If your clients fancy something a bit more adventurous than an island-hopping cruise in the Caribbean or the Med, there’s a wealth of options on offer in the South Atlantic later this year.
Here are a few ideas to get their pulses racing.
RMS St Helena
If your clients fancy something a bit different, how about recommending a journey on RMS St Helena – one of the few surviving working Royal Mail ships still in operation.
The 128-berth ship sets sail twice a year from Portland in Dorset for the remote South Atlantic island of St Helena, an overseas territory of the UK, some 1,200 miles off the west coast of Africa, where Napoleon was famously exiled. Ports of call en route include Tenerife, Ascension Island and Cape Town.
Available itineraries range from a four-day mini voyage to 13-, 22- and 31-day options for those with more time on their hands. Facilities on board include two bars, full-service dining room, a sun deck, shop, swimming pool and gym. Organised activities include a series of guest lectures on topics such as music and history.
Agents can earn commission by booking through Andrew Weir Shipping (020 7575 6480).
Sample package: A 31-day Portland-St Helena-Cape Town cruise, departing Portland on October 2, costs from £3,299 per person twin-share in a T4A deck cabin. The price includes onboard activity programme; all onboard meals; transfers in St Helena; nine nights’ accommodation in St Helena, inclusive of breakfast; and one night’s accommodation in Cape Town. Return flights from Cape Town are not included. (020 7575 6480, rms-st-helena.com)
Journey to the Antarctic
The South Atlantic not far enough south for your clients? From November to February 2010, Swan Hellenic, which launched a dedicated Antarctica brochure earlier this month, will be sending groups of 200 passengers on a series of Antarctic Expedition tours aboard its expedition vessel Minerva.
Ports of call en route to the Antarctic Peninsula include the Falklands Islands, South Georgia and the South Shetland Islands, with background information provided by members of Abercrombie and Kent’s expedition team, while excursions on Zodiac boats enable passengers to get up-close and personal with the local sights and scenery.
Editor’s note: After winter 2009/10, Minerva will be sailing to the Far East – see our recent feature on cruise destination trends.
Sample package: A place on the 16-day Classic Antarctica I cruise, departing December 6 from various UK airports, costs from £2,995 per person twin-share in an outside cabin – a saving of £1,555 per person on the original published price of £4,550. Highlights include visiting the South Shetland Islands and Ushuaia, the most southerly town in Argentina, and exploring the bays of the Antarctic Peninsula. The price includes bar drinks and all guest lectures and excursions. (0845 017 0017, swanhellenic.com)
Darwinian adventures
Another gem in the southern hemisphere comes courtesy of Cruceros Australis, whose two ships Mare Australis and Via Australis ply the waters off the coast of Chile and Argentina in the summer months of October to April.
The three- and four-night itineraries, which link Punta Arenas in Chile with Ushuaia in Argentina, can be done in either direction, and make a great add-on to a trip to either country. Features include daily inland excursions and lectures on areas such as local wildlife and history.
Highlights include rounding Cape Horn, the most southerly point of South America; exploring the stunning coastline of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, with its abundance of glaciers and wildlife; and visiting the penguin colony at Magdalena Island.
The company’s two ships, Mare Australis and Via Australis, feature two lounges and a dining room, and 64 deluxe cabins. (+34 93 497 0484 (Barcelona office), australis.com)
