In a recent blog, we discussed our 10 top-selling river cruises. But there are also less well-known river cruises to consider . “Exotic” river cruises and U.S. historical river cruises are quickly growing in popularity–and you might want to add them to your bucket list.
As we learned in history class, rivers have been used for transportation and cargo delivery for thousands of years, and as a result, great port cities were built along the rivers. Today, taking a ride down one of these famous rivers and visiting historical ports makes for a memorable and enriching vacation. Here are five unique river cruises to add to your bucket list.
The Amazon River
Avalon Waterways’ Aria makes jungle life quite luxurious
Grab your journal and camera, and take an adventurous cruise through the mysterious and fascinating rain forest in Peru, South America. The best way to capture the beauty of the rain forest, full of lush plants and exotic wildlife, is to take a cruise down the infamous Amazon River. Is it similar to Disneyland’s jungle cruise? No. This is the real deal. Avalon Waterways offers an Amazon River cruise along the Peruvian region, and Princess, Seabourn and Silverseas also offer an Amazon River cruise through northern Brazil.
The Nile River
See the Luxor on your Nile River cruise
The Nile River can be seen on the Viking “Pathways of the Pharaohs” 12-day river cruise through Cairo, Luxor and Lake Nasser. You can see the best of Egypt from the comfort of your balcony on a luxury river boat along the Nile. Order fresh grapes and wine delivered to your room– and for the full “Cleopatra” experience, be sure to pack your feathered fan!! During the day, venture out to explore historical Egypt. Visit the pyramids, take a camel ride, see the great Sphinx, ride a traditional Egyptian wooden sailboat on Lake Nassar, shop for Egyptian goods, visit the Temples of Karnak, Luxor, Dendera, Hatshepsut, Rameses III, Horus, Kalabsha and Isis.
Traveler’s Advisory Note: Due to the current unrest in that region, the U.S. Department of State of Consular Affairs announced that U.S. citizens traveling to Egypt are encouraged to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). By enrolling, U.S. citizens make it easier for the Embassy to contact them in case of emergency. For the latest security information, U.S. citizens traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department of State’s Internet website at travel.state.gov where the Worldwide Caution, Country Specific Information for Egypt, Travel Warnings, and Travel Alerts can be found. Download their free Smart Traveler app, available through iTunes or Google Play, to have travel information at your fingertips.
The Mississippi River
American Cruise Lines’ Queen of the Mississippi has themed cruises like Savories of the South, Civil War, Jazz, Independence Day, Mark Twain, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years
The Mississippi River is quickly becoming popular with history buffs from around the world. Avalon Waterways, American Cruise Lines, and Tauck World Discovery have put together history- and culture-filled itineraries on paddle wheel steamboats. Even though these Victorian-era styled boats look original from the outside, they are designed with all the modern amenities and luxuries you expect from a five-star hotel. Steamboats are much larger than the European river boats, which are limited in size because of the narrow locks in Europe. Mississippi River itineraries start and end in Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN, St. Louis, MO, Chicago, IL, Cincinnati, OH, Nashville or Memphis, TN and New Orleans, LA. There are so many itineraries to choose from–including special themed cruises. A favorite choice of CruiseExperts.com clients is the cruise through the heart of Dixie and Civil War battlefields from New Orleans, LA to Memphis, TN.
The Columbia & Snake Rivers
Lewis and Clark discovered the Snake and Columbia River which took them through densely populated Native American land to get to the Pacific Ocean
The Columbia and Snake Rivers take you through the land discovered by Lewis and Clark, which became the route of the Oregon Trail pioneers. American Cruise Line’s Queen of the West paddle wheel steamboat offers an 8-day river cruise from Portland, OR to Clarkston, WA. You’ll cruise through the Columbia River Gorge, go by the breathtaking Multnomah Falls and see lush awe-inspiring landscaping. You’ll also have time to explore the beautiful historic Oregon towns of Astoria, Rainier and Pendleton, and Stevenson, WA. If you’re looking for a truly educational living-history vacation, Un-Cruise Adventures offers a small boat expedition on their 88-passenger Safari Legacy that retraces the Lewis and Clark trail. This 7-night roundtrip from Portland, OR stops in Richland, Walla Walla, and Clarkston, WA and offers an excursion through Hells Canyon in Washington. With eight locks and seven dams, you will be carried through time, engaging in its history and learning how agriculture and engineering have shaped this great region.
Africa Safari on the Chobe River
Ama Waterways’ Zambezi Queen takes you through the densest population of wildlife in Africa on the Chobe River
Botswana, in southern Africa, has the densest population of wildlife in the continent. Elephants, gazelles, buffaloes, leopards, lions, birds are just a few of the animals that can be seen along the water’s edge on an African safari cruise down the Chobe River. As the sun sets on the river, take in the deep auburn skies and full red African moon from your balcony. AmaWaterways’ Zambezi Queen takes you along the Chobe River through Botswana. In addition, take a land safari in an open-air game vehicle. Or consider taking a safari boat deeper inland with an experienced tour guide. Depending on what you want to see and do, as well as how much time you have, you can add visits to Cape Town, Victoria Falls, Kasane, Pretoria, Johannesburg, and Kruger National Park Area in southern Africa. You might also want to head north to Kenya, visiting Nairobi, or plan excursions to Serengeti, Ngorongoro or Lake Manyara National Parks in Tanzania.
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3 Comments
I am interested in all kinds of river cruises, but do not wish to be deluged all at once with e-mails, so would appreciate some sensitivity around advertising and timing Thank you.
Thank you for such a considerate response.
Hi Margaret! We completely understand and make efforts to make sure we only send out information that we think our clients would benefit from. We make our e-mails visually-friendly so you can see quickly if it’s something you’re interested in, or not. Feel free to delete it or read it. All the information is available at our website website at http://www.CruiseExperts.com or if you have questions, feel free to just call us anytime at 1-888-804-CRUIse(2784).