Saga expands river cruise offering

A voyage exploring the waterways of Sweden, a jazz cruise in romantic Rhineland, New Year spent on the Rhine and a journey along the Amazon are just four of the superb highlights of Saga Holiday’s newly launched River Cruising brochure.

Saga, the leading tour operator for the over-50s, has produced the new programme of river cruising for 2008, complete with a fabulous selection of brand new itineraries and special interest-themed journeys.

Many of the river cruises featured in the brochure are exclusive to Saga passengers. For travellers holidaying alone there is also a wide choice of cruises where single cabins are offered at no extra cost. Furthermore, all river cruise customers benefit from an included UK travel service – giving them free return rail or coach travel to their mainland departure point.

Among the nine new itineraries for 2008 is A Tale of Three Rivers, a captivating 14-night holiday along three of Europe’s most celebrated rivers and includes three nights in Vienna before the cruise. Exclusively for Saga passengers, the cruise aboard Elegant Lady begins on the Danube visiting the cities Regensburg and Nuremberg before joining the Main to visit some of Germany’s finest winelands and the medieval towns of Bamberg and Wurzburg. The cruise ends on the Rhine, upon which passengers get the chance to visit Cologne, Koblenz and Amsterdam. Prices start from £1749 per person, including full board, return flights, insurance and cancellation cover and much more.

Another highlight of the brochure is the nine-night Waterways of Sweden cruise. Aboard the canal steamer MS Diana, this fascinating voyage between Stockholm and Gothenburg takes in one river, eight lakes, two seas, three canals and 66 locks along the famous Gota Canal.

As well as enjoying hotel stays in both Stockholm and Gothenburg, passengers will disembark to visit sites including Stegeborg Castle, the picturesque town of Trosa, the fortress at Karlsborg and Trollhattan Canal Museum. Prices start from £1,599 per person, including return scheduled flights, insurance and cancellation cover and much more.

Music enthusiasts can look forward to Saga’s Romantic Rhineland cruise, which features a special jazz themed departure on October 1, 2008. Passengers will enjoy New Orleans-style jazz from the seven-piece “Savannah Jazz Band” and “Rae Brothers Festival Band”, both playing every evening on their journey aboard Rex Rheni. This cruise captures the true romance of the Rhine and Moselle rivers and passengers can enjoy the stunning scenery of the middle Rhine.

The cruise also features visits to Rudesheim’s charming Drosselgasse and impressive mechanical music museum, and plenty of time is given to explore the city of Cologne. Prices for the jazz-themed cruise, which is exclusive to Saga passengers, start from £799 per person, including full board, return coach and ferry travel, insurance and cancellation cover and much more.

For those who have been inspired by Egypt after visiting the treasures at the Tutankhamen exhibition at London’s O2, Egypt, Land of the Pharoahs cruise and tour holiday is the perfect holiday complement. The award-winning 11-night holiday combines the highlights of a three-night Nile cruise aboard the Presidential Nile with an overland tour.

Customers will have the opportunity to discover many of Egypt’s most famous ancient sites, including the Pyramids of Giza, the Valleys of the Kings and Queens and the temples of Karnak and Luxor. Prices start from £1199 per person, including full board, return scheduled flights, insurance and cancellation cover and much more, including Saga’s full UK travel service.

Even further afield, Saga’s unforgettable Into the Amazon cruise reveals the sublime tranquillity of the world’s greatest river and tropical rainforest. The trip includes a seven night cruise along the Amazon onboard Manatee Explorer, on which passengers visit the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve and meet an indigenous Huaorani Indian community.

Passengers will also explore the remote area of Lagartococha in search of spider monkeys, scarlet macaw, caiman alligators and the Amazon River dolphin. The final three nights of the adventure will be spent enjoying the Ecuadorian capital Quito. Prices for the 12-night trip (includes one night on aircraft) begin from £1799 per person, including return scheduled flights, insurance and cancellation cover, the services of a Saga tour manager, and much more.

For further details on Saga’s River Cruising programme visit Saga.co.uk/travelshop.