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Uniworld's River Beatrice
Uniworld's River Beatrice

Gently down the stream

River cruising brings something unique to travel experiences, whether you’re gliding along a quaint canal, a meandering waterway or a mighty river, says Sue Wallace.

One of the best things about river cruising is watching everyday life unfold in front of you from the comfortable seat of a barge, or peering through the floor-to-ceiling windows of a floating hotel. It’s the people you glimpse who leave indelible memories, as well as the famous landmarks and tourist attractions you’ll visit along the world’s colourful waterways.

In Thailand, it was watching a group of young, saffron-robed monks having an impromptu water-fight that played out in front of us from the deck of restored rice barge, Manohra Song, on a three-day cruise along the Chao Phraya River.

Travel in comfort on River Cloud 11
Travel in comfort on River Cloud 11

In France, it was watching cyclists who nearly ended up in the tree-lined Canal du Midi because they were so intent on watching us sipping champagne in a bubbling Jacuzzi on luxury barge Fandango.

River cruising is growing in popularity as more and more holidaymakers discover the convenience of staying on a barge or boat and unpacking only once. It’s especially appealing as everything is taken care of – you don’t have to worry about meeting planes and trains, carting heavy luggage and finding accommodation; it’s just a matter of walking to your cabin.

River-cruise companies are introducing innovative itineraries and commissioning new boats and barges with balconies and floor-to-ceiling windows to cope with the demand from discerning travellers who prefer a slower pace of travel and fewer fellow passengers.

The beautiful riverine scenery of Germany with Avalon
The beautiful riverine scenery of Germany with Avalon

As well as new scenery unfolding around every bend, gourmet cuisine and fine wines are generally on offer, along with chic accommodation and, on bigger hotel barges, spas and beauty salons, small pools and walking tracks – along with lecturers and guides to ensure you gain the most from your river adventure.

A wide variety of river cruises is on offer worldwide, including voyages along waterways in the UK, Europe, Egypt, Asia, the US, South America, Papua New Guinea and Australia, travelling on all sorts of vessels from small boats and barges to larger hotel barges and boutique ships.

You can weave your way along the picturesque canals of England, Scotland and Ireland as well as throughout Europe, stopping at charming villages, wineries and restaurants along the way. In Europe, the bigger hotel barges follow the flow of mighty rivers such as the Seine, Danube, Rhine and Mosel, stopping at great cities and quaint medieval towns. The views are amazing as you pass fairytale-style castles and hillsides of manicured vineyards.

River Cloud 11 explores the rivers of Europe
River Cloud 11 explores the rivers of Europe

In Egypt, as well as feluccas, larger boats cruise the Nile, stopping at Luxor and Karnak, the greatest cities of ancient Egypt, and at the Valley of the Kings, where you will see Tutankhamen’s tomb. Abercrombie & Kent’s Sun Boat III and IV, the latter now incorporating 40 cabins and suites with floor-to-ceiling windows and French balconies, as well as a swimming pool, heated in winter, make three- and four night cruises along the Nile. Either vessel is a perfect base from which to explore the ancient tombs and temples that dot the Nile between Luxor and Aswan. Professional Egyptologists help to bring the treasures of the pharaohs to life.

In China, river cruising is also increasingly popular, especially on the Yangtze River, where passengers discover the wonders of the Three Gorges Dam, an immense engineering masterpiece, and venture into other canyons flanked by towering mountains. Sydney-based Helen Wong’s Tours uses Victoria Cruises on the Yangtze, which offers three- to eight-night cruises with onboard activities such as lectures on Chinese history and culture, tai chi lessons and calligraphy demonstrations. All cruises sail through the ship locks adjacent to the Three Gorges dam, where a sightseeing tour is included.

Viking River Cruises, the world’s largest river cruise company with a fleet of 21 deluxe river vessels, is offering 20 itineraries next year ranging from eight to 17 nights’ duration. Cruises visit anywhere between one and eight countries including France, central and eastern Europe, Russia, the Ukraine, China and Egypt. The new itineraries include an eight-day ‘Danube Waltz’ cruise through Germany, Austria, Hungary and Slovakia and a 10-day ‘China Discovery’ cruise and tour, including Beijing, and a six-day Yangtze River cruise through the Three Gorges on the five-star Viking Century Sun, with all-balcony staterooms and a deluxe spa.

Afloat in style on River Beatrice, new to Uniworld’s fleet
Afloat in style on River Beatrice, new to Uniworld’s fleet

The cruise line’s new ship, Viking Legend, which has some of the largest suites of any vessel cruising Europe’s rivers, will follow the Grand European Tour route, the continent’s most popular itinerary. But it’s Viking’s ‘Waterways of the Czars’ and ‘Russian Rhapsody’ cruises from Moscow to St Petersburg that are proving a hit with Australian holidaymakers.

Next year, Uniworld Boutique River Cruises will operate 26 all-inclusive river cruises ranging from nine to 32 days’ duration. New for 2010 is its ‘Springtime Along the Rhine’ sojourn, a seven-night cruise from Amsterdam to Frankfurt. Its tenth ship, the luxurious River Beatrice, made her debut on the Danube this year.

APT Europe River Cruises, a partner of AMA Waterways, also has a new line-up of European itineraries for next year. Its boutique river ships, MS Amadagio, Amalegro, Amacello, Amadante, Amalyra and Amadolce have several itineraries on the Danube, Main, Rhine and Mosel rivers as well as the Douro River in Portugal, the Rhône in France and the Volga-Baltic waterways in Russia. New for 2010 are a ‘Romantic Christmas’ itinerary, which includes a seven-night cruise and two extra nights in Prague; and ‘The Enchanting Rhine’ itinerary, incorporating a weeklong cruise from Amsterdam to Basel.

MS Amabella has joined the APT fleet: it features luxurious staterooms, 82 per cent of them boasting French balconies as well as marble bathrooms and flat-panel stateroom TVs. The ship also has a fitness centre, a beauty salon, a whirlpool, a walking track on the sun deck and bicycles that passengers can use to explore quaint towns and villages on their own.

AMA Waterways’ new 92-passenger MS La Marguerite, built specifically for cruising Asian waters, combines colonial elegance with a touch of traditional Mekong culture in its newly launched ‘Vietnam, Cambodia & the Riches of the Mekong’ program.

Visit Bamberg with Avalon
Visit Bamberg with Avalon

Avalon Waterways will boost its European fleet to 10 luxury ships next year with the launch of Avalon Felicity and Avalon Luminary. Next year’s 22 itineraries will cruise the Rhine, Danube, Main, Moselle, Rhone and Seine Rivers, and there’s a new, eight-day ‘Paris to Normandy’s Landing Beaches Tour’. The company is known for its small-scale, state-of-the-art ships and luxurious accommodation.

Adding its own leisurely style to the Danube’s classic cruise route, Cruise West offers expedition-style shore excursions, luxury accommodation and gourmet dining. Three Danube cruises will be offered next year, each full of history, culture and architecture. Passengers will see fairytale castles, Gothic cathedrals and captivating cities as they cruise through the Iron Gates, past the Hungarian Plains and through the Carpathian and Balkan Mountains.

If cruising in the US appeals, Cruise West also offers three innovative itineraries along the Columbia and Snake Rivers, focusing on scenery, history and Native American culture. You’ll see evidence of the great floods that carved this region thousands of years ago in the beautiful Columbia River Gorge; the golden coulees and scablands and the great black pinnacles of basalt that guided explorers Lewis and Clark.

Cruise down the Nile with Abercrombie & Kent
Cruise down the Nile with Abercrombie & Kent

Luxury global travel company Abercrombie & Kent offers luxury river cruises with gourmet dining as well as great excursions. Cruises on offer include one along the Yangtze River in China on new cruise-boat Yangzi Explorer, carrying 124 passengers. The company’s Amazon Portfolio includes two cruise options to the pristine wilderness on MV Aqua, the first luxury vessel to launch in the Peruvian Amazon, carrying just 24 passengers, with outstanding guides, extensive touring options and designer cabins. Cruises operate in the extensive Pacaya Samiria Reserve at the headwaters of the Amazon basin, and the program offers up to three expeditions a day including village visits, bird and wildlife viewing, even piranha fishing.

In Brazil, the 72-cabin Iberostar plies the waters out of Manaus, and you can go on rainforest excursions, fishing, birdwatching and even alligator-spotting shore excursions with expert guides. The world’s largest river, the Amazon, holds much fascination for all who venture there, and Amazon Cruises also offers four-day cruises featuring night excursions and canoe trips.

In Asia, adventurous travellers are well catered for on Orient-Express’ newly renovated Road To Mandalay, which will cruise the Ayeyarwaddy River in Burma again in 2010, offering three- to 11-night departures including trips from Bagan and Mandalay, with optional add-on journeys to Yangon.

A suite on Uniworld's River Beatrice
A suite on Uniworld's River Beatrice

You can also cruise the Rajang River in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo; the Mekong and Tonle Rivers in Cambodia and the mighty Ganges in India with Pandaw Cruises, the largest river cruise group in Southeast Asia. On Pandaw’s voyages, passengers enjoy every comfort, including fine dining.

Orion Expeditions also will venture to the Sepik River in Papua New Guinea next year in April and October.

Closer to home, you can enjoy a taste of river cruising on the MS Murray Princess with Captain Cook Cruises, accommodating 120 passengers, complete with spas, saunas and a library, following the Murray from South Australia. Farther south is the Apple Isle: step aboard the Lady Jane Franklin II in Strahan for a wonderful cruise along the majestic Gordon River, a pristine waterway in a UNESCO World Heritage area.

On board the grand old Murray Princess
On board the grand old Murray Princess

When it comes to river cruising, the choices are extensive, but one thing is for sure: you’ll remember those special moments on the waterways long after you’ve closed the cabin door.

Photography courtesy cruise lines.

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