Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic offers seven new itineraries for 2015

 

Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic has seven new itineraries for 2015 on board the 148-guest National Geographic Explorer. With a fleet of Zodiacs and sea kayaks, the ship fosters up-close exploration.

All rates quoted below are per person based on double occupancy in a category 1 cabin.

Azores to Morocco: Island Wonders and Fabled Shores, 10 days/8 nights. Departs March 27, 2015. Rates begin at £5,415.

Morocco, Spain and Portugal: Land of the Moors, 10 days/8 nights.  Departs 4 April 2015. Rates begin at £5,415.

Along the Viking Trail: Iceland to Greenland, 12 days/10 nights.  Departs 19 July  2015. Rates begin at £6,515. Book by 31 Dec 2014 to receive complimentary charter airfare (Kangerlussuaq to Ottawa--a £739 value). New bookings only, subject to availability.

Exploring Greenland & the Canadian High Arctic, 13 days/12 nights. Departs July 28; August 7, 2015. Rates begin at £7,944.

Coastal Treasures from the Panama Canal to Peru, 14 days/12 nights.  Departs 27 September 2015. Rates begin at £7955. Book by 31 Dec 2014 and receive complimentary round-trip airfare between Miami/Panama City and Lima/Miami. 

Patagonia, The Chilean Fjords and Argentina's Staten Island, 21 days/18 nights. Departs 21 October  2015. Rates begin at $18,880. 

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Southern Chile Opens up as a Cruise Destination

The world's top cruise lines offer a number of options for exploring southern Chile by boat. Whether the focus of the tour is adventure or luxury, you'll have a chance to relax and take in everything around you.

The classic cruise route in southern Chile departs Puerto Montt and leads to the San Rafael Glacier and its 70 meter-high walls and the lagoon of the same name. The Northern Patagonia voyage takes five to six days during which you'll enjoy incredible scenery capped by a glass of whiskey served over thousand-year-old ice cubes. Some cruise lines also travel to and from Castro, Chiloé.

Fishing and fine dining enthusiasts can depart Puerto Montt on a ship that navigates the canals southward without a fixed destination. Passengers can disembark via modern zodiac boats and helicopters to visit the best fishing spots and enjoy an exquisite traditional lunch on the glaciers' shores.

Four-day cruises leave Puerto Montt for Puerto Natales, traveling along the southernmost fjords and canals in the world. The journey will take you to Puerto Edén and past the Pio Xi Glacier, the largest in South America, as well as Bernardo O'Higgins National Park.

Another fascinating route runs from Punta Arenas to Ushuaia, Argentina. There are excellent expedition cruises that eschew parties and focus on adventure. As you travel through Southern Patagonia you'll come across canals, glaciers, penguins and dolphins. You can also go trekking and, if time allows, sail to Cape Horn which marks the end of the continent.

Those who wish to visit Antarctica can chose from 10 to 31 day cruises that follow a number of different routes. Most depart Ushuaia, Argentina. From Punta Arenas, you can take an aerotour to Rey Jorge Island, which is part of the South Shetland Islands, and continue on to the white continent from there.

For more info and booking details, be sure to check out this link with the UK's luxury, adventure cruise specialists, The Cruise Line Ltd.

A voyage along the coasts of Chile, Peru & Ecuador to Costa Rica aboard Island Sky

Explore the Natural World with Noble Caledonia

You begin your Pacific coastal odyssey in Puerto Montt and as we continue along the coast towards Peru, our cruise will be dominated by the ever present Andes. The voyage takes us along the nutrient-rich Humboldt Current that is a haven for an amazing concentration of seabirds, marine mammals and wildlife. We visit the historic Chilean port of Valparaiso, the Humboldt Penguin Nature Resrve, the Chilean coastal town of Arica, Isla Ballestas and Lima.

You continue north along the coast of Peru visiting Trujillo, famous for its Spanish Colonial architecture and Chan Chan, a pre-Columbian site (Chimu culture) and the largest adobe city in the world. En-route to Ecuador we hope to make a landing on Lobos de Afuera a tiny island off the Peruvian coast, famous for its abundant marine and birdlife.

In Ecuador you will land at Manta for a day in the Machalilla National Park a protected coastal haven for over 200 species of birds and wildlife. There will also be time to explore Manta, founded by the conquistadors in 1535. Leaving the South American mainland we head out into the Pacific bound for the remote Coco Island. This Galapagos in miniature will be the highlight of the trip for many, its very remote location has left it untouched by tourism.

Our next landfall will be the Central American nation of Costa Rica and for the next three days we will immerse ourselves in the rich wildlife both above and below the water, enjoying the fantastic rain forests, flora and butterflies. It is an untouched magical area of exceptional beauty with all manner of hues, which only nature can deliver. For those who may find it difficult to pull themselves away from the beauty of Costa Rica Noble Caledonia are offering a post-cruise optional trip to the Monteverde Cloud Forest.

For further details log onto www.noble-caledonia.co.uk