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River Cruising Meets Adventure Tours With A New Partnership

BERKELEY, Calif. – Guests can combine the relaxation of river cruising with the rush of an active excursion aboard one of AmaWaterways and Backroads’ new cruises. The two companies announced a brand partnership to bring biking, walking and hiking excursions from Backroads’ adventure tours to AmaWaterways’ upscale river cruises.

The companies plan to offer the active river cruises with 20 Danube River sailings in 2015 and expand throughout Europe and Asia in 2016.

“Backroads is a leader and innovator in the active travel market, so they are a natural fit for us, as we are so focused on finding new, unique ways to enhance the luxury river cruise experience,” said Kristin Karst, executive vice president and co-owner of AmaWaterways. “We are delighted to join forces with Backroads, enhancing the experience of our gests while attracting new categories of travelers to the rapidly expanding river cruise market.”

Backroads will weave in elements of their traditional bike tours into the cruise excursions, including multiple expert trip leaders, custom titanium bikes and support vans. The bike portions will offer flexible itineraries with a range of cycling routes ideal for all abilities.

In 2016, the companies will introduce a number of new tours along the Rhine, Rhone, Seine, Duoro, Garonne and Mekong rivers.

For more information, visit www.amawaterways.com or www.backroads.com.