.au
COASTING ALONG
Peter Sommer Travels has two new sailings departing from Naples on September 2 and September 9, 2017, that explore Italy's spectacular Amalfi Coast by yacht. The 10-guest cruises feature seven nights aboard a wooden gullet (traditional Turkish sailboat) and are escorted by art historian Francesca del Vecchio and archaeologist Dr Sophy Downes for an inside perspective on this famous coastline. The tour visits the islands of Capri and Ischia, the ruins of Pompeii and the towns of Positano and Amalfi, as well as lesser-known sites such as the ancient underwater city at Baia and Villa Oplontis for its Roman frescoes.
See petersommer.com
SPIRIT OF ADVENTURE
Boutique adventure-travel operator Travel Directors has a new tour that follows in the footsteps of explorer Ernest Shackleton through Antarctica. The 29-day itinerary departs Australia on February 29, 2018. The tour begins in Santiago and Valparaiso and takes in the Chilean-Argentinian Lake District before a flight south to Ushuaia. The following 16-night cruise on Sea Spirit follows Shackleton's route across the Drake Passage to South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula to the explorer's grave site. After a call at the Falkland Islands and Puerto Madryn, the journey ends with three nights in Buenos Aires.
Phone 1300 856 661. See traveldirectors.com.au
TOUCH OF PARADISE
Vietnam luxury travel company Paradise has launched the first of two Paradise Elegance cruise ships in Halong Bay, currently the biggest overnight option in the World Heritage site bar major cruise ships on Asian itineraries. The ship's 31 cabins feature private balconies, walk-in closets, rain showers and floor-to-ceiling glass doors. Public areas include a dining room with piano bar, sundeck with bar, and a spa with four treatment rooms. Excursions by tender include visits to Halong Bay's caves, islands and fishing villages. The second ship is expected in June, bringing the Paradise fleet to 11.
See paradisecruise.com
ICE ADVENTURES
Chimu Adventures has launched Antarctica cruises in late 2017 and early 2018, including a Shackleton's Antarctica cruise that follows the route of explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, a Frozen Frontier itinerary hosted by Peter FitzSimons, and an In the Wake of Mawson voyage that sails out of Hobart. New experiences on these cruises include ice camping, mountain climbing and skiing. If you don't have the time to cruise, the company has also launched scenic Antarctica in a Day flights from Melbourne, Sydney and Perth for those wanting an aerial peek at the great white continent.
Phone 1300 720 564. See chimuadventures.com
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