Pandaw River Expeditions launches new cruises on the Brahmaputra River in north-east India

Pandaw has announced its new eight-day Brahmaputra River programme on board MV Mahabaahu. The itineraries will commence in March 2015, offering Pandaw guests an off-the-beaten track, luxury exploration of the Assam region in the north-east of India.

The Brahmaputra River is the only navigable river in the world from which the 6,500 metre high, snow covered Himalaya mountains can be seen. It is also the only river, apart from the Zambezi River in Africa, where elephant, jeep and boat safaris are found together. Guests will experience the rich living culture of the Assam region with visits to temples, tribal villages, monasteries, ancient palaces and tea estates.

In addition to the cruise, Pandaw also offers pre and post stays in luxury five-star hotels in Delhi and Kol-kata, including domestic connecting flights.

Eight-day Brahmaputra River upstream sailing:

Ship: MV Mahabaahu

Departure information: 29 March 2015.

Cruise-only from £1,599 per person based on two people sharing a main deck stateroom, fully inclusive of all excursions, crew gratuities, meals and non-premium drinks. Transfers between ports of embarkation and the airport at the start and end of the voyage. Applicable on bookings made before 30 November. 

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Pandaw River Expeditions offer Halong Bay and Red River Vietnam sailing

Pandaw has added a new 10-night Halong Bay and the Red River sailing. The itinerary will commence in July 2015 offering guests the chance to explore the spectacular limestone islands in Halong Bay, before travelling to the remote upper Red River. Pandaw is the first river expedition operator to do so.  

Guests will visit floating villages, a floating school and limestone caves in Halong Bay before entering the Kinh Thay River, mooring at Yen Duc village which is surrounded by mountains. On the Duong River, the Angkor Pandaw (above)  will visit local villages known for their 11^th century folk painting and traditional ceramic production.

Pandaw guests will enjoy the yacht-like feel of the 16-suite Angkor Pandaw as well as five-star luxury service and a crew-to-passenger ratio of 2:1. All excursions are included. Book before 31 October 2014 for a 10 per cent saving.

10-night Halong Bay and Red River upstream sailing  10 July 2015.

Cruise-only from £1,451 per person based on two people sharing a main deck stateroom, fully inclusive of all excursions, crew gratuities, meals and non-premium drinks. Transfers between ports of embarkation and Hanoi International Airport at the start and end of the voyage.

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Pandaw's New Ship For Burma

Luxury river expedition company Pandaw has announced it is building a unique new river-cruise ship for Burma that will allow it to sail the Chindwin River year-round.

The Kha Byoo will feature an ultra-shallow draft and enter service at the end of 2014 on the Chindwin between Monywa and Homalin. Currently being built in Rangoon, the new vessel will be 40 metres in length and feature just 10 cabins, and its small size and draft of just 75cm will allow it to explore the Chindwin after the monsoon season ends and the larger ships have departed.

Like all of Pandaw’s K-class ships, the Kha Byoo is named after one of the original Irrawaddy Flotilla Company’s ships of a similar class and design, built in 1882 by Denny of Dumbarton. The 2014 reincarnation is essentially an enlarged version of another of Pandaw’s current vessels, the Kalay (above). It features the same design features, such as an owner’s stateroom and Louvre French windows in the nine other staterooms that open on either side of the ship to create a light and airy feeling of space.

On a series of seven-night expeditions, the Kha Byoo will explore the rich cultural life of the Upper Chindwin valley, visiting delightful colonial towns like Mawlaik, bustling India border towns like Kalaywa and the capital of Burmese Nagaland, Homalin. Guests are also able to explore some of the oldest teak-carved monasteries around the ancient royal town of Mingkin. In addition, for those looking to enhance their Burma experience, the Kha Byoo can also be booked back-to-back with the Kindat on Pandaw’s Mandalay to Bhamo routing on the Upper Irrawaddy.

Seven-night Chindwin cruises start from £1,890 per person based on two people sharing, including all food and drink, gratuities and all shore excursions.

More info: call 0203 287 6113 or visit www.pandaw.com.

The next edition of World of Cruising will be out on March 17, and you can see the current version online on our home page at www.worldofcruising.co.uk. To subscribe at our special offer rate for 2014, see this link.

 

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Pandaw Feature Burma, Vietnam & Cambodia

Travel to the Far East is booming this year as holiday-makers seek out increasingly exotic destinations, and river-cruises are proving especially popular, hence Pandaw River Expeditions are highlighting their great range of options to Burma, Cambodia and Vietnam in 2014.

Operating a fleet of 12 luxurious river-vessels, Pandaw explore many destinations still largely undiscovered by the European traveller, with many areas accessible only by river. The elegant vessels are designed with the shallowest drafts on the rivers, allowing them to access parts of the Irrawaddy and Chindwin Rivers in Burma and the Mekong River through Cambodia and Vietnam that other ships aren’t always able to reach.

Finished in hand-crafted teak and brass, the unique vessels are designed as replicas of the original colonial river steamers and offer the highest passenger space ratio of any ships in the region, sea going or river, with a crew to passenger ratio of 2:1.

Every Pandaw river expedition includes a superb range of intrepid shore excursions to local - and often inaccessible - communities, and all shore excursions are included within the expedition price, as well as a range of locally sourced and international food, all drinks and gratuities. 

 

Guests are able to dine in open-air dining rooms on deck on most expeditions and, in the evening, enjoy cultural performances from local performers and musicians. Pandaw operates cruises in Burma, Vietnam and Cambodia from June to April.

Their seven-night Mekong cruises cost from £1,095 per person based on two people sharing, including all food and drink, gratuities and all shore excursions.

More info: call 0203 287 6113 or visit www.pandaw.com.

The new edition of World of Cruising is now out, and you can see the digital version online on our home page at www.worldofcruising.co.uk. To subscribe at our special offer rate for 2014, see this link.

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A Truly Adventurous Collection!

I make no excuses for banging this particular drum again this week, but having been working on this for the past month or so (it just seems longer!), I wanted to be sure to get full value for it here at Time Spent At Sea.

The Adventure Cruise Collection is now out; available; freely on the market; ready to be perused; published!

Having struggled mightily with writing large parts of it and helped in the design and general style (for which all of Robin Maclear, Emma Tilbury and Debbie Belcher at The Cruise Line Ltd also deserve heaps of praise), I can vouch at first hand that this is NOT your average cruise brochure. To start with it is highly selective. Only the creme de la creme of genuine, upmarket adventure-cruising operators are featured; 12 distinctive, unique companies that all have that 'something different' appeal and bags of personal charm and style.

It is not intended to be comprehensive but a well-chosen assemblage of one-off destinations that can all lay claim to a peerless operation in their particular sphere on influence, be it in the North-West Passage, Antarctica, the Chilean fjords and Patagonia or the South Pacific.

Indeed, it will probably not appeal to mass-market sensibilities (and budgets!) as it is a genuine tailor-made collection of excursion-style voyages that eschew the large and formulaic in favour of the truly personal experience, all with a luxurious, creature-comfort-laden approach to providing the very best onboard service and attention to detail.

Take your pick from the following:

• The Galapagos Islands with Ecuador specialists Haugan Cruises
• The rivers of Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar with Pandaw Cruises
• Majestic Chilean Patagonia with the unique Nomads of the Seas
• The wonders of Antarctica with six-star Silversea Cruises
• A crossing of the North-West Passage with Hapag-Lloyd Cruises
• The Norwegian Arctic in the company of Hurtigruten
• A journey into the Orinoco with Le Compagnie du Ponant
• Mysterious Papua New Guinea with Orion Expedition Cruises
• The Peruvian Upper Amazon with distinctive Aqua Expeditions
• The South Pacific with epic adventurers Zegrahm Expeditions
• A true Indian Ocean odyssey aboard the chic Le Diamant
• And the small-scale Alaska of deluxe American Safari Cruises

It all comes complete with a level of specialist guides and cultural experience that is second to none and adds up to possibly the most complete and eye-opening collection of aspirational travel ever assembled in one easy-to-digest package.

But don't take my word for it. The Adventure Cruise Collection brochure is free and ready to be ordered by click of mouse or by phone. Just call 0800 008 6677 or go to this link!

Then, just sit back, read and enjoy. I guarantee a wonderful time ahead.......!

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Happy Cruise New Year!

We all look forward to a New Year in one way or another but 2010 promises to be better than most, and not just because the financial and economic scene shows signs of getting back on a healthier, even keel.

As I have already written, there is an amazing variety of new ships to anticipate, with several that should be genuinely ground-breaking (notably Oceania's Marina and NCL's Norwegian Epic).

There should also be plenty of good deals to be had, too, as cruise lines look to tempt people back to sea-going holidays after the recession-hit days of 2008/09 (so be sure to check with our sister company The Cruise Line Ltd for all the best offers - and look early and often in January as many lines are already flagging up their New Year 'Sails'!).

There is also more focus than ever before on attracting first-time cruisers to this holiday style, with companies big (like Royal Caribbean, NCL and P&O) and small (the likes of Compagnie du Ponant, Pandaw Cruises and Hurtigruten) putting out some tempting campaigns to lure newcomers.

In fact, the appeal of the small, deluxe, niche operators like Ponant and Pandaw should be uppermost in the minds of those looking for that 'something new' factor in 2010.

One I am especially looking forward to investigating for the terrific feedback they have already generated in a relatively short time is Chilean specialist Nomads of the Seas and their unique ship the Atmosphere (pictured above).

The appeal of touring the majestic Chilean fjords in the company of this ship's purpose-built style is immensely appealing and should be one of the highlights of the year for us at World of Cruising, so stay tuned for our report in due course.

I would especially recommend taking a look at their website, http://www.nomadsoftheseas.com/, for those who really want to get off the beaten cruise track, enjoy some of the world's most spectacular scenery and wildlife, sample the tastes and culture of a truly unique region and do it all in some of the highest quality possible in the 'soft' adventure-cruising category.

Can you tell I'm looking forward to 2010?!

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

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