CRUISE LIKE A KING

To really get into the spirit of the Nile look no further than the SS Sudan, on which Agatha Christie sailed. The wood-panelled vessel was built in the late 1800s for Egypt’s King Fouad and starred in two film versions of her novel Death on the Nile. The ship has just 23 cabins and suites. Stay in Cairo and Luxor ahead of a five-night cruise from Luxor to Aswan. Ports of call include Abydos, Edfu and Kom Ombo, with a final hotel night in Aswan.

A 10-day Taste of the Nile holiday costs from £3,600 per person departing Sept 11 2019 (020 7978 7333; originaltravel.co.uk).

WILDLIFE SAFARI CRUISE

Embark on a safari around Lake

Kariba, the largest man-made reservoir in the world, on the 16-passenger river boat African Dream. The three-night cruise navigates the Gache-Gache and Sanyati rivers, with small boat and Jeep safaris every day in search of elephants, hippos, crocodiles, buffalo, lions and bird life. Passengers will wake to see animals on the river bank, hear lions roaring while having dinner and go to sleep to the sounds of a grunting hippo. CroisiEurope bundles the cruise with three nights in its Cascades game lodge near Chobe National Park and a night at Victoria Falls.

From £5,103 per person cruiseonly for a nine-day Southern Africa cruise-tour departing May 3 2019 (020 8328 1281; croisieurope.co.uk). Tho in Vietnam and Kampong Cham in Cambodia; itineraries visit fish farms, floating markets, schools and a monastery to be blessed by monks. In Phnom Penh, a cyclo taxi (a cycle with a seat on the front) is an exciting way to see the sights.

From $1,619 (£1,268) per person for seven nights departing Sept 21 (0084 8541 011 63; lotuscruises.com).

THAT LUANG FESTIVAL

Add a couple of nights in Vientiane to the start of Pandaw’s cruise on the Upper Mekong in Laos to celebrate That Luang, the biggest religious festival in Laos (from Nov 4-11 in 2019). Centred on the golden That Luang stupa in the centre of the city, it attracts thousands of monks and Lao people and involves colourful processions, chanting, fireworks and music. From Vientiane, Pandaw sails north to Chiang Saen in Thailand, stopping en route for village walks, a swim at the Khaung Si waterfall and to visit the Pak Ou Caves, which house more than 10,000 Buddha statues. Two nights in Luang Prabang allows time to visit morning and night markets, temples and the National Museum.

A 10-night Laos Mekong cruise costs from £3,355 per person cruise-only departing Nov 12 2019 (020 8396 7320; pandaw.com).

GO WITH THE FLOWThe Khouangxi waterfalls in Laos; a Buddha statue, below