Winning tip: Amazon, Peru
The only way to get to the city of Iquitos in Peru is by air or boat. I took the three-day ferry from Yurimaguas along the Amazon. Sharing the ferry with cargo and cattle, the journey both fulfilled my dream of seeing the Amazon and was a unique opportunity to get to know my fellow passengers over some Cusqueña beer. My bed was a hammock strung between posts on the top deck, with my days spent looking out over the great forest, spotting toucans and pink river dolphins. An experience no tour could ever match.
kirby dominguez
Vancouver, Canada
Riding the BC Ferries vessel to Bowen Island from Horseshoe Bay is a 20-minute affair but it allows enough time to climb to the boat’s open-air top deck and take in three nautical miles of breathtaking west coast scenery. Sparkling ocean, forested fjords and whales – if you’re lucky – are your surroundings. Watch as locals brace themselves for the ferry’s final moments upon entering Bowen Island’s aptly named Snug Cove, when the horn blasts and passengers are momentarily jolted forwarded as the ferry nudges into place at the port. Step on to the wooden dock and you’re transported decades back to a friendly, artisanal island where locals leave car doors unlocked.
£6 return (child £3), bcferries.com
dalinas
Stromboli, Sicily
The volcanic Aeolian Islands are a slice of heaven and a true highlight of our trip was an 11-hour boat jaunt. We were picked up by the affable captain Marco and taken to the small, chic island of Panarea, with a spot of swimming in the bay. From here we headed to Stromboli. After a stop-off on the island itself, we were back on the boat, cruising around the active, smoking volcano to secure the perfect position to see eruptions as the sun went down. This was enjoyed with pasta, expertly cooked up by Marco’s crew on the boat’s single hob, and a good wine.
Trips from €75pp, salinarelaxboats.com
ID6838102
Funchal, Madeira
Step on board Santa Maria de Colombo, a replica of Christopher Columbus’s flagship, and experience a truly different kind of dolphin-watching experience on the southern coast of Madeira. This magnificent ship takes you back in history as you’re welcomed by the crew dressed in historical attire as well as the friendly ship dog. Santa Maria is like a museum, so it’s not only the playful dolphins and the island’s beautiful coastline that you get to admire. To make the three-hour cruise even more memorable, you get to sample delicious Madeira wine and honey cake too. Morning and afternoon trips from the Funchal marina.
Adult €35, child €17.50, santamariadecolombo.com
Hattivatti
Manchester Ship Canal, UK
All aboard the Mersey ferry Snowdrop at Liverpool Pier Head for a trip through history along the 36-mile Manchester ship canal. The six-hour cruise reveals industries past, present and unexpected. Countless engineering marvels include the elegant 21st-century Mersey Gateway suspension bridge, a Victorian steam crane for lifting 250-tonne lock gates, docks and bridges – bridges that soar, bridges that lift, bridges that swing, even an aqueduct that still swings. Your destination is Mode Wheel Locks, Salford, where Queen Victoria opened the canal in 1893 now the home of Media City, The Lowry and the striking Imperial War Museum North. Fascinating!
£42 a head including coach back to Liverpool, merseyferries.co.uk
Benthamchap
Mirissa, Sri Lanka
Setting off at sunrise, our family of five were incredibly excited at the prospect of seeing whales in the Indian Ocean, a few miles outside Mirissa at the southern tip of Sri Lanka. We had chosen family business Raja and the Whales to take us on this adventure as it appeared to be the most environmentally responsible company, supporting marine wildlife research and conservation organisations. Not long in to the boat trip, however, two of the three children were vomiting continuously off deck. But they perked up at each humbling sighting of blue whales, manta rays, turtles and pods of hundreds of spinner dolphins. As we walked off the gangway, all three children beamed, “that was brilliant, Mum!” So not even a bit of seasickness could spoil this magical morning on the ocean.
Adult £30, under-12s £18. Average trip length 4-5 hours, rajaandthewhales.com
Helena Russell
Penzance to the Isles of Scilly
The Scillonian departs Penzance, hugging the dramatic coastline of west Cornwall, including the wonderful Minack Theatre. Saying goodbye to Land’s End in glorious weather one can sometimes make out the outline of the subtropical Isles of Scilly some 25 miles to the west. Nature often provides free entertainment en route with sightings of dolphins, seals and the odd whale shark before the approach to the islands. It’s a wonderful trip in calm weather, not for the faint-hearted in other conditions, (hence the many alternative names given to the vessel, the Scillonian) but well worth the effort.
From about £100 return, day-trip offer from £69 for two adults plus up to three children, islesofscilly-travel.co.uk
Eternallysceptical
Brittany, France
This is a magical trip on what is billed as the most beautiful river in France. Leaving Bénodet, the river passes chateaux and under the magnificent Pont de Cornouaille, narrowing into a green labyrinth bordered by rocky outcrops and surrounded by deep forest. Every bend in the river brings a new surprise, including a narrow, deep, green gorge, ending in the ancient city of Quimper. `
2hr 15min cruise, from €28pp (child from €17), restaurant option available, vedettes-odet.com
begmeilloise
Kafue national park rivers, Zambia
The isolation and abundant wildlife of Kafue national park in Zambia has us returning over and over again. Game drives and walking safaris are also available but the river is impossibly peaceful and offers excellent wildlife-spotting opportunities. It has fewer operators than other parks so you’re likely to have the river to yourself. There are excellent photography opportunities or you can just enjoy watching the birds, hippos and crocodiles. We stay at Musekese Camp, which overlooks a lagoon that attracts all sorts of wildlife.
jmsafaris-zambia.com
AMDavis123
Electric boat on London canals
My fiance and I took a GoBoat trip, London’s only self-drive electric boat based in Merchant Square, Paddington Basin. We had the most beautiful, fun and relaxing afternoon exploring the canals of London, spotting wildlife, quirky canalboats and having a picnic on board. It was amazing, affordable, and a perfect way to see London differently.
Electric boat for up to eight people £65 for one hour, £125 for three hours, £210 for six hours, goboat.co.uk
tiramiSu4
Peñas Blancas river, Costa Rica
Travelling silently in a motorless rafting boat along the Peñas Blancas river in Costa Rica was a magical experience: overhead, toucans and vultures; in the treetops, cacophonous bands of howler monkeys; in the gentle waters, mud-caked caimans and alligators. Refreshment stop? We moored at the riverside dwelling of a 92-year-old farmer who served us coffee accompanied by plantains and cassava chips, under a canopy of scarlet trumpet flowers. Here we got close up to the teeming life on the rainforest floor: armies of leaf-cutter ants and thumbnail-sized, enamel-bright frogs, before floating back to our ecolodge.
3 hours’ rafting from $67 incl guide, desafiocostarica.com
Moiraash
Fjord cruise, Norway
There was an offer on last-minute flights to Norway so I booked and, unsure of where I wanted to visit, found a Norway in a Nutshell tour advertised. As part of the tour there is a fjord cruise from Flåm to Gudvangen along the beautiful Aurlandsfjord and the breathtaking Unesco-listed Nærøyfjord. The hybrid-electric boat is elegantly designed and glides quietly along the fjords, so the amazing views are unspoiled by engine noise.
From £145, norwaynutshell.com
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