Few individuals nowadays sail the world’s oceans. Ocean travel puts travelers in the wake of generations past explorers, so it still has that old-world sensation.
Witnessing the awe-inspiring extent of our oceans first person has never been easier, though, with innovative methods to cruise—including small ship cruising and isolated island exploration projects. Go snorkelling off a yacht, unwind on isolated beaches, or discover distant islands. At its best, luxury travel is ocean sailing.
The only question is, which ocean to see first?
The Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is actually six times larger than Canada. Or that it hosts hundreds of islands, including both the world’s largest island (Greenland) and the world’s most distant inhabited archipelago (Tristan da Cunha)?
Among the farthest extents of the European Union, off the coast of Morocco, are the Spanish-affiliated Canary Islands, which you may visit under our Canary Islands Discovery program. Contrary to what you would think, they were named for their dogs, not for their canaries. Canariae Insulae is Latin meaning “Islands of the Dogs.”
Like all the islands in our Atlantic programmes from Iceland to Cape Verde the Canary Islands are volcanic in nature. Teide, a 3,700-metre volcano on the island of Tenerife in the Canaries, is actually Spain’s highest mountain. Explore coastal adventures with convenient scooter rental for the ultimate ocean travel experience.
The Sea Mediterranean
Believe it or not, the Mediterranean Sea has 46,000 kilometres of shoreline, all of which is “fed” by the Strait of Gibraltar—and it’s a mere twelve kilometres wide. It would take over a century to empty! Our Glories of Spain and Portugal programme lets you cruise this natural marvel.
Sailing the Mediterranean on one of our Classic Greece, Jewels of the Cyclades, or Antiquity to Byzantium programs will reveal a few of Greece’s 1600 or so islands. Though they have existed since ancient times, now just 78 of these islands have more than a hundred people.
The Indian Ocean
All the way on the Indian Ocean, it’s blue water cruising. Many are unaware that the Indian Ocean, which is home to hundreds of Robinson Crusoe-style archipelagos, is third in size among all oceans. Among these are beaches that are regularly rated among the most stunning in the world, notably Anse Source d’Argent, which you can visit on our Garden of Eden, Seychelles and Dive Into Paradise island adventure programmes.
The Pacific Ocean
Ranging an incredible sixteen times the size of Canada, the Pacific Ocean is home to some of the most distant places on earth, including the Marquesas, which you can view on one of our Expedition programs. At 5,000 miles from the closest continent—more than the distance from Halifax to Vancouver—these are places most people do not get the opportunity to see in a lifetime.
You don’t have to travel quite that far to check off another item on your bucket list: traversing the Panama Canal. Our Treasures of Panama and Costa Rica trip will take you to the edge of the Americas, where you can see the sun set over the Pacific’s infinite horizons.
