Aqua Expeditions Awarded Travel + Leisure’s #1 World’s Best River Cruise Line for the Second Consecutive Year

Aqua Expeditions

Travel + Leisure readers have named Aqua Expeditions as the #1 Best River Cruise in the publication’s World’s Best Awards 2024 for the second year running. The luxury small-ship expeditions brand also appeared in the Best Intimate Ship Ocean Cruise Line category, earning the #3 spot on the list.

With its mission to guide travellers to the world’s most biodiverse corners, Aqua Expeditions has been likened to an on-water safari outfitter. Its five-ship-fleet—which includes three contemporary river vessels and two luxury superyachts— whisks travellers to remote, off-the-map waterways in Peru, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Ecuador, where guests venture into unspoiled sanctuaries to witness the beauty of nature and wildlife. Aqua Expeditions is as serious about sustainability as it is about providing once-in-a-lifetime guest experiences: thanks to its partnerships with 4Ocean, the brand has pledged to remove a minimum of 25,000 pounds of plastic from the world’s waterways over the next year. Aqua has also joined the Science Based Targets Initiatives (SBTi) with an aim to reduce carbon emissions by at least 4.5 percent by 2030 and achieve net-zero targets consistent with limiting global temperature rise. The line also recently announced a collaboration with the Charles Darwin Conservation to support sustainability initiatives in the Galapagos.

 
Ranging from three to fourteen nights, the itineraries are tailored and exclusive, with 1:1 crew-to-guest ratio, award-winning cuisine helmed by renowned chefs, and naturalist-guided activities from piranha fishing and temple exploration to market tours and snorkelling with whale sharks. There’s a hands-on approach: CEO and founder Francesco Galli Zugaro can often be found onboard, leading some of the expeditions and mingling with guests to share the founding principles behind his extraordinary company.

Based on the results of the Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards 2024 readers’ survey, Travel + Leisure recognizes the top hotels, islands, cities, cruise lines, airlines, spas, and more around the globe. Every year, readers rate hotels on the following characteristics: rooms/facilities, location, service, food, value. The World’s Best Awards is an essential, trusted source for inspiration and guidance as travelers make plans to set out on trips around the globe. The full results can be viewed online and will be included in the August 2024 issue of Travel + Leisure.

For more information about Aqua Expeditions please visit www.aquaexpeditions.com.