Rivers of the World

It seems that only a few years ago, river cruising was something largely confined to the pages of a Mark Twain novel or the ancient Creedence Clearwater Revival song “Big wheel keep on turning/Proud Mary, keep on burning”. The Europeans were first to see it as a mainstream form of tourism – but they would, living in largely flat countries carved up by several large rivers and many canals. Now the rest of us are getting on board, as it were, and river cruising is the fastest-growing segment of the Australian overseas cruise industry.
Every inhabited continent now has at least one river plied by commercial cruise ships. Some have a mind-boggling array of choices.

Europe

Around Europe, prospective river cruisers have numerous options. Besides the great European rivers, there are many canals that can be navigated only by tiny craft that fit within the confines of these canals’ diminutive locks. So the first choice you’ll have to make is whether to take a cruise along one or several of the main rivers, or whether to see one region in depth. Effectively, it’s like the difference between taking a regional bicycle tour and a multi-city coach tour.

Among the countries that offer good cruising in de

pth and detail are Holland and Belgium, where the main attractions are tulips, windmills and medieval cities such as Brugge (Bruges); and France, which has such distinctive regions that each river flowing through it offers something quite different.
In the south of France, Provence is home to the

world’s perfume industry; the Saône River also meanders through Burgundy, passing seemingly endless vineyards. The Seine takes you past the well-known attractions of Paris and peaceful Monet’s garden in Giverny, winding up to the Normandy coast, rich in wartime memories. The

Rhône takes you to Van Gogh’s Arles and to pretty and gastronomically renowned Lyon: this waterway, more than 800km long, begins in Switzerland and passes, finally, through Avignon and on into the Mediterranean, being the only major European river to do so. 

The Rhine flows through Austria, Liechtenstein, France and Holland on the 1,320km journey from its headwaters in the Swiss Alps to the North Sea; however, it is most closely identified with Germany and the wines of the Rhine region. This is perhaps the most popular of European rivers for cruising, especially for first-timers: cities visited en route might include Strasbourg, Mainz, Bonn and Cologne. Longer voyages may venture onto other rivers and into other countries.

If every continent has a river that defines it, Europe's is the Danube. Its 2,780km length, from Germany’s Black Forest to the Black Sea, passes through or forms the borders of 10 countries and traverses a wealth of history. Along the way, it flows through many of Europe’s most important cities including Vienna, Budapest, Nuremberg, Bratislava, Passau and Belgrade, and is an important element in each of them, historically and today. There’s grand scenery along the way – including the magnificent Iron Gates, a gorge on the border of Serbia and Romania.

Other European rivers that can be enjoyed via cruise include the Oder, flowing from the north-east Czech Republic through Poland and Germany; the Mosel, which passes through Germany, Luxembourg (where it’s called the Musel) and France (where it’s the Moselle); and the Elbe, which wends its way through Germany and the Czech Republic. The Douro River is a great way to see the sights and scenery of Portugal, including Porto, the home of port wine.

Russia has always used its rivers as transport routes and a complicated waterway links its two major cities, Moscow and St Petersburg. Both have booming tourist industries, as more people discover the riches that were hidden behind the Iron Curt

ain. The Volga-Baltic Waterway between the two is a system of rivers and canals passing through seven locks and Europe’s two largest lakes: Lake Onega and Lake Ladoga, the latter (dotted with 660 or so islands. Part of the journey is along the beautiful Volga River, almost 3,700km long in its entirety, ending far to the south and east in the Caspian Sea. This is becoming a very popular cruise route: the river, Europe's longest, is a great way to access a vast country that’s been near-inaccessible for more than half a century.

If you're the sort of traveller who regards Russia as too mainstream these days, perhaps you'd be interested in a cruise along the Dnieper River, which winds through the Ukraine and Belarus. Even trivia buffs are unlikely to know that this is one of Europe’s major rivers and is an impressive 2,300km long. Many of the attractions along its banks are in the Ukraine and most cruises start in Kiev, the nation’s capital, and sail to Yalta on the Crimean Peninsula.

Asia

The other region in which you have a wealth of countries from which to choose is Asia. It’s worth noting that Active Travel of Sydney and Canberra considers that there’s now enough Australian interest to warrant the release of a Great Riverboat Journeys brochure that concentrates on the region. If Rudyard Kipling and Joseph Conrad are your muses, there are some wonderful options here.

Some of the wor

ld’s great rivers are found on the subcontinent of India. The Ganges, providing water and drainage for more than 350 million people, makes its 2,500km journey from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal. Along the way, it passes through Patna, which has a history dating back more than 3,000 years and cultural attractions to match; and Varanasi, the Ganges’ Holy City. Varanasi attracts numerous pilgrims, who come to bathe in the river’s waters; its Old City is a place of narrow lanes and crowded buildings that has changed little in centuries.

The Hooghly River is a branch of the Ganges that flows through Kolkata (Calcutta), and there’s a lot of colonial history associated with the towns along its banks. In a two-week voyage, it’s possible to travel 1,300km or so from Kolkata to Varanasi.

The Brahmaputra River also rises in the Himalayas but its 2,900km journey winds through China and Assam as well as India and Bangladesh. Many cultural and natural attractions lie along the river – including the chance to see the rare Gangetic dolphin.
In the south of the country, the backwaters of Kerala are beautiful, and a houseboat holiday here is likely to be a serene experience.

South-East Asia

The country once known as Burma (and now virtually unknown as Myanmar), has a fascinating river-cruising history. A century ago, the Irrawaddy River between Yangon (Rangoon) and Mandalay boasted huge traffic, plied by the paddle-wheeled steamers of the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company. This was, in fact, the “road to Mandalay” of which Kipling wrote. By 1930, the company had more than 600 vessels but when Japan invaded Burma in World War II, the manager ordered all the vessels scuttled so the invaders could not use them.
From those origins, Pandaw River Cruises has arisen like a maritime phoenix to become the largest river cruise company in South-East Asia. As well as the classic journey between the two cities, it’s possible to voyage upriver from Mandalay or venture onto the Chindwin River. For many visitors, the highlight of Myanmar is exploring the ruins of the ancient city of Bagan (Pagan), where more than 300 temples and 2,500 Buddhist monuments still stand, about 150km south-west of Mandalay.

To traverse several Asian nations, the river to cruise is the Mekong. It rises in Tibet but on a journey of more than 4,000km, it passes through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. The lower reaches, where the river meets the South China Sea, are the ‘nine dragons’ of Vietnam’s Mekong Delta. Numerous vessels ply various sectors of the river. It takes about a week to travel upstream from the delta to Phnom Penh and onwards to Siem Reap and the wonders of UNESCO World Heritage site Angkor Wat. This is the area in which the newest luxury vessels on the river will operate. Heritage Line’s 58m MV Jayavarman has 27 balcony staterooms and has been built to incorporate modern facilities and yet be reminiscent of a classic cruise vessel. La Marguerite is also brand-new and carries 92 passengers in 46 staterooms, the largest of which have their own whirlpool tubs. 

The upper reaches of the Mekong, where the river flows through Laos, run past rich jungle and villages as well as the northern capital of Luang Prabang, another World Heritage site. Farther downstream, the river passes through more open landscape and your vessel may meander through the region of Don Det, the Four Thousand Islands.

Thailand’s River Kwai is best known for the bridge over it. In fact there were two bridges, both built by Allied Prisoners of War under Japanese command, only one of which still stands. Perhaps more surprising is the fact that there are two river Kwais, too – the Kwai Yai (large Kwai) and the Kwai Noi (small Kwai) that join at Kanchanaburi, 125km west of Bangkok. Cruise Asia operates RV River Kwai along the Kwai Noi on four- and seven-day voyages. The vessel is newly built in traditional design, and can carry up to 20 passengers in 10 cabins, all air-conditioned, with ensuites.

The ubiquitous Pandaw River Cruises even offers a series of eight-night voyages in Borneo aboard RV Orient Pandaw. The Rajang River, navigable for about 250km, is best known as the setting for Redmond O’Hanlon’s hilarious travelogue Into the Heart of Borneo, and anyone who has read the book will know to expect jungle, longhouses and a wide variety of wildlife.

River Cruising in China centres on the Yangtze, some 6,000km long and the world’s third-longest river. Starting in the Tibetan Himalayas, it flows to the East China Sea north of Shanghai. The Three Gorges Dam, an engineering marvel that is the world’s largest, is set to be fully operational in 2011. This part of the river also draws the most visitors. Ironically, as historical sites and towns have been submerged to accommodate the dam and new cities have arisen, the scenic areas of the Lesser Three Gorges are more accessible. The river is navigable by ocean-going vessels to about 1,500km inland and vessels navigate around the dam through five-level ship locks.

China’s cruise options are expanding and so is its popularity. Without the constraints of low bridges and narrow locks, the vessels that cruise here are becoming larger, too. Victoria Cruises, marketed in Australia by Helen Wong’s Tours, has just launched Victoria Jenna, about 134m long and19m wide. Viking River Cruises also operates on the Yangtze, as do at least five local companies.

North America

Sadly, the days when you could ride a paddlewheel steamer up the Mississippi for a week ended when the grand old 82-year-old Delta Queen failed safety standards and ceased sailing in November 2008. The more conventional 78-passenger Niagara Prince undertakes a couple of 14-night voyages a year between Chicago and New Orleans, and the hotel barge R/B River Explorer sails regularly between New Orleans and Memphis. Fortunately, there are other options on other rivers – and ocean cruise-ships ply the St Lawrence Seaway to Quebec City. There are also cruises on the Hudson River, the Great Lakes and even along the Erie Canal, on a vessel with a wheelhouse that retracts so it can pass under low bridges.

In Canada, there are week-long voyages along the Ontario River. These eastern American voyages can be particularly spectacular during autumn, a golden time for foliage. If you’d like to spend a night on a paddle-wheeler, Spirit of Peoria looks suitably like a wedding cake and does regular overnight return voyages along the Illinois River between Peoria and Starved Rock.

On the west coast, the main waterway to cruise is the massive Columbia River: you can fill a one-week itinerary with excursions into the Snake and Clearwater rivers. These generally depart from Portland, Oregon, and the most spectacular sight is the 145km-long Columbia River Gorge through the Cascade Mountains.

Egypt

Many vessels cruise the mighty River Nile on voyages that range from overnight to a week. At more than 6,500km in length, the Nile may be the longest river in the world, but most cruises along it ply the stretch between the historic sites of Aswan and Luxor. That makes sense, because the last 1,000km of the Nile, between Abu Simbel on Lake Nasser and Cairo, are where you’ll find most of the highlights. Abu Simbel has the remarkable Temple of Ramses II. Downriver, around Luxor, are many of the archaeological riches one associates with ancient Egypt: Karnak, the Valley of the Kings and the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut. Cairo, of course, has the Sphinx and the Pyramids of Giza – and the riches of Tutankhamun in the Egyptian Museum.

Cruising the Nile usually consists of a three- or four-day voyage between Aswan and Luxor or a longer cruise to Dendera. Operators include A&K, Viking, Grand Circle Travel and Uniworld.

Australia

The Murray is Australia’s longest river and the site of our river-cruising industry. In fact, at 2,375km, the Murray is almost twice as long as the next contender – the Murrumbidgee, at 1,485km. From high in the Snowy Mountains, at a point just south of Mount Kosciuszko, it flows to Encounter Bay on the Great Australian Bight. It forms the border between NSW and Victoria for much of its length then it meanders into South Australia.

Cruising the Murray is generally on paddle-wheeled steamers, the same type of vessel that used to carry supplies, grain and wool along the river in pioneering days. The main ports for overnight cruises are Murray Bridge, Echuca, Waikerie and Mannum, and the boats operate year-round. It is a relaxed way to see the countryside and touch the rich history of rural Australia. From flocks of cockatoos and galahs feeding at a tranquil river bend to gleaming red gorges, it’s a scenic voyage, too.

South America

When is cruising a river not a river cruise? The answer is when it’s on the lower reaches of the Amazon, navigable by ocean liners and so wide that you can’t see the shore from the middle of the river. The Amazon is the world’s mightiest river. Although it’s slightly shorter than the Nile, it drains about 20 per cent of the world’s fresh water. At its mouth, it’s more than 300km wide and nowhere is it narrow enough to be spanned by a bridge.

While part of the Brazilian Amazon is the domain of cruise ships, the upper reaches of the river and its tributaries in Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador are traversed by river cruise vessels. These are journeys meriting the use of superlatives, through the richest ecosystem in the world, on which you have the chance to swim with piranhas and may see an anaconda on a jungle walk. The Amazonian forest has been described as the world’s lungs, and here you will see nature at its most abundant.

By David McGonigal