The best boat trips (without stepping on a cruise ship)

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• On lonelyplanet.es and in the book 'The best boat trips around the world'

It is one of the most pleasant ways to travel the world and, incidentally, appreciate the slowness that a great trip requires.

Embarking on an adventure in which water is the absolute protagonist goes far beyond the classic tourist cruise with all expenses included.

There are other options for navigating rough seas, calm rivers or tame lakes: from the romantic feluccas that sail the Nile to the experience of getting on a freighter to reach the ends of the planet.

Crossings that recover the true pleasure of traveling.

An elevated view of Navagio Beach on the Greek island of Zante, known for a famous shipwreck in 1980 whose remains rest in a sandy cove framed by cliffs.

Matteo Colombo Getty Images

1. From island to island, sailing the Greek coast

With more than 1,400 islands,

Greece has more coastline than any other European country.

Hence, it is worth visiting some of them, convinced that no landscape will be the same.

And it is that the panorama according to the archipelago that we choose will be very different: the semitropical exuberance of the

and those of the

Northeast

has nothing to do with the bare and sunny rocks of the

.

From May to October, the time is ideal to rent a sailboat or embark on one of those that propose quiet journeys that make stops on islands almost always loaded with history and legends.

Another option, perhaps less romantic, is the ferries: all the islands offer some kind of service, from the gigantic boats that cover the main routes to the small and old ones that rattle through the calm waters.

You can always take a ferry in Piraeus, the port of Athens, to an island, or organize a personalized route with transfers, by sailboat or catamaran.

View of the Nile from the Egyptian city of Aswan, the southernmost city in the country, with the characteristic felucca plying the waters.

Givaga Getty Images

2. By felucca down the Nile

For millennia, the Nile has been Egypt's main transportation route, and today's travelers are offered the opportunity to navigate through history in one of the best travel experiences on the planet.

From

to

further north

there are 119 kilometers and three days of sailing that can be completed on conventional cruises of greater or lesser luxury.

But there is another more authentic way to cross this mythical river: on a felucca.

These

with a large lateen sail, one of the recurring postcards of the Nile, usually have a capacity of between six and eight passengers and a crew of two or three people.

The experience on board one of these barges leaves a deep impression from the moment the travelers wake up gently rocked by the waves, lift their heads from the sleeping bag and watch a pair of egrets fly over the deck and land on the shore. , lined with palm trees and dotted with small adobe villages.

As the day opens, the lateen sail unfolds and flutters to the rhythm of the breeze, and the anchor is raised to begin a new journey on one of the largest rivers in the world.

As you watch the fertile Egyptian countryside pass by, you can laze on the deck cushions and chat with the Nubian crew (originally from the region of the same name in southern Egypt).

Traveling by felucca also allows you to stop on small islands or archaeological sites that cruise ships often overlook.

A walk through one of the oldest civilizations in the world.

The 'American Queen', docked in the port of New Orleans (Lusiana, USA).

Naum Chayer ALAMY

3. On a wheel steamer down the Mississippi, America's sap

Few rivers provoke as many emotions as the Mississippi, which novelist

(1922-1969) summed up allegorically by saying that it "smelled like the body of the United States" in his novel

(1957). Navigating this mighty river is a encounter with real America but also with literary America, an enormous body of water that has inspired many of its great writers, among which

(1835-1910) stands out, who immortalized it in his two masterpieces:

( 1876) and

(1885)

The longest river in the country (along the Missouri), which sometimes seems as wide as the open sea and sometimes as narrow as a canal, runs 3,784 kilometers from Lake Itasca in Minnesota (Midwestern state, bordering Canada) to drain into the Gulf of Mexico, near New Orleans, crossing 10 states of the world's leading power along the way.

To admire its grandeur and power, it is best to do it aboard a traditional steamboat like the

From St. Louis, in Missouri, to St. Paul, in Minnesota, there are almost a thousand kilometers that can be crossed in nine days of intense adventure.

A ferry pits the waters of the Amazon near the Brazilian city of Belém.

Ricardo Lima GETTY IMAGES

 4. From a hammock, by the Amazon

The Amazon is

and runs through the largest jungle on the planet.

Bigger words, and not suitable for all audiences, but without a doubt navigating it is one of those experiences that every great traveler has on their wish list.

The Amazon runs for more than 6,200 kilometers, from a discrete spring in the Peruvian mountains to its mouth near Belém, Brazil.

Its flow is 12 times greater than that of the Mississippi and carries a fifth of the world's fresh water.

You just have to tie the hammock well on a slow boat (they vary in quality) and start the

, in Brazil, or

, in Bolivia.

The trip along the river, on whose banks there is nothing but jungle and villages, can last from four to six days.

It is best to organize the crossing to start in June in Manaus and thus be able to witness the famous

on the water.

Sailing boats on Stocking Island, off Georgetown Harbor, in the Bahamas.

Wildroze GETTY IMAGES

5. The Bahamas by postal ship

Are you more tortoise than hare?

Do you have more time than money?

Then an island hopping trip through the Bahamas by postal boat is ideal for your next

, that is, traveling without haste.

Hopping on a

is an enchanting and increasingly archaic way to navigate

.

It involves many hours, even days, sitting on the swaying deck of a freighter, next to mail bags and pallets of canned peas, just gazing out at the sapphire blue Atlantic.

Sounds heavenly to you?

Well on board!

From

, the capital of the Bahamas, on the island of New Providence, we can choose how much time we want to dedicate to this uncertain adventure.

The Pakleni Islands, southwest of the island of Hvar, off the Dalmatian coast of Croatia.

GETTY IMAGES

6. Sailing along the Dalmatian coast

In recent years,

, with more coastline and beaches than Portugal or France.

it competes with Greece as a destination for those who dare to navigate the Eastern Mediterranean.

Its Dalmatian coastline stretches

and the Mediterranean sparkles among its

.

Although there are many ways to see the increasingly popular Dalmatian coast, the best is to do it on deck, gliding through the water with the wind filling the sails.

Along the way, zigzagging between the mountainous mainland and part of an archipelago that stretches from Italy and Slovenia to the north, to Montenegro, Albania and Greece to the south, anchor is dropped a short distance swimming from beach bars, declared enclaves world heritage and ancient ruins.

From

to

there are 240 kilometers and a sailboat can cover the journey in eight days.

The preferred place to dock is

but stopovers in hidden coves, traditional fishing villages and more distant archipelagos such as

or

.

Don't be in a hurry to set sail: ports such as Split and Dubrovnik also have a lot of history and charm.

 7. The 3,000 islands of Halong Bay (Vietnam)

Balancing on the emerald waters

and navigating its more than

is sublime, gazing at a spectacular collection of rock sculptures carved over the centuries that seem to protect the Vietnamese coastline.

The tiny islands are dotted with beaches and grottoes created by the wind and waves, and the chirping of birds can be heard from their barely wooded slopes.

Spending the night aboard a junk is the perfect way to experience the magic of the bay, which is undoubtedly the biggest attraction in northern Vietnam.

There are more than 300 boats moored at the

waiting to plow through these

waters

.

One-day visits last between four and eight hours, although there are also two and three-day visits that include spending the night on the water.

The stretch of the Yangtze River known as the Three Gorges, with impressive limestone and granite formations.

View Stock GETTY IMAGES

8. A river cruise on the Yangtze River (China)

The Yangtze

is not only the longest river in Asia (6,300 kilometers), but also one of the cradles of Chinese civilization: it makes the valley lands fertile and productive and enables trade with distant regions.

It is born on the Tibetan plateau, in the province of Qinghai, and empties into the East China Sea.

Its murky currents, apart from feeding water to 40% of the Chinese territory, hide legends of a

and transport goods into the future.

To discover its rich history, there is nothing like a cruise from

(in the southwest of the country) to

(in the center) or even to

, where it ends.

This long and winding drive passes through

, terraced villages and deep gorges before

passing

through the locks of

.

It is the Three Gorges Dam,

with a capacity of 22,500 megawatts, which is responsible for retaining and using the waters of the mighty Yangtze.

From Chongqing to Shanghai there are more than

, which can be crossed in 10 days.

Traditional reed rafts still ply the waters of Lake Titicaca, around the floating islands of the Uro, in the bay of Puno (Peru).

Robin Smith GETTY IMAGES

9. Navigate the clouds on Lake Titicaca (Bolivia and Peru)

In the Andean highlands, at 3,800 meters above sea level, it takes even your breath.

At these altitudes, the air becomes lighter and it is difficult to move, but the populations that inhabit the surroundings of Lake Tititaca,

, know how to do it, and their life runs slowly in a beautiful but difficult environment.

You can experience the island rhythm on a boat trip on Titicaca - the highest navigable body of water in the world, at 8,300 square kilometers - from the Peruvian port of

to the

.

It is a journey of only 35 kilometers that can be completed in less than two hours aboard a simple boat.

The first stop is made at

, located just 10 kilometers from the coast, about twenty floating islets where this Peruvian ethnic group lives, among whose greatest achievements is having managed to survive in such a hostile habitat by building these artificial islets to base of totora, a reed-like aquatic plant that grows on the surface of the lake.

Visiting this place is quite an experience, although it is becoming less and less authentic because of the excessive tourism, which its inhabitants also take advantage of.

Back on the boat, an hour's drive away is

, an island where men, and only men, weave colorful clothing and women intricate belts.

Taquile and its textile art were recognized by Unesco as

.

There may be no electricity, but that digital detox provides sensational views of the lake, Bolivian mountains on the horizon, and stone arches on the island's trails. 

A river cruise docks in a small Russian town on the Volga River.

ANGHI GETTY IMAGES

10. Capture the Russian soul on a cruise on the Volga

Traveling down the longest river in Europe means soaking up the sap of the Russian psyche.

As enigmatic as its homeland, the волга-матушка (Mother Volga) runs slowly among the tracks left in its course by artists and dreamers, writers and revolutionaries, explorers, dictators and invaders, before dissipating in the Caspian Sea.

From May to mid-October, passenger ships, from the most modern and luxurious tourist cruises to modest and dilapidated vessels full of rust, cruise its historic waters.

For some, it is the chance to savor Russian sparkling wines and sturgeon roe in a watery attic;

for others, the experience of sharing tomatoes, cucumbers and shots of vodka with the locals on the tweendeck.

Navigating the Volga there is a level of comfort (and adventure) for every traveler.

Cruises usually go from

to

, a distance of about 1,000 kilometers that the ships sail in three or four days.

The main island of the British archipelago of Tristán de Acuña, whose volcano forced its inhabitants to evacuate completely in 1961. David Forman GETTY IMAGES

11. On board a fishing boat in the South Atlantic

In a world where we show every moment of our travels on Instagram, where satellite navigation ensures that we don't get lost, ride-sharing services take us where we need to go and Airbnb guarantees us a place to sleep, a trip to Tristan de Acuña is a return to the past in full rule.

If someone wants to embark on an adventure like those that only appear in books and guides to exotic destinations before the Internet age, they can make their dream come true with a week-long journey from

to

, in the South Atlantic, one of the most remote inhabited archipelagos in the world (in dispute with

).

It supposes a return to the essences, to the most basic: a journey in an active fishing boat, without entertainment on board and with departure and arrival dates that depend more on the weather than on established schedules.

A total of 2,800 kilometers that are completed in about seven days of navigation.

12. Through the still waters of Kerala (India)

The State of Kerala, in southern India, is bordered by 600 kilometers of coastline of the Arabian Sea, lined with beaches with palm trees.

However, when it comes to water, its greatest jewel is the

a 900-kilometer network of glistening canals, rivers and lakes that lend credence to the slogan of this Indian region: the “country of God”.

Spending a few days exploring these waterways and the towns and tropical landscapes that surround them is one of the best experiences on the Asian subcontinent.

To enjoy it to the fullest, you have to rent a

(wooden rice barge covered with a thatched roof) transformed into a floating house, which will allow you to sleep and eat during the route.

Wooden boats plow through the shallow waters of the lakes, surrounded by palm trees and dotted with fishing nets, and navigate the canals.

There are cruises of just eight hours between the cities of

and

, stopping at

, the residence of one of the few female gurus of India, in the small town of Parayakadavu, near the city of Kollam.

A sailboat skirts the coast of Bartolomé Island, which is part of the Galapagos Islands, in Ecuador.

Jami Tarris GETTY IMAGES

13. A trip with Darwin through the Galapagos Islands (Ecuador)

Those who have the privilege of traveling to

will be able to study

theory of evolution live

while navigating this volcanic archipelago, whose name evokes images of flora and fauna from another world.

The Galapagos are also known as the

and are located a thousand kilometers from the coast of Ecuador.

This unique place can be reached by plane, to enjoy after a week-long cruise: there are boats of all kinds, from small sailboats to large cruises, although the most common is the

(medium-sized) with capacity for 20 people, on trips of between three days and three weeks.

You can also charter your own boat.

During the day it is possible to practice snorkelling and scuba diving, or go to shore to be surprised by numerous specimens of

You can swim among sea lions, float very close to some exclusive penguins and be next to a

.

But always being respectful of this ecological wonder, which today is threatened.

Entering the islands has a fixed cost that must be paid.

There are daily flights to the Galapagos from the capital of Ecuador, Quito, via Guayaquil.

A frigate docked in the Norwegian port of Bergen.

Lars Johansson / EyeEm Getty Images

 14. Crossing the Norwegian fjords by ferry

For more than a century, since 1894, the historic

shipping ferries have

traveled the

coastline

, linking its many fjords, villages and coastal towns.

These vessels provide continuous service between the cities of

to the south and

to the north and are a lifeline to the country's remote coastal communities.

Throughout the year, 11 modern ferries sail north from Bergen on a route that has been turned into a pleasure trip:

and several complementary excursions.

You can also do a single section (or two) of the route.

You pass fjords and islands bathed in the midnight sun, medieval monasteries and

cities

.

And if you're lucky, Mother Nature may decide to add fireworks in the form of a spectacular

.

A 'dhow', a traditional Arab boat, returns to the port on the island of Zanzibar, in Tanzania.

Peter Unger GETTY IMAGES

15. By

dhow

along the coast of Zanzibar (Tanzania)

Traveling to the island of Zanzibar, in the Indian Ocean, off

, is equivalent to going back through the centuries to the ancient kingdoms of Persia, the Oman of caliphs and sultans, and the west coast of India with its sensual rhythms and strong aromas.

The ancient

the monumental part of Zanzibar City, capital of the archipelago, is one of the most evocative places in Africa.

The turquoise waters and postcard beaches characterize the so-called island of spices.

Sailing in

(an old Arab boat) is an excellent way to explore the archipelago and its great places where you can go scuba diving and snorkelling.

The explorer ship 'MS Fram', of the Hurtigruten shipping company, upon arrival at the Itilleq settlement, near the Kangerlussuaq fjord (Greenland).

Gonzalo Azumendi GETTY IMAGES

16. Crossing the Arctic Circle (Greenland and Canada)

A trip to western Greenland and Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic aboard a Russian freighter chartered by

provides a brief glimpse of the stark and astonishing glacial environment, skirting frozen shores dotted with colorful villages.

Living in latitudes that kiss the Polar Circle is not easy, but the special beauty of that life is unmatched.

A trip to the high Arctic also provides a rare connection to the natural world.

Although the environmental damage in the area is visible and undeniable, seeing the summer sun glisten on

is a mystical experience.

Visiting this pure place is an essential journey for anyone who wants to know and understand what ecologists strive to conserve.

The route starts in

(Greenland) and reaches

, in Canada, in an 11-day adventure that covers 2,675 kilometers.

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