Destinations that can only be reached by sea are among the world's most brag-worthy. There’s something alluring about the cachet associated with arriving at a destination the “old-fashioned way” – stepping onto the pier (or alighting off a tender) knowing that you’ve shifted from the microcosm of a ship to that of a remote destination. Your two community bubbles will mingle for a few hours and then part, much the way calls at remote ports have always been, dating back to the days of sail.
Some cruise lines – mainly those of expedition ships – call at ports that are otherwise inaccessible (or largely inaccessible) by any other means; some may only have flights once a week, while others may not have airports at all. And once there, you can bet that a call at one of these ports means passengers disembark into rarefied territory, becoming one of a relative handful of travellers to visit these secluded locations. Here are 6 cruises to some of the most remote destinations on Earth.
1. Fatu Hiva, French Polynesia
Cruise line: Aranui Cruises
In the remote Marquesas Islands there are a handful places with airports, but Fatu Hiva isn’t home to any of them – it's remote even compared to the neighbouring islands. Aranui, the combination cargo-cruise ship is the island’s true lifeline, carrying supplies in on pallets, and picking up copra and coconut oil for the return journey. While the cargo is unloaded, passengers hike spectacular cliffs or watch local women demonstrate how to pound mulberry tree bark into tapa cloth, which is adorned with the distinctive designs of the island. Aranui Cruises will sail 14 day itineraries from Tahiti that include calls at Fatu Hiva throughout 2024.
2. Tasiilaq, Greenland
Cruise line: Ponant
The only other way to get to Tasiilaq is by helicopter – and Ponant’s icebreaking ship Le Commandant Charcot is a much more comfortable way to see the snow-capped peaks, rugged fjords, and icebergs floating off the coast on several 10-day itineraries from Iceland in the Spring of 2024. Guests can visit the town and discover village customs such as hunting by dogsled on the ice floes, or learn some of the Inuktitut language. Kayak or take a zodiac boat among the icebergs, trek overland and camp out overnight on the ice, try ice fishing, or simply sit back and take it all in from the ship’s sun deck.
3. Pitcairn Island, British Overseas Territory
Cruise line: Silversea
Tiny Pitcairn Island is so mountainous there’s no room for an airport – and barely enough space to land a boat. The latter is exactly why the Bounty mutineers and a handful of Tahitians in their party chose to settle here in 1790; so they couldn't be easily invaded by the British Navy. Their descendants still live on the island today, and it’s the least populous British Overseas Territory. Visitors come primarily for bragging rights; stamps – both passport and postage – are one of the island’s top draws. Several cruises stop through the islands, but Silversea’s sailings onboard Silver Cloud between Tahiti and Chile in the fall of 2024 and 2025 anchor for an overnight, giving passengers ample time to attempt the often-treacherous landing by tender.
4. Aeolian Islands, Italy
Cruise Line: Variety Cruises
Northeast of Sicily, these volcanic islands are only accessible by ferry. Stromboli, with its ever-present thread of smoke is perhaps the most famous of the archipelago’s volcanoes. You won’t find cars on many of the islands, but you will find chic boutiques, oceanfront bars and restaurants, and more secluded, rocky beaches than could be hoped for. From the Sun Deck of Variety Cruises 44-passenger yacht the Harmony G, anchored in the azure waters while the cliffs rise above, it’s easy to feel like somebody while sipping an Aperol Spritz while taking in the ripples of golden sunlight reflecting off the Tyrrhenian Sea. Variety Cruises is finalising dates and rates for 2024.
5. Floreana Island, Galápagos, Ecuador
Cruise Line: Lindblad Expeditions
Served from neighbouring Santa Cruz Island by a boat every two weeks, most visitors arrive on Floreana via cruise ship, and most of them come ashore at Post Office Bay. There, they still leave postcards in a wooden barrel that has served as an informal post office since 1793. Since then, visiting sailors (or cruisers) would sift through the letters and hand-deliver them if they found one addressed to near their domicile. There’s also remarkable wildlife to be seen, ranging from sea lions and flamingos to a variety of finches and aquatic iguanas. Lindblad Expeditions’ National Geographic Endeavour II calls at Floreana regularly during its year-round sailings in the Galápagos throughout 2024.
6. Saint Matthew Island, Alaska
Cruise Line: Hurtigruten Expeditions
Tiny St. Matthew Island – in the Bering Sea, 200 miles from the nearest village – has never sustained a human population for long. The island’s primary residents are birds: puffin, mures, and cormorants are abundant in the sea cliffs. Visitors might also catch a glimpse of the rare McKay’s Bunting, a small perching bird that breeds only on St. Matthew and a neighbouring island, and winters on Alaska’s west coast. There are also resident mammals – the arctic fox and the singing vole, which is named for its high-pitched trill when warning of threats. Hurtigruten’s MS Roald Amundsen calls at St. Matthew on its 19-day Aleutian and Inside Passage itineraries between Nome and Vancouver from July to September, 2024.