Adventure Cruises - Exploring the Natural World
Borneo, Papua New Guinea and Costa Rica It's now possible to explore Borneo, Papua New Guinea and the stunning National Parks of Costa Rica by taking a luxury expedition cruise.
Areas inaccessible for the majority can be reached with guidance from locals and on-board explorers using RIBS or speedboats.
Depending on the region, you will be accompanied by a professional expedition team or expert guides who will take you to the best places for wildlife watching, spotting rare birds and plant species, and often visiting local communities for unforgettable encounters with the people who have live in these wild regions.
Borneo is the third-largest island in the world, shared between Indonesia, Malaysia and the tiny Sultanate of Brunei on the north coast.
The states of Sarawak and Sabah comprise the northern Malaysian territory, and the southern Indonesian region is known as Kalimantan.
The mention of Borneo evokes dreams of adventure and nature in the raw, and the reality is not disappointing.
A natural paradise of jungle, rainforest, mountains, vast cave systems and coral reefs, it is probably best-known for its orangutan population and efforts under way to protect and conserve it.
In the World Biosphere Reserve of Tanjung Puting, Camp Leakey has run a conservation programme for the orangutan since 1971, and at Semenggoh Wildlife Centre, young orangutan are rehabilitated and re-introduced to the wild.
Visitors can observe their feeding and behaviour in a regulated environment, and at Cabang Panti Research Station in Gulung Palung National Park they can be seen in the wild.
The only way to reach Tanjung Datu National Park in Sarawak is via a long forest trek or more easily by small boat.
Behind magnificent beaches, pristine rainforest sustains the Bornean Gibbon, crab-eating macaque and leaf monkeys, and there are tracts of rare dipterocarp forest.
Not far away is Bako National Park where you can expect to see proboscis monkeys, long-tailed macaques, the flying lemur and carnivorous plants.
Sea arches and cliffs make up the shoreline, with trails leading to waterfalls, cooling pools and streams.
The islands offshore are no less entrancing.
Kangean Island has long, golden beaches, and monkeys and komodo dragons live in the mangrove forest on its tiny islet.
The Karimatas chain is very rarely visited, but the coral reefs are wonderful diving territory, with mountains and rainforest inland.
Lush, green Papua New Guinea is only 90 miles from Cape York on Australia's northern tip, but its culture and extraordinary diversity of plant and animal life is a world away.
There are 3000 different orchids alone, and its 700 bird species include the Bird of Paradise.
It is one of the least-explored regions on earth, with some areas making contact with the outside world as recently as the 1970s.
Many of its plants and animals are yet to be discovered.
The population is almost equally diverse, with over 850 languages spoken and ethnic groups broadly divided between New Guineans, Papuans, Highlanders and Islanders.
82% of the population live in small villages where tribal customs are still practiced.
The Sepik River runs from the Highlands to the Bismarck Sea in the north, and from its banks you can visit the village of Watam and its seven clans.
The Bird of Paradise and the world's largest butterfly, the Queen Alexandra Birdwing, live in the hills above the fjord.
At Dei Dei Village, locals still cook their food in the hot springs, and on Fergusson Island, rainforests cover the mountains and there is the chance of seeing the purple-bellied Lory, a rare parrot endemic to Papua New Guinea.
National Parks cover a quarter of Costa Rica, preserving rainforest, swamps, wild, beautiful beaches and lagoons, and a tenth of the world's mammal species.
Along the Nicoya Peninsula are Tortuguero, Manuel Antonio and Santa Rosa National Parks, together with the Natural Reserve of Curu, which can all be explored on an adventure cruise of Costa Rica.
The coastline is a combination of idyllic beaches and crashing surf, backed by dense forest, palms and mountains; scuba divers and surfers flock to Playas de Coco, where offshore there is the bonus of shipwrecks and sharks' caves to explore.
With the help of guides, expect to see jaguars and sloths in Tortuguero National Park, and from Isla Tortuga, spot manta rays, pilot whales and giant whale sharks.
In the Natural Reserve of Curu, there is an increasing population of the rare spider monkey, and all five of Costa Rica's mangrove species grow here - the atmospheric forests and swamps are accessible from zodiacs.
Wildlife cruises are one of best ways to explore these pristine habitats.
The itinerary will cover a wide variety of landscapes, enabling you to see exotic flora and fauna and marine life with the benefit of expert guides.
Anyone who is not sure whether a wilderness holiday is for them can relax in the knowledge that staying on board is an option; retreat to luxury accommodation with good food and wine and first-class service.
Areas inaccessible for the majority can be reached with guidance from locals and on-board explorers using RIBS or speedboats.
Depending on the region, you will be accompanied by a professional expedition team or expert guides who will take you to the best places for wildlife watching, spotting rare birds and plant species, and often visiting local communities for unforgettable encounters with the people who have live in these wild regions.
Borneo is the third-largest island in the world, shared between Indonesia, Malaysia and the tiny Sultanate of Brunei on the north coast.
The states of Sarawak and Sabah comprise the northern Malaysian territory, and the southern Indonesian region is known as Kalimantan.
The mention of Borneo evokes dreams of adventure and nature in the raw, and the reality is not disappointing.
A natural paradise of jungle, rainforest, mountains, vast cave systems and coral reefs, it is probably best-known for its orangutan population and efforts under way to protect and conserve it.
In the World Biosphere Reserve of Tanjung Puting, Camp Leakey has run a conservation programme for the orangutan since 1971, and at Semenggoh Wildlife Centre, young orangutan are rehabilitated and re-introduced to the wild.
Visitors can observe their feeding and behaviour in a regulated environment, and at Cabang Panti Research Station in Gulung Palung National Park they can be seen in the wild.
The only way to reach Tanjung Datu National Park in Sarawak is via a long forest trek or more easily by small boat.
Behind magnificent beaches, pristine rainforest sustains the Bornean Gibbon, crab-eating macaque and leaf monkeys, and there are tracts of rare dipterocarp forest.
Not far away is Bako National Park where you can expect to see proboscis monkeys, long-tailed macaques, the flying lemur and carnivorous plants.
Sea arches and cliffs make up the shoreline, with trails leading to waterfalls, cooling pools and streams.
The islands offshore are no less entrancing.
Kangean Island has long, golden beaches, and monkeys and komodo dragons live in the mangrove forest on its tiny islet.
The Karimatas chain is very rarely visited, but the coral reefs are wonderful diving territory, with mountains and rainforest inland.
Lush, green Papua New Guinea is only 90 miles from Cape York on Australia's northern tip, but its culture and extraordinary diversity of plant and animal life is a world away.
There are 3000 different orchids alone, and its 700 bird species include the Bird of Paradise.
It is one of the least-explored regions on earth, with some areas making contact with the outside world as recently as the 1970s.
Many of its plants and animals are yet to be discovered.
The population is almost equally diverse, with over 850 languages spoken and ethnic groups broadly divided between New Guineans, Papuans, Highlanders and Islanders.
82% of the population live in small villages where tribal customs are still practiced.
The Sepik River runs from the Highlands to the Bismarck Sea in the north, and from its banks you can visit the village of Watam and its seven clans.
The Bird of Paradise and the world's largest butterfly, the Queen Alexandra Birdwing, live in the hills above the fjord.
At Dei Dei Village, locals still cook their food in the hot springs, and on Fergusson Island, rainforests cover the mountains and there is the chance of seeing the purple-bellied Lory, a rare parrot endemic to Papua New Guinea.
National Parks cover a quarter of Costa Rica, preserving rainforest, swamps, wild, beautiful beaches and lagoons, and a tenth of the world's mammal species.
Along the Nicoya Peninsula are Tortuguero, Manuel Antonio and Santa Rosa National Parks, together with the Natural Reserve of Curu, which can all be explored on an adventure cruise of Costa Rica.
The coastline is a combination of idyllic beaches and crashing surf, backed by dense forest, palms and mountains; scuba divers and surfers flock to Playas de Coco, where offshore there is the bonus of shipwrecks and sharks' caves to explore.
With the help of guides, expect to see jaguars and sloths in Tortuguero National Park, and from Isla Tortuga, spot manta rays, pilot whales and giant whale sharks.
In the Natural Reserve of Curu, there is an increasing population of the rare spider monkey, and all five of Costa Rica's mangrove species grow here - the atmospheric forests and swamps are accessible from zodiacs.
Wildlife cruises are one of best ways to explore these pristine habitats.
The itinerary will cover a wide variety of landscapes, enabling you to see exotic flora and fauna and marine life with the benefit of expert guides.
Anyone who is not sure whether a wilderness holiday is for them can relax in the knowledge that staying on board is an option; retreat to luxury accommodation with good food and wine and first-class service.
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