A cruise up a mountain may conjure up images of Noah’s Ark, which was unceremoniously wedged onto the top of 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 inclusivity of a cruise, but don’t necessarily want to spend their entire vacation at sea level. The result? They’ve decided to add some height – and with the (literal) highs and lows of some of the world’s most spectacular corners combined, it makes for some epic routes.
One such cruise line is Viking, which has partnered with the iconic Rocky Mountaineer railroad to offer an inspired extension of its Alaska cruise. The journey begins among the frozen bays and coves of the 49th state, before shooting up into deep gorges, dense forests, high snow-capped mountains, rivers with flowing white water and vast lakes.
On the water I saw countless glaciers spread over miles of high mountain terrain or glistening blue and falling into the ocean, the ship so close that we could hear their groans as they calved icebergs in the icy green water.
A sea otter floated by on a catamaran in Resurrection Bay; a bald eagle perched among deep green trees; a dozen sea lions lay on the rocks; while jellyfish – looking strikingly like fried eggs, transparent but with a bright yellow center – floated by on the blue-green water of an inlet. Meanwhile, a seal colony peered at us myopically from a pebble beach, after which a group of about thirty orcas arrived alongside us to swim until one hurled itself out of the water in three pairs of beautiful breeches.
Then we headed up the railroad tracks and into the Rockies, where bears fished at the water’s edge, deer stared out of the woods, ospreys nested on bridges, bald eagles soared, and salmon leaped—all framed by the huge panoramic windows of warm, glass walls. domed carriages. 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-day ‘Alaska and the Inside Passage’ cruise from £5,590 per person, with Vancouver served in Ketchikan, Sitka, Juneau, Skagway, Valdez and Seward. Includes flights, transfers, all meals (including drinks), excursions, WiFi and tips. Departs on May 14th. The Rocky Mountaineer five-night extension costs from £3,999 per person.
7 more mountain cruises to book now
The Jungfrau, Switzerland
Tauck’s cruise through the Rhine, the Swiss Alps and Amsterdam starts quite high (in Zurich) and gets higher and higher as you ascend by cog train to the Jungfraujoch station, sometimes called the “top of Europe”, at 3,454 meters above sea level. The scenery is breathtaking (except when you’re actually in the mountain) and there’s a snow-covered outdoor platform (even in summer) for the ultimate high-altitude selfie.
After two nights at the Hotel Bellevue Palace in Bern, on the third day you will board your ship in Basel and spend the next week sailing on the Rhine, the most romantic river, with a stopover in Karlsruhe, Cologne and Baden-Baden. with plenty of excursions and events along the way (such as a private dinner with the owners of a 14th-century castle).
Book It: Tauck (0800 810 8020; tauck.co.uk) has the nine-night “The Rhine, Swiss Alps and Amsterdam” cruise from £5,030 per person, including all excursions, tips, drinks and transfers but excluding flights. Several departures in April and May, then from July to October.
Machu Picchu, Peru
The mountains involved in Hurtigruten’s cruise to Machu Picchu and the Galapagos Islands are so numerous that you won’t see your ship until day six. To do this, you will stay high in the Andes, stay in Lima, Quito and Cusco and visit not only the iconic Machu Picchu, but also the Cotopaxi volcano (“Neck of the Moon” in Quechua) in Ecuador. You’ll hike to about 12,800 feet and see not only the active volcano (19,393 feet) and its gaping crater, but also one of the few equatorial glaciers in the world. Does it all go downhill from day six? Only in the most literal sense.
The next stop is the Galapagos and then it is a week full of giant tortoises, evolving iguanas and blue-footed boobies.
Book It: 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, local and international flights and transfers. Various sailings between now and March.
Ben Nevis, Scotland
A little closer to home are the Scottish Highlands and the Western Isles. Hebridean’s ‘Footloose through the Western Seaboard’ route is tailor-made for walkers, so one of the few cruises that doesn’t pack on the usual half a stone in a week (although they do their best, with two gala dinners a week) only seven nights). The best-known mountain scenery here is in the evocative landscape of Glencoe, where you can spend a whole day walking 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 gentler walks, and spectacular scenic cruises around Mull, Islay and the Firth of Lorn.
Book It: Hebridean Island Cruises (01756 704704; hebridean.co.uk) offers a seven-night return from Oban from £5,200 per person, fully inclusive. Departs April 23, with three more Footloose cruises planned later this year, all with different itineraries.
Etna, Sicily
Not exactly a mountain – more like Europe’s largest active volcano, which is about 3,340 meters high. Star Clippers offers two excursions to Mount Etna during the Amalfi and Sicily cruise: take a 4×4 and complete a grueling hike to the top, allowing you to look out with some satisfaction over the Gulf of Catania and its forests, orchards and vineyards underneath; or take a scenic bus ride around the lower levels and enjoy a Sicilian brunch on the slopes. Etna falls halfway through a cruise that starts and ends in Civitavecchia (the port of Rome) and visits Lipari, Messina, Amalfi, Sorrento and Ponza.
Your cruise will take place on Star Flyer, a replica of a four-masted clipper. 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 would have found on the original Tea Clippers.
Book It: 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 fees, but no extra excursions. Departure on May 11 (with several alternative dates).
Mount Athos, Greece
The spiritual capital of the Orthodox Christian world sits atop the easternmost part of the Halkidiki peninsula in the Aegean Sea, with its densely forested slopes reaching to the summit (2,000 meters). Mount Athos, commonly thought of as a monastery, actually has twenty of them. It is home to approximately 2,000 monks, some of whom live in cells and caves throughout the mountain. Religious protocol means only men are allowed to visit, but as they stroll the ladies can watch from the comfortable deck of the Maid Marian 2, sipping free-flowing champagne or riding a Seabob (watercraft that can reach depths of 40 metres). to dive). ).
The privately owned vintage yacht is available for charter between May and September, and you’ll have a crew of six on board, including an excellent chef. You’ll plan your own itinerary with the captain, meaning a typical week could start in Thessaloniki and continue to Sani Marina (also known as Monaco in Greece), Mt Athos and the beautiful hidden beaches, small islands and coastal 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 no international flights.
Table Mountain, South Africa
Fred Olsen’s three-month journey, ‘The Fearless Beauty of Africa and the Indian Ocean’, will probably be rich in highlights. This certainly includes the three nights we spend in Cape Town under Table Mountain, and even a day on the remarkably flat top. You can take the long hike up (it takes about nine hours, but you’ll 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 the Valley of the Kings, India, Oman, Senegal and Togo – not to mention spotting Africa’s Big Five on safari. Another highlight? Wildlife television presenter Michaela Strachan will be on board from Cape Town as part of an enrichment programme.
Book It: Fred Olsen (fredolsencruises.com) has the 93-night “Intrepid Beauty of Africa & Indian Ocean” voyage from £9,999 per person (departs from Southampton November 19). Alternatively, you can choose to do a single section, such as the 60-night Seychelles to Southampton crossing (from £7,999 per person including flights; departs December 21), or the 36-night Seychelles crossing to Cape Town (from £5,999 per person including flights; departs December 22).