Sail off the map

Published 18 June 2021

Take the route less travelled for your next charter holiday to find undiscovered cruising grounds and all they have to offer in amazing cultures, scenery and sailing. Here's the Burgess guide to plot your course in new waters...



Start your adventure

Dropping anchor in Saint-Tropez is idyllic, but when the wilderness calls it is the more unlikely cruising grounds that deliver… It's time to chart a course to the little-known cruising grounds waiting to be discovered.

Jungle trekking, diving into local culture, meeting orca whales or discovering a halo of sandy beaches lapped by clear warm waters – these experiences will transform an unusual charter destination into a yacht vacation of a lifetime.

Watch in wonder at the Yi Peng festival, Thailand
Watch in wonder at the Yi Peng festival, Thailand

Island hop Indonesia

Indonesia is a country where old meets new - superyachts cruise alongside majestic Bugis Pinisi sailing schooners and scuba dive sites reveal ancient shipwrecks. Barefoot exploration is the only way on the car-free Gili Islands, and many anchorages are only found by yacht.

The Raja Ampat islands are world-famous dive sites
The Raja Ampat islands are world-famous dive sites

Why cruise in Indonesia

This is a land where soaring volcanic peaks fill the skyline and tropical islands are scattered far and wide. Where the flora and fauna are as diverse as the native tribal cultures, and accessing the 17,000 islands is only possible by yacht.

Catch sight of a rare bird of paradise
Catch sight of a rare bird of paradise

On the itinerary

Only on the island of Sumatra will guests witness the sapphire lakes of Danau Toba resting high among the volcanic peaks. The Komodo National Park, founded to protect its namesake Komodo dragon – the world’s largest lizard – is an unmissable seventh wonder of the world.

There be dragons! Komodo National Park
There be dragons! Komodo National Park

What you need to know

Cruising is year-round, with high season occurring from April to November. Bali, Lombok, Raja Ampat and Java are the prime areas to begin an itinerary within Indonesia, while a charter can also be picked up from Singapore or the Philippines.

Sail all year round in Indonesia
Sail all year round in Indonesia

Yachts to charter

PAPA brings luxury to the shores of Indonesia, with a Teppanyaki bar on the sun deck to enjoy freshly caught wahoo, an enviable toy list and starlit family film nights viewed in the stunning outdoor cinema.

Set a course for new waters aboard PAPA
Set a course for new waters aboard PAPA 

Dive into Thailand

On the edge of the world’s largest archipelago, Thailand is awash with hidden coves, sandy inlets and jungle-trekking adventure. Head for the virgin rainforest on Surin Island, which is low on day-trippers and also provides vibrant coral reefs in every bay.

Find bright reefs and say hello to the clown fish
Find bright reefs and say hello to the clown fish

Why cruise in Thailand

From the southerly Butang Island group on the west coast to the limestone karst coast of Krabi in the south, a luxury yacht charter in Thailand means snorkelling with white spotted eagle rays, pristine dive sites and fresh-produce markets that float on water.

Limestone islands create hidden coves
Limestone islands create hidden coves

On the itinerary

Kayak ashore to Koh Surin Tai on the Similan Islands, home to Thailand’s indigenous Moken sea nomads - famed for their free-diving and stilt-villages. In contrast, make Chiang Rai’s vibrant Buddhist temples, specifically the all-white façade of Wat Rong Khun, ports of call.

The Moken have lived off the sea for generations
The Moken have lived off the sea for generations

What you need to know

Phuket provides year-round cruising without the choppy waters of the Caribbean, though optimum months are from December to April. Fly direct by private jet or pick up the yacht in Langkawi, Malaysia – both offer end-to-end luxury from tarmac to teak deck.

Pause in Phuket to see the sights
Pause in Phuket to see the sights

Yachts to charter

With five decks and a sizable toy collection, a luxury yacht charter on board MARAYA will take a Thailand itinerary to the next level, while SILVER DREAM’s onboard spa therapist transforms the boat into an enriching wellness sanctuary.

Take the luxury with you on MARAYA and SILVER DREAM
Take the luxury with you on MARAYA and SILVER DREAM

High octane New Zealand

Famed for its world-class sailing, mystical Lord of The Rings landscape, and the finest Sauvignon Blanc around, New Zealand is one of the charter destinations in the world that never disappoints.

From the movie set to your charter holiday
From the movie set to your charter holiday

Why cruise in New Zealand

Few places marry ancient glaciers with soft pristine beaches. Dine on green-lipped mussels and bluff oysters while cruising the Bay of Islands’ 144 subtropical islands. Paddleboard around Tapeka Point alive with penguins and dolphins in an unusual yacht destination like no other.

With dolphins to keep you company
With dolphins to keep you company

On the itinerary

It’s a wildlife paradise on Tiritiri Matangi Island where tui, fantails, bellbirds and numerous butterflies thrive. But by night, nowhere in the world beats Great Barrier Island – a designated Dark Sky Sanctuary - for stargazing on the aft deck.

As night falls you will see myriad stars
As night falls you will see myriad stars

What you need to know

Set off from Auckland to explore the Hauraki Gulf’s 50 islands or hop by air across New Zealand’s land masses. Auckland is a popular start to an itinerary, but exploration is on the doorstep wherever you meet the yacht.

Steer a course for the Bay of Islands
Steer a course for the Bay of Islands

Yachts to charter

LADY E offers a high tech watersports programme for guests keen to push the adrenaline boat out in New Zealand’s balmy climate, while a brand-new beach club at sea level is ready when you need to wind down apres waterski.

Thrill seekers will love the watertoys on LADY E
Thrill seekers will love the watertoys on LADY E

Go wild Antarctica

Venture into chilly waters to transform a luxury yacht charter into a winter playground heaving with elephant seals and Adélie penguins. From skating icy tundra to scaling new glacial heights, Antarctica serves up ice-cold bucket loads of extremes.

Why cruise in Antarctica


Welcome to the home of ice breaker vessels, where calving glaciers and whale song are the only sounds heard amid the silent and eternal summer daylight. Become acquainted with playful orcas, dare to take a polar plunge and drink in every shade of blue on the spectrum.

Will you take the plunge too?
Will you take the plunge too?

On the itinerary

Head to Mount Erebus to witness the southernmost active volcano in the world and its fields of molten lava cradled among ice sheets. Head to the Ross Sea, a deep bay of the Southern Ocean, to see colonies of emperor penguins in all their waddling glory.

Meet your new neighbours
Meet your new neighbours

What you need to know

The Antarctic Peninsula is the definition of wilderness and the highest continent on Earth. Fly in to King George Island, the largest of the South Shetland Islands, to meet the yacht.

Wake up to this each morning
Wake up to this each morning

Yachts to charter

An expedition yacht with a difference, SURI has a 7,400 nautical mile range for discovery cruising and a helipad to heli-ski Antarctica’s virgin powder snow.

SURI takes exploration to the next level
SURI takes exploration to the next level

Off beat Alaska

Golden eagles soar above guests teeing off in the midnight-sun months amid waterfalls and black shale cliffs at Valley of the Eagles Golf Links in Haines. Pair it with Alaska’s impressive brown bears and salmon rivers for a spectacular charter.

Why cruise in Alaska

Cruise the Chukchi Sea in the summer months where polar bears are abundant around the edge of the pack ice. Fill your stomach with succulent king crab and immerse in the heritage-rich Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian tribal cultures for a dynamic itinerary.

Fresh from the sea to your plate
Fresh from the sea to your plate

On the itinerary

Hike year-round through the Kootznoowoo Wilderness in the temperate rainforests of Admiralty Island, but from August to April the skies come alive with the emerald-green winter auroras.

Vivid auroras beat fireworks any day
Vivid auroras beat fireworks any day

What you need to know

Bathe in Juneau’s natural hot springs before joining the yacht by the Mendenhall Glacier or Hobart Bay. Camping in the North Slope of Alaska’s Brooks Range in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a dreamy way to end the journey.

Where our earth is still being shaped
Where our earth is still being shaped

Yachts to charter

Fresh from a 2019 refit, DOUBLE DOWN combines striking artwork with a sumptuous cinema-cum-massage suite for an ideal charter to a land roamed by wolves and grizzlies.

DOUBLE DOWN welcomes you home from the wilderness
DOUBLE DOWN welcomes you home from the wilderness

Book with Burgess today

Discover one of these little-known cruise destinations to explore a bright new world and let our Burgess team of expert brokers curate the charter experience of a lifetime for you.


To find out more about Burgess’ yachts for sale and yachts for charter, please contact a Burgess broker. Alternatively, get in touch with one of our offices directly: London, Monaco, New York, Miami, Singapore or all other locations.

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