Small Ship Cruises

Encounter some of the world’s most precious wildlife, incredible landscapes, without giving up your creature comforts

Small Ship Expeditions

Explore some of the world’s most beautiful destinations on the ultimate small ship cruising adventure. Whether you’re looking to snorkel with tropical fish in the Maldives, admire ancient Aboriginal art in Western Australia or observe local customs of Papua New Guinea’s tribal villages, our expedition cruise holidays combine the best wildlife sightings and immersive cultural experiences for that trip of a lifetime. Respecting the local landscapes and culture is our priority, and we vow to tread lightly through these sensational landscapes and habitats as we travel through the world.

You’ll stay in luxurious accommodation during each small ship voyage and can access a variety of excursions and activities at your chosen location. Take advantage of our expert guides’ local knowledge that provide unique insight into the surrounding wildlife and local customs you may encounter during your adventure cruise.

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Small Ship Cruises

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Our travellers rate our Small Ship Cruises holidays as

4.7 / 5 based on 201 reviews

Small Ship Cruise Holidays

9 Days from 1 949 €

Guided Group (Excl. Flights)

Discover temples and tombs and travel by Nile cruise boat

Culture

9 Days from 2 049 €

Guided Group (Excl. Flights)

Dec 2, 2023: Follow in the footsteps of ancient pharaohs and ride the sands of time on this classic Egypt Nile cruise, led by writer, historian, and RCGS Chair Joseph Frey.

Culture

9 Days from 3 449 €

3 179 €

Guided Group (Excl. Flights)

Discover ancient Egypt in style along the Nile from Luxor to Awan

Culture

6 Days from 4 699 €

Guided Group (Excl. Flights)

Walk (and snorkel) with the animals on an unforgettable wildlife-watching adventure

Wildlife

6 Days from 4 699 €

Guided Group (Excl. Flights)

Walk (and snorkel) with the animals on an unforgettable wildlife-watching adventure

Wildlife

10 Days from 8 899 €

Guided Group (Excl. Flights)

Sail around the Galapagos Islands by catamaran

Wildlife

10 Days from 8 899 €

Guided Group (Excl. Flights)

Sail around the Galapagos Islands by catamaran

Wildlife

10 Days from 7 649 €

Guided Group (Excl. Flights)

Sail around the Galapagos Islands by First Class boat

Wildlife

17 Days from 12 199 €

Guided Group (Excl. Flights)

The best of the Galapagos islands' scenery and wildlife

Wildlife

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In Focus: Small Ship Expeditions

Voyages holidays boast an impressive choice of itineraries and destinations across the globe, each with its own bounty to discover. Join us as we embark on a cultural discovery cruise of the Amazon Rainforest where you will travel along the Amazon River in Peru and visit the Pacaya Samiria Reserve encountering giant butterflies and pink dolphins along the way.

Apart from assorted excursions and activities included during our Voyages trips, guests will enjoy excellent local cuisine and drinks both on board each ship and during meals ashore. Among the included activities, you can enjoy Zodiac cruises, snorkelling, cultural tours, nature walks, fascinating onboard lectures and talks, cooking demonstrations and visits to UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Activities may differ depending on the location and availability at the time of travel.

We covered all the highlights but the planning wasn’t great. Everything was rushed with many early starts (like 4am in the morning!). This is probably a 10 nights trip instead of 8. The highlight was certainly Valley of the Kings but we left the site at 9am after only a bit more than an hour. The two hotels were an excellent pick. The cruise was not, although the personnel provided excellent services and the rooms were good. Some of us struggled to see the benefit of having booked the Premium trip with an overcharge of £138 per night on top of the non-premium. The Marriott was amazing but they reserved possibly the noisiest room in the hotel (next to 3 lift shafts and on a third floor on a busy road) and they didn’t get me another room despite asking four times (they have 440 rooms!). I was expecting Exodus to support me on that. The cruise facilities were basic. The pool was small compared to the other cruises that we have seen. The food was decent at days and not so great on other days and they only served buffet. Unclear why we had to spend an extra night docked next to the Movenpick Resort Aswan on which we moved for the last day and where we only spent less than 12h (including sleep).

Andrea Franzel Nile Cruise & Aswan – Premium Adventure

My two star rating doesn’t reflect the Galapagos Islands themselves, which are a potentially five star destination. Rather the rating is of this particular trip to see them. As you’d expect, the Galapagos are a wildlife lover’s dream, particularly if you like marine wildlife. Whilst the variety isn’t massive, the numbers are and the ease of seeing things is unmatched , and many creatures can’t be seen anywhere else. The snorkelling is outstanding with excellent visibility and huge numbers of fish etc. as well as lots of exciting bigger things like turtles and sealions that will happily swim right up to you.

Unfortunately this Exodus trip did not feel like the best way to see this incredible place, particularly not for the very high cost, and I was very glad to return home. The tour leader was poor, which greatly affected the quality of the experience. The first nights in Quito were on my own – there was no group – which is not what I expect from a ‘small group’ tour. I knew there wouldn’t be any trip leader accompanying us (me) but I did expect there to be other travellers.

The boat is very cramped and uncomfortable and if you are a solo traveller and have to share it is really difficult even if you get on well with your roommate (thankfully I did). For two nights the air conditioning wasn’t working meaning I was unable to sleep and ended up trying to sleep on deck in the rain. If you sleep in the top bunk it is a vastly inferior experience as it is very hot and cramped and hard to climb up. There were spare cabins on the boat but we were not given the option to use them, not even for an additional fee. There were also bigger cabins upstairs but those were allocated to others despite us being the only pair sharing with a stranger. There was a sense that Exodus passengers were second-class.

The trip is mis-graded as ‘leisurely’ when it is far tougher than the moderate trips I have taken with Exodus recently. The trip notes at the current time do not accurately describe the level of fitness required or that you need walking boots etc. I could have been much better prepared had I known. There is very little leisure time, which is fine if that’s what you are expecting but is not indicated by the trip notes at the time of writing.

I would definitely not recommend the trip to solo travellers or even friends travelling (unless you are happy sharing a double bed). For solo travellers it might be better to look at land based itineraries. For couples it this trip might be worth it, provided you are fit and don’t mind short walks in difficult situations and if the tour leader was different from the one I had.

HJ Marder Galapagos Islands – Cachalote Explorer (Itin B)

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