Some river cruises are perfect if you’d love a quiet shopping trip around towns and villages. Except… some of us prefer caves and ancient tombs to shopping trips. Today we’re looking at river cruise adventure excursions, if you’re always on the lookout for ways to unleash your inner Indiana.
Snow Jade Cave (River Yangtze cruises)
Come on, you know you want to take an excursion to Snow Jade Cave, even just for the name of the place. You won’t be disappointed once you’re inside either – the spectacular white stalactites seem to stream down every pillar and cave wall, and the blue and green floodlighting turns these ice-white formations into dramatic, almost alien structures. The formations here grow up to thirty times faster than stalactites in other caves around the world – creating an overflowing subterranean wonderland that does indeed look like it’s been carved out of bright white jade.
Mount Pilatus (River Rhine cruises)
If you’d sooner climb mountain peaks than delve into ancient caves, a river cruise of the Rhine to Switzerland could be ideal. Some voyages can take you to Lucerne, with the spectacular mountain scenery of the Emmental Alps surrounding this beautiful town. Foremost of the peaks here are those of Mount Pilatus, which offers frankly biblical views from its summit. You could take a ride on a cogwheel railway up to the top, the steepest of its kind in the world in fact – and follow in the footsteps of visitors like Queen Victoria and Theodore Roosevelt as you journey to reach the top. Up here, the Rhine and the surrounding countryside takes on a blue haze on a clear day, and you may even see clouds stretching out below you. For the trip back down, you could take the cable gondola – and become part of the jaw-dropping views of pine forests and the distant Alps.
The Louvre (River Seine cruises)
Imagine the tales you could tell once you get back home after a trip to Paris – especially having wandered the hallowed halls of the Louvre. The Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo are just the first course here too. See the exquisite Regent Diamond, ancient Persian friezes and stone reliefs, and the world-famous painting of Liberty Leading the People, synonymous with the French Revolution. You could be wandering around huge exhibits of ancient Egyptian mummies and sphinx statues, along with period costumes, classical Baroque statues and even the law of the land from ancient Babylon, cut into a standing stone.
River cruises offer a great choice of shore excursions if you’re looking for adventure and new experiences. Call our award-winning Cruise Concierge team on 0800 197 0854, and they can find a fantastic river cruise to suit you. Alternatively, let us know what you think in the comments below!
Main image (Mt Pilatus) courtesy of P. Funnell. Article images courtesy of Bob (Hisglassworks), Photopin/Flickr and F. Kovalchek, Photopin/Flickr.
