CRUISING
SMALL SHIPS
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Playful, puppyish,
and preponderant,
some 50,000 sea
lions inhabit the
Galápagos Islands.Up Close
& Personal
Yes, good things do come
in small packages, includ-
ing ocean cruises. Expe-
dition vessels with fewer
passengers not only tend
to be more sustainable but
also have easier access to
hard-to-reach ports and
adventure activities.
National Geographic
Expeditions specializes
in this type of trip, and
the new Short Escapes
collection offers ultra
action-packed itineraries.
The 11 options include
a six-day Iceland outing
that scouts lava fields
and hot springs along the
country’s rugged western
coast and a seven-day
Galápagos escape with
just 48 travelers who
snorkel with sea turtles
and kayak with sea lions.Aboard the 92-cabin
Ponant Le Bougainville,
passengers spend nine
nights cruising the Vanilla
Islands between the Sey-
chelles and Madagascar
with stops to glimpse rare
lemurs, explore the pristine
reefs of UNESCO-listed
Aldabra Atoll, and take
naturalist-led excursions
in search of giant rays and
gentle dugongs.
For an even cozier
experience, set sail with
UnCruise, whose Safari
Explorer accommodates
only 36 guests. On the
seven-night “Hawaiian
Seascapes” voyage, see a
different side of the Aloha
State by kayaking under
thousand-foot sea cliffs,
swimming with manta rays,
and hiking to waterfalls
before sitting down for a
traditional local feast.
The Russian Far East
will be the destination
when Crystal’s 100-suiteEndeavor makes its maiden
voyage in August 2020.
Embarking from Tokyo,
the 17-night cruise will
offer exploration of Japan’s
volcanic Rishiri Island, with
hikes through virgin forest,
and Russia’s Zhupanova
River to see the brown
bears that patrol its banks.
If you’re an advance plan-
ner, check out Silversea’s
April 2021 cruise from
Cairns to Singapore. Over
22 days, travelers will take
in the waterfalls of Western
Australia’s Kimberley
region, the reefs of Indo-
nesia’s Wakatobi National
Marine Park, and the cave
tombs of Sulawesi. An
onboard digital photo
studio makes documenting
your adventures a snap.
—Eric RosenOCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019