20 Top Adventure Cruises

Whether navigating the great rivers, winding round remote islands in search of endemic wildlife or crossing continents in the wake of the great explorers – these adventure cruises are sure to float your boat

1 THE INSIDE PASSAGE, USA & CANADASmooth sailing and tumbling glaciers

Timings: 8–15 days. The Alaska cruise season runs from May to September, when whale-watching season is also at its peak.

Plan a trip: For 1,500km the frayed western fringe of North America reveals some of the wildest, most dramatic waters on the continent. Here, the towering mountains and coastal rainforests of Alaska, British Columbia and Washington spill into the Pacific, splintering into mighty glaciers and rocky islets tufted in spruce and fir. It’s an area better known as the Inside Passage, and its sheltered waters make for smooth sailing through the rawest of scenery.

The Passage begins in the south at Puget Sound (Washington, USA), where longer trips o‘er the chance to hike old-growth rainforest in Olympic National Park or spot pods of orca among the San Juan Islands. But no one’s going to judge you for skipping to its dramatic frozen finale in Alaska, with shorter cruises typically taking in the likes of Ketchikan and Sitka, which was the Alaskan capital before the US bought the region from Russia for just $7.2 million. Out on the water here, the true drama of this land comes into focus, as you gaze up in awe at the crashing waterfalls of Tracey Arm Fjord, scan for humpbacks in Frederick Sound and witness sheer ice walls tumbling into the waters of Glacier Bay.

Also try: The other great splintered coastal route is Patagonia’s Magellan Strait, where five-day trips forge the sub-polar forests, islands and glacial alleys between Punta Arenas in Chile and Ushuaia in Argentina.

2 INDONESIA, SOUTH- EAST ASIA

Discover giant reptiles, volcanoes and crystal-clear waters