Soaking up all the luxuries life has to offer onboard a yacht in a Mediterranean harbour is not without its merits. But on an adventure yacht charter you can take those luxuries with you – leaving the people behind – to some of the most remote places on Earth.
St. Barts, St. Tropez, the Amalfi Coast – these are the places where charter yachts typically gather, like moths to the flame of civilisation’s finest offerings. Michelin-star restaurants, Cartier boutiques and pulsing discotheques draw hundreds of charter yachts each season. Crowds make each location a party unto itself.
But there is another, lesser-known option available to anyone seeking a charter vacation far beyond high society, where yachts offer luxury experiences in the wilds of nature. Adventure yacht charter, as it’s known, can take you not only away from the crowds, but also to remote destinations where few other human beings will ever set foot.
With an adventure yacht charter, you get to enjoy five-star luxury aboard a yacht with a culinary-trained chef and all the fineries of the best hotels – while also cruising in places filled with adventurous activities, animal encounters and stunning scenery. Other yacht charters are about seeing and being seen. Adventure yacht charters are about seeing the world in a unique way.
The following 5 destinations are some of the best options for adventure yacht charter, for anyone seeking a true adventure experience aboard a yacht that is the epitome of luxury.
Galapagos Islands
The Ecuadorian government strictly controls the number of yachts offering charter in the Galapagos Islands, resulting in a need to book the top vessels well in advance. The minimal availability is intentional. It’s used as a way to limit the number of human beings coming to Galapagos and going ashore – and therefore to protect the natural environment of the islands’ rare species, from sea lions to blue-footed boobies to giant tortoises that have roamed the earth for centuries. Charter guests can step into the yacht’s tender, head ashore and walk right into the ecosystem, sometimes even snorkelling and swimming with playful sea lions who like to do backflips for underwater camera videos.
The scenery on land is striking, too. Galapagos is volcanic, and lava floes have dried into rivers and fields of black, patterned rock. Sometimes you can walk through giant tubes that rivers of burning lava have punched through the Earth’s soil.
Galapagos is where modern-day views feel prehistoric. A yacht charter here gives you a true look at how nature evolves without the influence of mankind.
Tuamotus
Everyone has heard of Tahiti and the Society Islands, with Bora Bora, in particular, drawing countless tourists each year. Some luxury charter yachts operate in that archipelago, but others cruise a bit beyond, to the next archipelago in French Polynesia. Those islands are called the Tuamotus, and they are far less developed for tourism—almost as pristine as nature originally built them. What Tahiti and Bora Bora are to hotels and Polynesian luaus, the Tuamotus are to big-game fishing and scuba diving.
During a two-week yacht charter itinerary, you can explore both the Society Islands and the Tuamotus, giving you the best of both worlds. Giant manta rays, huge lemon sharks and coral heads the size of Fiats await—always in water so crystal clear that it sometimes feels like you are snorkelling through air. Scuba divers will be rewarded with schools of colourful fish, and those who prefer the surface can kayak or paddleboard right from the charter yacht’s swim platform.
In the Tuamotus, your encounters with nature are only as limited as your energy. If you care to experience a half-dozen amazing sights every day, it is possible in this place full of natural wonder.
Swedish Archipelago
The Mediterranean is far more popular than Scandinavia for yacht charter, and within Scandinavia, Norway’s fjords are the biggest draw. All of the attention being paid in those places leaves the Swedish Archipelago less populated and quietly touristic by comparison, with everyday life setting the pace for all that there is to discover here.
Charters that begin in Stockholm can wind and bend through the waterways of the archipelago’s more than 20,000 islands, always with charming, rustic towns setting a scenic backdrop. These are the waterways where Vikings once steered their great ships and where today, fishermen continue to haul in some of the biggest, best-tasting seafood that the world’s oceans have to offer. The sunsets over the flat-calm waters are mesmerising with deep red skies, while leafy green trees dot the rocky landscapes ashore, offering hiking opportunities with outstanding views.
Only one or two luxury charter yachts typically make it to the Swedish Archipelago each summer, and the seasonal weather window lasts perhaps eight weeks. That means opportunities to book are limited—making a charter vacation here all the more unique.
Raja Ampat
Perhaps the most buzz-worthy destination right now for adventure yacht charter is the Raja Ampat region of Indonesia. Local laws make it impossible for yachts from other parts of the world to offer charter here, which means only a handful of options are available. The best of the local Indonesia yachts book fast, sometimes a year or more in advance—always with clients who want to experience the mind-blowing scenery both above and below the water.
Many of Raja Ampat’s islands take the shape of rounded, towering cliffs that are rocky with green-tree toppings. These islands look almost like giant mushrooms with stems planted in the water, and where it is safe, some charter yacht tenders can scoot close to the stems for amazing views. The scale of humans to nature here is awe-inspiring, with one giant cave towering higher than many city skyscrapers overhead. And saying that there is minimal development here is an understatement; on many islands, there is not a single footprint.
Beneath the water, too, Raja Ampat explodes with beauty. The prime yacht charter regions are accessible by helicopter, but they take 12 to 16 hours to reach by boat, far enough from the mainland to keep the day-tripping snorkelers away. The reefs are left to grow and flourish with colours so shocking that they are almost neon. Schools of fish, rare sharks and all kinds of biodiversity create an underwater kingdom that stretches farther into the distance than can be explored in a lifetime of diving.
Raja Ampat, quite simply, is nature’s cradle, a place where beauty is born and protected.
Antarctica
Three, maybe four luxury charter yachts visit Antarctica each year during a cruising season that lasts from November through February. They prepare for months in advance, with everything from extra provisions and medical training to the installation of heaters to prevent fuel lines from freezing. The place is so remote and untouched that experts recommend itineraries of 10 days to two weeks, to allow for ideal weather windows as you follow in the wake of legendary explorers such as Sir Ernest Shackleton.
The rewards of a yacht charter in Antarctica are memories to last a lifetime. Some islands are packed with hundreds of thousands of penguins. Nature’s ice sculptures tower overhead like impossibly shimmering mountainscapes. In one hidden cove whose geography is unique, you can actually swim (well, float, at least) in about a half-meter of warm water surrounded by glaciers.
If you’re looking for cold-weather wonders, then Antarctica is the yacht charter destination of a lifetime.
Words: Kim Kavin
(This article was taken from our Jan.Feb 2016 issue – subscribe today to never miss an issue)