If you are a cruise fan tired of crowded terminals in Europe which can mar the start and finish of a voyage, head for the Far East.

Although the number of Britons cruising in the region has nearly doubled to 29,000 in three years, there is rarely another ship in sight at many ports of call.

Boarding the Spirit of Adventure in the sweaty equatorial heat of Kota Kinabalu, Borneo, involved little more than a 10-minute passport check before walking up the gangway. We were soon cooling off in the air-conditioned Yacht Club bar over frosty Mai-tais.

“Spirit” takes a maximum of 352 passengers on offbeat voyages all over the world. Being small, she can be manoeuvred up rivers and into tiny ports – you never queue for anything.

First stop was Kuching, Sarawak. Little survives of the old colonial riverbank town, but the museum gives a vivid picture of life among the headhunters. We saw shrunken heads and deadly blowpipes. Fascinating.

Excursions in air-conditioned buses led by expert guides are included in the package. If the pier is more than a few minutes’ walk from the town there’s a free shuttle.

A chance to see orang-utans, aka the Wild Men of Borneo, was the reason many passengers chose this cruise. In jungly Kudat, we visited a 100-metre longhouse on stilts, a giant dormitory where 90 people live.

They played high-pitched nose flutes and offered us potent rice wine to get us into the mood to buy their exquisite beaded craftwork. No orang-utans showed up, alas, but the guide said: “Good news – it shows they have adapted back into the wild.”

At Sepilok Orang-Utan Rehabilitation Centre, a slippery path led to a platform in the dark, dripping rainforest.

Brilliant green parakeets screeched as they awaited the jungle VIPs. Of 100 orang-utans rescued from captivity or deforested areas, you only see about four at a time.

Hatana, a seven-year-old male rescued from a palm oil plantation, swung by to be fed on fruit. Shy mothers fed babies in nests of twig and creeper.

On our Abai wildlife outing, a wooden boat nosed through fetid mangrove swamps which is home to 10,000 probiscus monkeys, with their buddha-like bellies and pendulous noses. Monitor lizards six feet long resembled big dogs swimming.

Hornbills, kingfishers and white-bellied fish eagles swooped around, logged by enthralled twitchers.

However remote the location, Spirit of Adventure gives a sense of security which overrides all anxiety.

On board, decent wine is included with lunch and dinner. Drinks are reasonably priced and there is no service charge as gratuities are included.

Evening entertainment is plentiful for a small ship, with dancing, classical concerts, cabaret artistes, panel games, open-air movie and lectures from experts cover local wildlife, topography and history.

Although evening wear is suggested for formal nights and cocktail parties, the dress code is mainly smart casual.

A relaxing day at sea gave us a chance to explore the ship, which is comfortable rather than glitzy, although polished wood interiors and gleaming brass rails give it a solid feel.

Cabins are compact but well-fitted, with decent-sized private bathrooms. Stylish public rooms include a spacious library with 3,000 books, an espresso bar and a restaurant with huge windows where you eat alone or join others.

Everything was spotless.

Our fellow passengers were mostly well-heeled, well-travelled and well-educated.

Food is delicious, from full English breakfasts to cream teas, five-course gourmet dinners, lunchtime curries and fresh fish barbecued on the rear deck.

We were rarely at sea for long. Tiny, oil-rich Brunei may still be 78 per cent jungle but the capital, Bandar Seri Bagawan, gleams with cleanliness, flower-filled parks, mosques with myriad gold-leafed domes, and gold-plated escalators for visiting royalty.

We explored Kampong Ayer, the world’s largest stilted water village, by longtail boat. Around 30,000 people live cheek by jowl in a packed community with its own clinic, fire station and schools, in contrast to the sultan’s 1,788-room palace opposite.

Manila – after a tumultuous quayside welcome from tattooed dancers in feathered head-dresses.

A teeming 19 million people live here and it felt like it as our coach laboured in horrible congestion. Up through emerald green rice fields we went to the breathtaking resort of Tagaytay, high on a ridge above a “theme park” of volcanoes.

In the middle of a shimmering, silvery-blue lake was an extraordinary island of 47 craters and 35 volcanic cones.

After a rocky 36-hour transit of the South China Sea, we arrived to watch the sun rise over Hong Kong.

A helicopter ride from the roof of the Peninsular Hotel provided a bird’s eye view of the high-rise apartment buildings as close-packed as the teeth of a comb.

It brought down the curtain, in an unforgettable way, on an amazing voyage.

TRAVEL FACTS

Catherine was a guest of Spirit of Adventure which visits Arabia, India and Africa in 2010-11 and will return to South East Asia later in the year.

A 15-night Souks Of The Arabian Peninsula cruise from Dubai on November 28 starts at £2,364 in an outside cabin including flights.