Travel Advice
From the incredible Amazon rainforest to the biodiverse Costa Rican jungle, a rainforest expedition cruise is sure to enthrall and delight even the most discerning traveller. These are some of the most remarkable rainforests on Earth and how to explore them with a cruise...
Remarkable Rainforests: Amazon River Cruises & Beyond
The Amazon Rainforest: Amazon River Cruises
The Amazon rainforest, covering most of Brazil and spreading into Colombia, Peru and other countries, is the world's largest tropical rainforest, home to 10% of the world's known species and represents over half of the rainforest on Earth. Cruises on the Amazon River take you into dense rainforest packed with extraordinary wildlife, from sloths, black spider monkeys and poison dart frogs to jaguars, eagles, and pink river dolphins. You'll also have more than 1,700 species of bird to look out for, nearly a fifth of the world's total. Scan the canopy for noisy macaws and colourful toucans, along with more unusual birds such as hoatzins, jabiru storks, antbirds and potoos.
Journeys along this iconic waterway are enhanced on board expedition ships such as Seabourn Venture which explores the region in October 2025, with itineraries exploring the Amazon Delta as well deeper into the heart of the Amazon alongside an expert expedition team, who'll guide you as you discover hidden tributaries and flooded forests by Zodiac and kayak, trek through dense wilderness, and learn about the local communities who depend on this variable natural environment. Aqua Expeditions' 32-guest Aria Amazon or 40-guest Aqua Nera also offer a sophisticated and luxurious home from home with days spent exploring in small groups by skiff, all accompanied by professional naturalist guides.
Costa Rica Cruises
Costa Rica is home to just 0.03% of the Earth's surface, but accounts for an amazing 5% of its bidoversity, home to volcanoes, savannas, mountains, beaches and of course lush rainforests, as well as the iconic cloud forests; its jungles are home to more than 850 species of bird, including hummingbirds, toucans and macaws. You may also see capuchin monkeys, spider monkeys, squirrel monkeys and howler monkeys; tapirs, racoons and agoutis; giant anteaters, coatimundis and peccaries; three toed sloths and long-nosed bats; dolphins; an extraordinary 600 species of butterflies; basilisk lizards, green vine snakes and red-eyed tree frogs.
Costa Rica's many national parks, biological reserves and wildlife refuges are home to a vast array of flora and fauna, and many itineraries also include the amazing feat of engineering that is the Panama Canal. You can choose between solely Costa Rica or a Costa Rica to Colón cruise, including the Panama Canal, both of which are generally seven days' duration, on cruise lines such as AE Expeditions and Ponant who both offer voyages of varying lengths and include the Panama Canal. Your choice will be guided largely by what else you plan to do whilst in Central America. A seven-day expedition cruise is fantastic, but having flown all this way, we would always recommend taking the time to explore the rest of Costa Rica.
Borneo Rainforest Cruises
Borneo, part of the Greater Sunda Islands, shared between Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei - with the Indonesian section (called Kalimantan) making up 75% of the island - is home to rainforests that are among the richest and most biodiverse on Earth. You might see the pygmy elephant, the shy Borneo rhino, the proboscis monkey with its large nose and belly, six other primate species, as well as 220 bird species including parrots, lorikeets, the spectacular bird of paradise and hornbills, carnivorous pitcher plants and gigantic fruit bats, also known as flying foxes.
Of course, the critically endangered orangutan is the region's most famous resident, native to the rainforests of Borneo, and can be seen during expedition cruises with local experts, guides and naturalists, ensuring visits contribute to conservation efforts at all times. Scenic have some fantastic options cruising on their luxury ship Scenic Eclipse in April and June 2025 that visit the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, which is at the heart of the island's conservation efforts, as well as AE Expeditions who visit Central Kalimantan on their new Indonesia and Borneo cruise in October 2026, exploring the rainforest's ecosystem and visiting orangutan rehabilitation centres.
Tongass National Forest: Alaska Cruises
The Tongass National Forest in south-east Alaska is the largest national forest in the USA at an incredible 16.7 million acres, and the largest intact temperate rainforest in the world. This isolated landscape can only be accessed by plane or boat - usually via Juneau, whose wild hinterland is thick with forest, or Sitka, with its dramatic spruce trees, towering mountains and deep bays. Tongass National Forest is best explored with hikes and boat trips as you spot endangered and rare flora and fauna, from bald eagles, humpback whales, all five species of Pacific salmon, Sitka black-tailed deer and wolves to brown and black bears.
Another popular stop, the breathtaking Misty Fjords National Monument is a 3,570-square-mile swathe of virgin forest and plunging fjords, just to the east of Ketchikan. As the name suggests, the fjords are often cloaked in a fine mist, and the wilderness is home to bears, bald eagles, whales and more. Visit either with HX Hurtigruten Expeditions and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, two of the few expedition cruise lines who offer pure Alaska expeditions between May and September 2025 on a range of itineraries.
See Gorillas in Rwanda's Rainforest
The world's population of endangered mountain gorillas, the world's most endangered ape, live between the protected Virunga Massif and Bwindi Forest, which together span parts of the DRC, Rwanda and Uganda, and seeing them in their natural habitat is an experience which should be on everyone's bucket list. The main two places to see gorillas in Rwanda is Volcanoes National Park, famous for mountain gorillas as well as golden monkeys, and Nyungwe Forest National Park, home to more than 1,000 square kilometres of thick rainforest and endangered gorillas as well as leopard, golden cat, serval, giant forest hog, white-bellied pangolin, and African giant squirrels.
While not strictly expedition, we couldn't not include this in this list: AmaWaterways' bucket-list trip that will see you experience three icons: Gorillas in Rwanda, a Big Five safari and Victoria Falls. Begin in Cape Town before joining Zambezi Queen for a four-night safari cruise, then enjoy two nights in Victoria Falls with guided sightseeing, before boarding the luxurious Rovos Rail for a three-night rail journey into South Africa. Finally, a four-night Rwanda tour includes gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park, as you head through the jungle with park officials ready to trek through the forest among verdant hills and volcanic slopes, and after a few hours, you'll be face to face with a family of mountain gorillas. The rainforest silent around you, you'll spend an incredible hour observing these endangered wild animals, taking photographs and soaking it all in in what is one of the most special experiences in travel. Book with our sister company Mundy Cruising for a November 2025 departure.
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