One of the attractions of a cruise is the almost unlimited opportunities it offers for on-shore exploration and excursions. Here’s our pick of the best shore excursions to highlight to clients.

These boots are made for walking

Dust off those walking shoes and take a shore programme with a difference. While many cruise lines offer tours of differing levels of activity, Ramblers Walking Holidays is one of the only specialists to work alongside a line – in this case, Fred Olsen – to provide tailored programmes across the globe, from the fjords of Norway to the islands of Indonesia. Prices for a seven-night Fjords of Norway itinerary, departing 24 April 2020, start from £1,249pp. As revealed in the September issue of Cruise Trade News, Ramblers’ new 2020 cruise and walk brochure is now being sold through the trade and the operator is paying commission for the first time in its 73-year history.

Exploration in Vietnam

Twenty two days exploring Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos – that’s what guests get for a holiday starting at £3,549pp, departing 13 March 2020. This cruise and tour from Titan Travel includes a host of fascinating shore excursions, including tours in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Phnom Penh, to name just a few, as well as a river cruise along the Mekong, which is fast growing in popularity. Guests will have the chance to see a number of museums as well as the Cu Chi Tunnels, which were once used by Viet Cong soldiers during the Vietnam War.

AzAmazing evenings

Azamara has anchored itself as the go-to line for destination immersion, and its new programme of more than 1,700 land tours promises to take guests to the heart of a destination, with more time in port than ever before. While the scope and detail are impressive, one of the highlights remains the line’s AzAmazing evenings – specially curated events that occur once on every cruise. Whether it be a visit to the St Petersburg Symphony Orchestra or a traditional Korean performance at the Busan Culture Centre, there are few lines that delve as deeply as Azamara. Prices for Azamara’s 10-night Wine and Romance voyage, departing 14 May 2020, start from £2,012pp. This includes three nights in Bordeaux to sample the area’s wine-making history.

The legendary Komodo

Cruising isn’t just about great accommodation and food; sometimes it’s the opportunity to see unique wildlife in its natural habitat that seduces. Aqua Expeditions has seven and 12-night Bali to Komodo National Park cruises, which, alongside numerous picture-perfect locations, visit the two key islands of the Komodo National Park – Rinca and Padar. Here, accompanied by official guides, guests can spot the famed dragons in the wild and discover the watering holes where they hunt for prey. Prices for a seven-night departure on 2 May 2020 start from approximately £6,200pp.

Living local

Oceania Cruises recently unveiled a new series of its Go Local tours, designed to inspire guests to look further than the traditional tourist hotspots. Some of the most widely publicised among the more than 120 tours across Europe, Alaska and South America include fishing with locals in Portofino, painting classes in Ireland and becoming a shepherd for a day in the Basque Country, followed by a local picnic. Those wishing to indulge their inner shepherd should book the 22-day Fairytales and Folklore itinerary, departing 25 May 2020, and add the Go Local tour on day nine in Biarritz. Prices from £4,869pp.

Cuisine expertise

Sometimes it really is all about the food. While cruise lines have invested heavily in recent years to update restaurants and bring renowned chefs on board for cookery classes, there’s still something special about getting off the ship and experiencing the local cuisine. Regent Seven Seas Cruises includes a tour of Roatan’s foodie scene and the Blue Harbor Tropical Arboretum, a 160-acre botanical garden and fruit orchard, where guests can learn about seasonal produce and harvest some of their own. Prices for a Miami to Miami cruise, departing 24 March 2020, start at £5,519pp.