Horizontal Falls, the Kimberley

Accessing remote corners of the Kimberley region in northern Western Australia requires a high-clearance four-wheel drive, outback driving skills and plenty of time. However,
the Horizontal Falls are beyond the capabilities of even the sturdiest off-road vehicles for two important reasons. Firstly, there’s no access road, and secondly, they’re in the sea.

Described by Sir David Attenborough as “one of the greatest natural wonders of the world,” the falls are caused by massive tidal flows that heave the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean through the walls of two offshore gorges. This causes rapids similar to those found in a raging river.

APT operates an 11-day cruise along the Kimberley coast in either direction between Broome and Darwin. The tour aboard small ships Le Laperouse or Le Soléal includes a
zodiac trip to this remarkable natural phenomenon.

It’s not the only hard-to-access location visited along the way. From Koolama Bay, zodiacs transport guests up the King George River between sheer sandstone walls to the King George Falls, which plunge 80m from the escarpment above.

The ship also stops at Adele Island on the Buccaneer Archipelago, home to a variety of marine animals and birdlife. In the Swift Bay area, ancient Wandjina and Gwion Gwion (Bradshaw) art can be found on sheltered rock faces.

Norwegian fiords

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy fans will recall planet designer, Slartibartfast, reminiscing about building Norway. “That was one of mine. Won an award, you know. Lovely crinkly edges,” he declared. It’s an award well deserved.

Few countries are blessed with scenery as jaw-dropping as this Scandinavian gem. The west coast is wrinkled with hundreds of stunning fiords – narrow inlets of deep blue water, flanked by precipitous mountain sides.

Idyllically-located villages, dotted with traditional wooden homes, nestle along the shores of these mighty waterways. There’s awe around every corner.

The only way to truly experience their magnificence is by ship. Norwegian Cruise Line (there’s a clue in the name) has been sailing the Scandinavian seas since the 1960s.

An 11-day cruise docks at Bergen – dwarfed by seven surrounding mountains – before heading to the village of Geiranger, located beside its namesake fiord. It’s considered one of the most picturesque fiords in the world.

A stopover at Alesund provides an opportunity to explore the town’s colourful art nouveau architecture, which looks like it’s been clipped from a children’s book.

After Norway, it’s off to Iceland. If you’re aboard the company’s newest vessel, the Norwegian Prima, look forward to large staterooms and extra spacious deck areas that better connect guests to the ocean.

Antarctica

At the very bottom of Earth, Antarctica is one of the most remote places to travel, unless you’ve booked with NASA. The frozen continent is truly other-worldly; a land of soaring white mountains, massive glaciers and wind-sculpted icebergs that drift with the ocean currents.

Waddles of penguins shuffle back to their colonies after fishing expeditions, leopard seals flop about on ice flows and killer whales search the clear blue seas for a feed.

Travellers can’t ride the rails or nab a discount airfare to this vast wilderness. Antarctica has no public airports, and although it’s the world’s seventh largest continent, its human population is just a few thousand – less in winter.

Viking Cruises includes all the kit needed for an Antarctica adventure. Completed this year, Viking Polaris is the company’s newest vessel. With a passenger limit of only 378 and a crew of 256, that’s a pretty good pampering ratio. All staterooms have verandahs, and the common spaces provide incredible views of this fairytale seascape.

The ships ‘Hangar,’ is an in-ship marina housing a variety of watercraft, including kayaks, a special operations boat, and zodiacs for local touring and shore excursions. For a fish-eye view, climb aboard a glass-domed submarine, at no extra charge, and see what lies beneath. Antarctica – a great answer to the question, “What are you doing this summer?”

The other Greek Islands

Santorini, Crete, Corfu and Mykonos are popular Greek Islands blessed with cultural delights and stunning scenery. But Greece is home to thousands of islands, so what’s happening on the rest of them? A small-ship, Hidden Greece tour with Variety Cruises visits 10 lesser-known islands with something for everyone.

Built in 1017 and renovated in 1088, Amorgos Island’s white-washed, eight-level Monastery of Panagia Hozoviotissa, is spectacularly attached to a cliff face. Only visible from the sea, a roughly-hewn rock stairway leads visitors to the monastery to meet with the friendly monks who call it home.

On Ikaria Island, guests can take a cooling dip in the emerald waters of the achingly beautiful Seychelles Beach, soothe tired muscles in a natural thermal spring, and enjoy a cooking class at a local’s country home.

Ikaria residents live up to 10 years longer than the average mainland European, and some say it’s partly due to afternoon naps. Now, that’s a cultural lifestyle to embrace.

Tiny Levitha is home to a single family who run a farm and a small, rustic restaurant, known for its grilled fish and meat. Reintroduce wobbly sea legs to land with a stroll along one of the island’s numerous goat trails.

So, that’s three islands, only seven more to go.

Scottish Highlands and islands

The 100km-long Caledonian Canal runs south-west from Inverness in northern Scotland. It passes through the gorgeous Scottish Highlands and several lakes, including Loch Ness, en-route to Loch Linnhe, which opens to the sea.

A Lindblad Expedition’s Scotland’s Highlands and Islands cruise aboard Lord of the Glens, takes passengers along the full length of the canal, and seaward to the islands of the Inner Hebrides.

The canal leg of the journey includes a visit to the Battle of Culloden site, a possible sighting of Loch Ness’s famous resident, and a side trip to the pretty lakeside hamlet of Glenfinnan. Harry Potter fans will want to grab a selfie beside the spectacular Glenfinnan railway viaduct, made famous by the Hogwarts Express.

Offshore, Lord of the Glens sails to the Isle of Mull for a visit to the magnificent Duart Castle, which has remained the ancestral home of the MacLean family since its construction in the 13th century. A side trip takes guests to the charming Isle of Iona, considered to be the cradle of Scottish Christianity.

There are several other islands on the itinerary, plus a trip to Inverie and The Old Forge pub. Not accessible by road, it’s the most remote pub in the British Isles.