As was our arrival into Flåm, so too was our departure a major highlight of our time in Norway.
This is not to say that we hated our time in Flåm. Far from it, as hopefully other reviews on this blog attest to. Continue reading “Cruising Nærøyfjord and Aurlandsfjord”
Large numbers of cruise ships visit Flåm each year, often two a day in the peak summer season. While the souvenir shops, the Flåm Railway and other businesses together with the local community benefit from this not everyone is so happy. Environmentalists, in particular, are aghast at the (potential) pollution issues, both here in the upper reaches of Aurlandfjord and in the fjord system more generally. Continue reading “Cruise Ships – You May Not Be Alone In Flam”
If you are want to be sure that you will get to Ascension Island (or St Helena) and have more than a few hours visit you will have to arrive by the RAF flight from the UK (suspended indefinitely in May 2017) or by the RMS St Helena from Cape Town via Jamestown, St Helena. See separate reviews for these options.
An alternative way of getting to the Ascension or St Helena is to join a cruise which stops at either or both these islands. Continue reading “Ascension Island – Arriving by Cruise Ship”
For me, the Ile des Pins was a stop on a short South Pacific cruise. A number of operators offer cruises from Australia which stop at the Ile des Pins and this is the way the majority of international visitors get to and from the island. That said, the island is also a popular weekend retreat for Noumeans, Noumea, the capital of New Caledonia, being a short flight or boat ride from the Ile des Pins. Continue reading “Getting to the Ile des Pins and Getting Around”
Maré is a small raised coral atoll, one of the four Loyalty group islands and part of the French overseas territory of New Caledonia, in the South Pacific.
Until the mid 2000s very few people visited Maré. In the mid 2000s cruise ship companies came across the island and it is now a regular stop on South Pacific cruises, particularly those originating in Australia. Continue reading “Maré – New Caledonia’s Hidden Gem”
The Rambling Wombat 