Today, few people cross the world’s oceans by boat. Ocean travel still has that old-world feel, putting passengers in the wake of explorers of centuries gone by.
But with new ways to cruise—including small ship cruising and remote island discovery programmes—it’s never been easier to witness the awe-inspiring vastness of our oceans firsthand. Explore far-flung islands, relax on secluded beaches, or go snorkelling off a yacht. Ocean cruising is luxury travel at its finest.
The only question is, which ocean to visit first?
1. The Atlantic
Did you know that the Atlantic Ocean is six times the size of Canada? Or that it’s home to hundreds of islands, including both the world’s largest island (Greenland) and the world’s most remote inhabited archipelago (Tristan da Cunha)?
Off the coast of Morocco, the Spanish-affiliated Canary Islands, which you can travel to on our Canary Islands Discovery programme, are among the outermost reaches of the European Union. Contrary to what you might guess, they weren’t named for their canaries, but for their dogs. Canariae Insulae is Latin for “Islands of the Dogs.”
Like all of the islands in our Atlantic programmes—from Iceland to Cape Verde—the Canary Islands are volcanic in origin. In fact, Teide, a 3,700-metre volcano on the island of Tenerife in the Canaries, is Spain’s tallest mountain.
2. The Mediterranean Sea
Believe it or not, the Mediterranean Sea has 46,000 kilometres of coastline, all of which is “fed” through the Strait of Gibraltar—and it’s a mere twelve kilometres across. It would take more than a century to empty! You can sail this natural wonder on our Glories of Spain and Portugal programme.
Cruising the Mediterranean on one of our programmes—Classic Greece, Jewels of the Cyclades, or Antiquity to Byzantium—you’ll see a handful of Greece’s 1600 or so islands. Though they’ve been around since ancient times, today only 78 of these islands have over a hundred inhabitants.
3. The Indian Ocean
It’s blue water cruising all the way on the Indian Ocean. Many people don’t know that the Indian Ocean is the third-largest in the world, and home to hundreds of Robinson Crusoe-style archipelagos. Among them, you’ll find beaches that are consistently ranked among the most beautiful in the world, including Anse Source d’Argent, which you can visit on our Garden of Eden, Seychelles and Dive Into Paradise island adventure programmes.
4. The Pacific
At a whopping sixteen times the size of Canada, the Pacific Ocean is home to some of the world’s remotest destinations, including the Marquesas, which you can see on one of our Expedition programmes. At 5,000 kilometres from the nearest continent—that’s more than the distance from Halifax to Vancouver—these are place that most people don’t get the chance to see in a lifetime.
Of course, you don’t have to travel quite that far to cross another item off your bucket list: crossing the Panama Canal. Our Treasures of Panama and Costa Rica programme will take you to the edge of the Americas, where you can watch the sun set over the Pacific’s endless horizons.
Enjoy your travels!
From the GLP team
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