The far flung Indonesian archipelago of Raja Ampat, 1,500 emerald islands scattered off the coast of Western Papua, are home to an incredible two thirds of the world’s coral species, more than 1,600 species of reef fish and 700 varieties of mollusc. It’s also possibly the most beautiful place I’ve ever been. I explored this incredible region on Aqua Blu, a former Royal Navy coastal survey vessel that’s been
Continue reading…
On Crystal Esprit, the champagne flows and there’s a submarine to play with, but it’s the service that counts. By Gary Buchanan From the moment I climbed aboard Crystal Esprit, I discovered that service is more than professional; it’s nuanced. Perhaps this was to be expected as Crystal Esprit has one of the highest staff-to-passenger ratios in cruising – 91 crew for a maximum of 62 guests. Leaving the allure
A black-tipped shark, some five feet long, circled the ship as we gathered on deck for lifeboat drill. “Don’t worry, he’s had lunch,” joked one of the officers on Celebrity Cruises‘ Xperience, my floating home for the week. The shark certainly wasn’t interested in a large green turtle that popped its head out of the water, or the snaking form of a marine iguana swimming for shore. I, on the
A small-ship expedition on Silver Explorer is the perfect way to explore the smaller ports along the coastlines of northern California, Washington State and Oregon.
Around Cape Horn on Ventus Australis Nothing had prepared me for the sheer wildness of Patagonia. From the heat and buzz of sophisticated Buenos Aires, where my journey began, we flew south across endless expanses of khaki-coloured steppes to Ushuaia, at the icy tip of South America, swapping flip flops for fleeces on the way. Ushuaia, a cluster of brightly coloured, low-rise buildings, huddles defiantly between snow-capped mountains and the
A cruise on the tiny Glen Massan, one of three ships operated by Scottish-owned Majestic Line, is a deliciously unstructured way to explore the Hebrides. There was no itinerary, as such, on my three-day cruise. Just pottering around remote lochs, stopping for hikes, rocking up at the occasional castle and searching rocky shorelines for wildlife. Glen Massan and its sister, Glen Tarsan, are Irish-built fishing trawlers, tastefully converted into 11-passenger
I’m standing on deck of the tall ship Star Clipper, in pitch darkness, sweltering in the humidity of the tropical night, hopping with excitement as the anchor chain rattles up and we prepare to set sail. The ship’s evocative sailing music, Vangelis’ theme to 1492: Conquest of Paradise, blasts out across the decks. There’s a mood of elation as the sails catch the wind and the 170-passenger ship takes off
I could be in any stylish Parisian street, chatting to friends in a cosy bistro with tiled flooring, red leather banquettes and red-and-white chequered tablecloths. Onion soup, pâté and steak au poivre are on the menu and there’s a chilled glass of Provençal rosé in front of me.
Bottlenosed dolphins were riding our bow wave at dawn. The sun was still below the horizon and the mountains of the distant Baja peninsula were etched in salmon pink. The light and the water were a soft grey as we gathered on deck to watch the shadowy figures, chasing us, surfing in front of us, arching gracefully out of the water, calling to one another.
Sunset in Bagan, a seat of Burmese royalty from the ninth to the 13th centuries. I’ve scrambled up to the top of the Shwesandaw Pagoda, one of 2,000 ancient monuments scattered across the plain on the bank of the Irrawaddy, and am perched on a ledge, next to a crowd of monks with iPads. The river glints in the distance as the sun begins its descent towards a row of
