CRUISING DOWN SOUTH AMERICA WAY

If you're contemplating a winter cruise to somewhere different and warm, then maybe South America just might be for you. There's enough of the exotic and unexplored about it to create a genuine sense of adventure while, at the same time, you've got the safety, comfort and security of a practically all-inclusive hotel to do the moving for you.

With that in mind, here's a few things to consider on the practical side of things. Firstly, bear in mind that you'll need to take an overnight flight both outwards and back. Most South America cruises sail from either Buenos Aires, Rio De Janeiro or Santos, the port for Sao Paolo. That overnight flight is just an inescapable fact of life.

Secondly, while there are some cruises that go right around Cape Horn from Brazil to Chile and back, these three week extravanganzas are few and far between. Most sailings are typically of around seven nights, and go up and down the east coast between Brazil and Argentina.

These cruises are very port intensive, and tend to attract a lot of local passengers, as well as people from Italy and Spain. Don't expect a sedate, sedentary voyage; these ships turn into floating versions of the hectic, samba fulled life style that you'll find ashore.

Ports of call wise, you'll meet a mixture of beach resorts such as ilhabella and Buzios, combined with stand out cities such as Montevideo, Punta Del Este and, of course, Buenos Aires. And, whatever anybody else tells you, there are few cruising experiences to beat the sheer, heady thrill of sailing into Rio's fabled Guanabra Bay, and your first sight of the legendary statue of Christ the Redeemer on it's mountain top perch. And after all, isn't it moments like this that we live to travel for?

Who goes there? South America is mainly the province of cruise lines such as Costa and MSC, although both Norwegian and Royal Caribbean do have a presence in South America. Pullmantur, too, usually have some sailings, but these tend to be shorter, three and four day jaunts. But whoever you sail with, it will almost certainly be a multi-national affair; don't count on English as being the prime languauge used on board.

These are some of the potential pros and cons to be borne in mind when considering a South America cruise. But what a glorious way to side step a bone numbing British winter, and the gloom that hangs around it. Swapping the lottery tickets for a cruise ticket to samba down Rio way? Sounds like a plan to me....