The 7 most exciting destinations you can only reach by water

We reveal the most thrilling spots around the world that are only accessible by boat (or cruise ship)

An expedition boat in Antarctica (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

From jaw-dropping, cliff-backed Mediterranean coves to magical icescapes in the Arctic Circle, some of the world’s most beautiful places can only be accessed by boat.

There’s something dramatic about approaching your destination from the water - steadying your camera ready to snap the view, breeze tickling your hair. As your vessel steers towards its target, a landscape emerges in cinematic slow motion. Stepping off to explore, there’s a castaway feel you won’t get from pulling up to a car park.

Svalbard’s glaciers, Norway

Keep an eye out for seals and beluga whales on your cruise through the glaciers of Svalbard (Alamy Stock Photo)

Though you can fly to the island of Spitsbergen, in the Arctic Circle’s Svalbard archipelago, you’ll need to hop on a vessel to get out and see its main attractions: towering glaciers, beady-eyed seals, beluga whales and maybe even a polar bear. You’ll join scientists on expeditions in these little-sailed waters: perhaps to abandoned mining town Pyramiden, the world’s northernmost fjord cruise, or - depending on the time of year - trips to see the Northern Lights, or four types of whale..

Maddalena Islands, Sardinia

Enjoy some of Europe’s most beautiful and swimmable waters in Sardinia’s Maddalena Islands (Alamy Stock Photo)

A scattering of 62 specks in jewel-bright, clear waters off the north coast of Sardinia, the Maddalena Islands can only be seen on a day-trip boat. You can trek to old fortifications and photograph yourselves on huge, prehistoric looking boulders - but really you’re here for some of Europe’s most glistening, swimmable waters. Shallow bays and lagoons in baby blues demand a snorkel and face mask; try the sleepier Spiaggia del Cardellino and Capocchia du Purpu for a paradise dip without the crowds.

Raja Ampat archipelago, Indonesia

This Indonesian archipelago is a diver’s paradise (Alamy Stock Photo)

Well to the east of the Indonesia you know, this constellation of 1,500 tiny islands (including four main ones) is part of the West Papua province hitched to Papua New Guinea. It’s a pilgrimage spot for divers: warm watered and bedded with bright, unbleached corals, above which swim black manta rays, pygmy seahorses, and rare wobbegong “carpet” sharks. And the buzz about Raja Ampat isn’t mere local pride - this place has the highest-known concentration of diverse marine life on the planet.

Navagio Beach, Zakynthos

Navagio Beach, or “Shipwreck Beach” is a stunning cove in the remote northwest of Zakynthos island (Alamy Stock Photo)

A high-arched dinosaur hump of rock scooped around a dazzling blonde bay and electric-blue waters - chances are you’ve seen this Ionian island pin-up on a travel poster. At the centre of its smooth sands is a long, well-rusted smuggler’s ship hauled here in the 1980s, lending it the nickname “Shipwreck Beach”. The milky quality of the opaque light-blue waters - caused by the bright-white stone and pebble around, as well as the sulphur from nearby caves - gives it a surreal, daydream quality. You’ll find Navagio in the remote northwest of Greece’s Zakynthos island, away from road access - so take a boat from a nearby bay, such as Makris Gialos or St Nicholas Port. If you want a bit of extra space for those bucket-list snaps on a castaway bay, you could hire a private skippered boat from around 8am, where most group boat trips leave at 10am.

Surin Islands, Thailand

Explore the lagoons and jungle of the beautifully wild Surin Islands (Alamy Stock Photo)

Many hop from the Thai mainland to Ko Samui, Ko Phi Phi and Ko Lanta each year, but Thailand has dozens of delicious islands well off the tourist map. One cluster is the Ko Surin islands, best reached on a live-aboard boat or island-hopping trip off the country’s west coast. A national park covering five islands, the Surins have flabbergasting paradise beaches and lagoons backed by thick jungle, plus clear snorkelling bays and inland hikes. There’s no accommodation here save a mini-village of tents and basic cabins behind main bay Mai Ngam Beach, where a select few stay overnight and can explore these wild coves first thing, before the day-trippers arrive.

Antarctica’s top sights

Viewing the vast icescapes of Deception Island is not an experience you’re likely to forget (Alamy Stock Photo)

Stepping onto the thick ice in the world’s least populated continent is something you’ll remember forever. The gigantic scale of the icescapes, the colonies of penguins, the knobbled backs of whales peeking above the surface, the pristine emptiness of it all. And you can only reach its most remote, beautifully frozen parts from the water. Don’t miss Deception Island, an incongruous volcanic speck where you can bathe in hot springs. Most trips run between November and April, and while you can fly to King George Island, you’ll need to board an ice-strengthened ship or a smaller Zodiac in order to get up close and personal with this extraordinary landscape.

Dusky Sound, New Zealand

Disconnect from the daily grind and immerse yourself in the verdant landscapes of Dusky Sound (Alamy Stock Photo)

In the remote southwestern tip of this ocean-wrapped adventure favourite, Dusky Sound is a pin-drop peaceful fjord with zero road access. A five- or six-day cruise into the area is a great chance to switch off your smartphone and disconnect completely - taking the chance to “like” its smooth, kayak-friendly waters, vast forested mounds of land and inquisitive fur seals in person. Usually explored in tandem with the brilliantly named Doubtful Sound, it’s a place to immerse yourself in lush green landscapes shrouded in mist and feel quite literally at the ends of the earth.