River Cruises can have many different forms; from cruising on big ships or small river boats to self-drive barges. 

There are many exciting destinations for a river cruise, among the best known are the Amazon River in South America and the Nile in Egypt. However, there are many other great destinations for river cruises around the world, including South East Asia where the Yangtze in China, the Mekong in Cambodia, the Ganges in India, and the River Kwai in Thailand, but also the Irrawaddy in Myanmar and the Rajang River in Malaysian Borneo are great for river cruising. Europe is furthermore a great destination for river cruises.    

The further up a river you want to sail, the smaller the boat gets. This does not mean that the boat needs to become less luxurious, but in many cases the trip becomes more and more of an adventure cruise. On the Amazon River oceangoing ships can travel the Lower Amazon from Belem at the mouth of the river and almost 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) upstream to Manaus, a city in the middle of the Amazon Rain Forest with more than a million inhabitants.  Yangtze River cruises between Chongqing and Yichang/Wuhan/Shanghai are also on big ships.

In Europe it is very popular to go by a self-drive barge, especially in France, where you can sail most of France on its rivers and canals. Another equally popular way to cruise Europe's rivers and canals is on  full serviced River Barges some of which are luxury hotel boats that offer the ultimate in all inclusive vacation, with highly experienced crews and chefs that will see to your every need for a delightful travel experience, plus the bonus of guided shore tours along the way.