Voyage Through The Red Sea

Zegrahm's brand-new Voyage through the Red Sea expedition has been named one of National Geographic Traveler magazine’s “Best Tours of a Lifetime” for 2011 and is one of those experiences well worth seeking out in the cruise world today.

Here's how the tour works:

You explore Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, including the company's first-time visits to the lesser-traveled countries of Sudan and Eritrea. The November 6-22 itinerary is the perfect time to explore this seat of the world’s earliest civilisations with pleasant temperatures ranging from 55 to 85°F and a stable, yet fascinating political environment where a new chapter in the region’s history has literally unfolded within the last year (plus, this comes with the added bonus of fewer crowds at some of the region’s most popular tourist sites).

The voyage combines the Red Sea’s best cultural attractions along with several opportunities to engage in the region’s natural history with snorkeling and diving excursions. Among the many highlights of this award-winning expedition, guests will have the opportunity to:

• Explore the rose-coloured wonders of Petra, the capital of the ancient Nabatean Empire and now a World Heritage Site—even enjoying a candle-lit nighttime walk through the Siq to the Treasury

• Overnight in Luxor, often considered the “world’s greatest open air museum,” to explore its various monuments, temples, and tombs

• Cruise along the Nile in a traditional felucca sailing vessel, savouring lunch and views of the countryside along the way

• Enjoy a walking tour of Jeddah’s well-preserved old city, considered the gateway to Mecca

• Take in traditional daily life as the tour wanders the pathways connecting the old, coral-block buildings of Suakin, Sudan—a major trading stop en route to Mecca

• And snorkel and dive in the shimmering waters of Eritrea’s Dahlak Archipelago, an area renowned for its rich marine life and scenic beauty.

For more info, visit www.zeco.com or contact the UK's leading adventure cruise specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Zegrahm Expeditions - "Tours of a Lifetime"

Zegrahm Expeditions has been selected for National Geographic Traveler Magazine’s “Tours of a Lifetime” honour for the second time, highlighting the company's keen eye for superb adventure travel.

In the past, the honours have been bestowed upon Zegrahm's natural history-focused expeditions — Beyond Rapa Nui, Ultimate Seychelles, and Faces of Melanesia — but, this year, they are excited to announce the award has been bestowed uopn a new, in-depth cultural tour: Voyage Through the Red Sea. This 17-day expedition, aboard the Clipper Odyssey, departs November 6 and visits Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Eritrea.

This voyage combines the Red Sea’s best cultural attractions along with several opportunities to snorkel and dive, plus offers a rare glimpse into a number of hospitable countries rarely visited by Western travellers. Highlights of this tour include:

• Exploring the rose-colored wonders of Petra, the capital of the ancient Nabatean Empire and now a World Heritage Site.

• Cruising along the Nile in a traditional felucca sailing vessel.

• Visiting several exquisite World Heritage Sites in Egypt — the Monastery of St. Catherine (above) and the treasures of ancient Thebes, including Luxor, Karnak, and the Valley of the Kings.

• Walking tour of Jeddah’s well-preserved old city, considered the gateway to Mecca.

• Snorkelling and diving in the shimmering waters of the Dahlak Archipelago, an area renowned for its rich marine life and scenic beauty.

To learn more about this voyage, visit www.zeco.com or contact the UK's adventure-cruise specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd.

New Cruises from Spirt of Adventure

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Discovery cruise ship Spirit of Adventure (above) has launched a new programme of exotic and intrepid itineraries for 2011, bringing passengers closer than ever before to the local cultures and traditions of many remote and unexplored destinations.

New to the schedule for next year are the United Arab Emirate of Ras Al-Khaimah and the exotic islands of Madagascar, Réunion and Indonesia, as well as the fascinating coasts of east, west and southern Africa. MV Spirit of Adventure will also be spending Christmas and New Year in the warm waters of Australasia, visiting Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific islands.

As one of the leading cruise companies, the small, intimate size of the ship means she can reach unusual and lesser known cities, islands and ports, including ports where no other cruise ships have ventured before. To get the most out of the destinations en route, Spirit of Adventure creates insightful tailor-made excursions, included in the price of the cruise, and carefully selects a range of expert guest speakers to inspire and educate passengers.

Here is a sample of next year's fascinating offerings:

The Undiscovered Coast
Visiting the lesser-known ports along Africa’s west coast, passengers will get an insight into authentic village life, including a unique opportunity to meet with a chief priest in the small village of Sanguera in Togo and a ceremonial Voodoo dance.
(17 nights from £3524 per person, based on two sharing; departs February 1, 2011)

Into Indonesia
Spirit of Adventure ventures to virgin territory as she leaves the ports visited by larger cruise ships to explore Indonesia’s picturesque islands. Passengers will be welcomed to remote villages by local tribes where they can visit the beautiful natural sites and track down the world’s largest lizard, the Komodo dragon.
(16 nights from £3,229 per person, based on two sharing; departs November 16, 2011)

To the Land of the Long White Cloud
For an unforgettable Christmas and New Year, customers can join this exciting voyage around the south coast of Australia and New Zealand, for the opportunity to visit incredible National Parks or join kayaking and jet boat excursions to see the most beautiful scenery.
(22 nights from £3924 per person, based on two sharing; departs December 15, 2011)

Red Sea Explorer
On an adventure off the well-trodden cruise path, passengers will visit the undiscovered ports of the Middle East as they sail from Dubai through to the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, stopping to explore the picturesque villages of Salalah before calling at the rarely visited ports of Massawa, Eritrea, and Suakin, Sudan.
(16 nights from £2274 per person, based on two sharing; departs April 15, 2012)

All Spirit of Adventure cruises include a choice of tailor-made excursions, return scheduled or chartered economy flights, car parking at the departure port or airport, return transport, porterage, all visas, port taxes, all meals and on-board gratuities, a programme of lectures and presentations, welcome and farewell cocktail parties, entertainment and activities, plus table wines with lunch and dinner on selected cruises. What’s more, new passengers can take advantage of an introductory discount of up to £300 per person.

For further details, please visit http://www.spiritofadventure.co.uk/

You can also learn more about Spirit of Adventure offerings at The Cruise Show at Birmingham NEC on October 16-17 and at London's Olympia next March (26-27).