River cruise holidays

Organised river cruises come in two sizes: small group and tailor made. Small group trips fit up to 16 people. Or even less – say, eight or four. It all depends on the size of the boat. They might book your group onto a bigger ship, like an ex-steamship. Or you might get a vessel just for your crew. You’ll travel on a set itinerary, with accommodation, transport and most meals included.

That’s true of tailor made river cruises, too – but they work to an itinerary designed for you. You get to say if you fancy spending an extra couple of days in Cairo, or if you’d rather see Angkor Wat on the edge of the emptier rainy season. And you can choose not to share the deck. Instead, book a Keralan houseboat all to yourself.

Small groups and small boats have a low impact on the environment. The river cruise specialists that we work with are the opposite of the behemoths polluting the waters and communities they touch. They really care. Choose a tailor made river cruise, and it’s often just you and the crew stepping off at every mooring. Travel with one of our partners – river cruise experts who work with locally owned tour operators that employ staff as locally as possible. That way, your pennies will be invested in the country and people who need it, plus you’ll travel with guides who offer enchantingly honest opinions about everything from overtourism in Kerala to the state of Brazilian politics today. All inclusive dining doesn’t mean what you think it means. Your ship’s cook will often stock up on ingredients in the floating markets and waterside villages along the way. Expect doughy pitta bread, fried aubergine and falafel on the Nile, Gambian okra stew, or veggie Keralan curry. Chances are that you’ll sail through national parks, so make sure you use a river cruise company that minimises their imprint on the natural environment by sticking to very strict wildlife watching and waste disposal guidelines. The best tour guides put the wildlife’s comfort above yours and look to preserving the future of their watery backyards. You’ll hear stories abounds of the congested waterways of Kerala. Refuse to contribute to this by travelling with a tour operator that’ll help you explore the waterways that the bigger boats can’t touch. It’s better for you, the environment, the wildlife, and the people. Responsible river cruising is reviving a once dying boat-making industry. Take the kettuvallams in Kerala that were once country boats used for trading goods: tourism has breathed life back into the workshops and dry docks of artisan boat makers. Just make sure you travel with a company that gets and maintains its boats in the country you’re travelling in. Traditional, local woods and top-notch craftsmanship turn a mere mode of transport into a work of art.