The Best Sailing Vacations for Incredible Snorkelling Spots
Glide past parrotfish, spotted eagle rays and green turtles while snorkelling on an unmissable Culture Trip sailing holiday – with destinations including the Caribbean, Seychelles and French Polynesia.
From turquoise South Pacific lagoons to plane wrecks in the Bahamas, these eight-day, fully catered sailing trips will take you to some of the best places to snorkel in the world. After a day spent spying on underwater life, resurface to sunbathe on white sand beaches and soak in thermal volcanic springs, topped up with sundowners on deck. Here’s our rundown of the best TRIPS by Culture Trip that pair sailing with snorkelling.
Swim through the renowned Baths on this chartered excursion to the British Virgin Islands
Snorkelling is a daily fixture on this voyage through the British Virgin Islands. Not only will you explore the high-visibility reefs of Sandy Cay and Peter Island, you’ll also head to Virgin Gorda to swim through the Baths, a forest of granite boulders that is flooded with seawater. Other highlights include hiking the birdwatching trail on Sandy Cay, a visit to the pink flamingos of Anegada and swimming with sea turtles off Guana Island, where you may also glimpse leaping dolphins.
From US$
Next available from 1st Jan 1970
Secure your spot with a low deposit
Trip highlights and details
STARTS AT
Tortola, British Virgin Islands
ENDS AT
Tortola, British Virgin Islands
DURATION
8
GROUP SIZE
12
PHYSICAL RATING
Light
STYLE
Discovery
Barracudas, reef sharks and rays star in this adventure around French Polynesia
Rising out of a blue lagoon, the volcanic island of Bora Bora is the focal point of this South Pacific sailing holiday. Explore coral gardens on a traditional Polynesian canoe before diving beneath the water to swim with barracudas, eagle rays and blacktip reef sharks (if you’re lucky) in the barrier reef. You can also enjoy snorkelling off the white beaches of Huahine – home to the sacred blue-eyed eel – and Raiatea, where you’ll have the option of touring a black pearl farm.
From US$
Next available from 1st Jan 1970
Secure your spot with a low deposit
Trip highlights and details
STARTS AT
Uturoa, Raiatea
ENDS AT
Uturoa, Raiatea
DURATION
8
GROUP SIZE
12
PHYSICAL RATING
Light
STYLE
Discovery
Spot sea turtles on this Caribbean yachting trip around the Grenadines
Head to the Grenadines for some of the best snorkelling in the Caribbean. This trip will take you to the calm, teal waters of Bequia, the archipelago’s northernmost island, before you swim with sea turtles in the Tobago Cays, an uninhabited atoll within a protected marine park, surrounded by a barrier reef. You’ll also need your swimwear for a dip in the natural pool underneath Saint Vincent’s Dark View Falls, and to soak in the hot springs around the Soufriere volcano in Saint Lucia.
From US$
Next available from 1st Jan 1970
Secure your spot with a low deposit
Trip highlights and details
STARTS AT
Le Marin, Martinique
ENDS AT
Le Marin, Martinique
DURATION
8
GROUP SIZE
12
PHYSICAL RATING
Light
STYLE
Discovery
Snorkel in one of the Indian Ocean’s most diverse marine parks in the Seychelles
Snorkelling dominates this Seychelles adventure, which kicks off with a visit to the Sainte Anne Marine Park, established in 1973 as the first of its kind in the Indian Ocean. While swimming over seagrass meadows and coral gardens, you’ll hopefully meet hawksbill turtles, manta and eagle rays and, if luck is on your side, bottlenose dolphins. Further opportunities for snorkelling arise off the white beaches of Grande Soeur and in the luminous waters around St Pierre, a 5sqkm (2sqmi) islet off Praslin.
From US$
Next available from 1st Jan 1970
Secure your spot with a low deposit
Trip highlights and details
STARTS AT
Seychelles, Africa
ENDS AT
Seychelles, Africa
DURATION
8
GROUP SIZE
12
PHYSICAL RATING
Light
STYLE
Discovery
Explore a James Bond film location while sailing around the Bahamas
Encounter technicolour tropical fish in two unforgettable settings on this sailing trip around the Bahamas. First up is Thunderball Grotto on Staniel Cay, a series of underwater caves named after the James Bond film in which they appeared, and inhabited by shimmering shoals of angelfish and yellowtail snappers. Next up is Norman’s Cay, where you’ll snorkel the coral-covered wreck of a plane that crashed in the 1970s on an ill-fated mission for Pablo Escobar’s Medellín cartel.
From US$
Next available from 1st Jan 1970
Secure your spot with a low deposit
Trip highlights and details
STARTS AT
Nassau, Bahamas
ENDS AT
Nassau, Bahamas
DURATION
8
GROUP SIZE
12
PHYSICAL RATING
Light
STYLE
Discovery
Volcanic Iceland Epic Trip
meet our Local Insider
Hanna
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A GUIDE?
2 years.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR JOB?
It's the personal contact, the personal experiences. I love meeting people from all over the world... I really like getting to know everyone and feeling like I'm traveling with a group of friends.
WHAT DESTINATION IS ON YOUR TRAVEL BUCKET-LIST?
I have so many places on my list, but I would really lobe to go to Africa. I consider myself an “adventure girl” and Africa feels like the ULTIMATE adventure!
Every CULTURE TRIP Small-group adventure is led by a Local Insider just like Hanna.
KEEN TO EXPLORE THE WORLD?
Connect with like-minded people on our premium trips curated by local insiders and with care for the world
Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.
Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.
Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.
Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.
We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.
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