13 Night Cruise sailing from Portsmouth roundtrip aboard Saga Ruby.

Explore three of the sunny Canaries on this late spring voyage, which also stops off in Madeira, Morocco, and the Portuguese capital of Lisbon.

Highlights of this cruise:

Funchal
Formed by a volcanic eruption, Madeira lies in the Gulf Stream, about 500 miles due west of Casablanca. Discovered by Portuguese explorer João Gonçalves Zarco in 1419, this beautiful island became part of Portugal's vast empire and was named for the dense forest which cloaked it ('Madeira' means 'wood' in Portuguese).

Sugar plantations first brought wealth here and when King Charles II of England granted an exclusive franchise to sell wine to England and its colonies, many British emigrants were drawn to the capital, Funchal.

Today's travellers come to Madeira for the varied and luxuriant scenery, from mountain slopes covered with vines to picturesque villages and a profusion of wildflowers.

Santa Cruz, Tenerife
The largest of the Canary Islands, Tenerife is a beautiful and scenic island which enjoys year-round sunshine and is dominated by Mount Teide. The mountain range runs through the centre of the island, with fertile valleys on the northern side.

In the central part of the range is the gigantic natural crater of the Cañadas del Teide, about 14 miles in diameter. Santa Cruz, the island's pretty capital, appears a modern city, but also contains 16th-century civic buildings and ornate private mansions.

Arrecife
A volcanic island designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, Lanzarote's dramatic landscapes were shaped by an explosive past. Today, its pretty beaches and virtual absence of rain together with duty-free shopping make the island an extremely desirable destination.

The main port and capital, Arrecife, is a pleasant town with a modern seafront and colourful gardens. Outside the capital there is plenty to explore, from the dazzling white salt flats of Janubio and the rugged terrain of Fire Mountain to the eerie caves of Los Verdes and an array of unspoilt fishing villages scattered around the coast.

If you decide to eat out during your time here you will find a great selection of restaurants and local specialities including garbanzos compuestos - a chickpea stew; papas arrugadas- potatoes with carrots, peas, ham and green pepper; and of course, plenty of fresh seafood.

Agadir
Shaped by the Atlas Mountains on one side, Agadir is framed on the other by a magnificent crescent-shaped beach. While little is known of the city's origins, the Portuguese created a fortress here at the end of the 15th century, naming it Santa Cruz de Ghir.

Freed from Portugal's occupation by the Saadians in 1540, Agadir grew into a colourful and prosperous port and became newsworthy in 1911 when a German gunboat, the Panther, sailed into the bay as a protest against the division of North Africa between the English and French. Morocco gained independence from the French in 1956, an event which was closely followed in Agadir by the tragic earthquake of 1960.

The city, which has been rebuilt to represent the 'new nation', is blessed by fine sandy beaches overlooked by luxurious hotels and a great selection of cafes and restaurants.

Lisbon
Set on seven hills on the banks of the River Tagus, Lisbon has been the inspiring capital of Portugal since the 13th century when the Moors were finally vanquished.

It is a city strewn with majestic architecture, old wooden trams, historic Moorish features and more than twenty centuries of history.

Following disastrous earthquakes in the 18th century, Lisbon was rebuilt by the Marques de Pombal who created an elegant city with wide boulevards and a great riverfront and square, Praça do Comercio.