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The ‘Octopus’ superyacht is famous enough to have its own Wikipedia entry as one of the world’s most expensive yachts.

The luxury vessel was originally built for Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen at a cost of around $200 million. The inside of the giant boat remained mostly a secret for much of its 19 years on the open seas. Some of us were only lucky enough to glimpse it from the outside when it docked in Cape Town’s harbour once in 2018.

The interior remained an enigma until Allen’s death, at which point it was bought, refurbished, and opened to paying guests.

Luxury travel company Cookson Adventures was the first company to arrange a charter, and since then all eyes have been on deck.

The Telegraph has revealed more of what it’s like to go aboard the “world’s most expensive cruise”:

Complete with two helicopter pads, a glass-bottomed observation deck, a heated pool with a retractable glass floor, as well as a spa, gym, and basketball court, the Octopus has become the ultimate explorer yacht:

Head of Yachting Neal Bateman went along to ensure things ran smoothly. “The experience confirmed to me why Octopus is so highly regarded in the yachting industry. She fully deserves her reputation as the quintessential explorer yacht,” he says.

This is the best boat in the world to charter, but one can only do so on one proviso: finding the £2,6 million per week charter fee, which is just over R54 million.

Granted, the costs to keep her afloat and running come in at around $20 million (R360 million) per year.

Octopus is also one of the largest in the world with eight decks and seven support vessels.

It has such serious technical equipment that the boat was lent out to scientific expeditions. In fact, Allen’s own research team uncovered two important Second World War wreckages: the Japanese warship Musashi, which sank off the coast of the Philippines in 1944, as well as the bell from the Royal Navy’s HMS Hood.

The superyacht is cruising along a similar territory now, sending folks lucky enough to afford it on luxury expeditions to far-flung destinations, like eastern Greenland, which is so remote that it can only be explored by private yacht:

“It’s easy to fly there privately but the only way to explore deep into the wilderness and access its otherwise inaccessible fjords is by explorer yacht,” Bateman says.

The Cookson Adventures itinerary is specially tailored to suit its guests, who are sure to have pockets deep enough to afford the access-all-areas holidays that take up to a year to get the necessary permits for:

Conservationists and expedition guides will be on hand to point out polar bears, narwhals, walruses and Arctic foxes and there’s also the chance to indulge in a spot of super-rich sightseeing – ‘flightseeing’ aboard a private helicopter that can whiz guests to the largest ice sheet in Antarctica for lunch.

More adventurous sailors can even become record-breakers, sinking under the sea on the first-ever underwater exploration of the region by submersible (though this costs extra).

A maximum of 12 guests will have a crew of 42 catering to their every whim on board, where they can also enjoy the “embarrassment of ‘toys’” – think wakeboards, fishing equipment, and a fully equipped dive centre, among other gadgets and gizmos.

The sleep must come sweet:

Since money is being thrown around like this, the clientele is absolutely allowed to make other more preposterous requests to turn the trip into their ultimate luxury excursion:

“We once built a luxury expedition camp deep in the African bush and, at the last minute, the client requested for a golden bath tub to be added. We managed to source, transport and link up one so they could soak under the stars upon arrival,” says Cookson.

“And on a recent group retreat on a private island off Panama, our team trekked waist deep up a river at midnight in order to position kayaks and set up a surprise lunch in the jungle for the following day.”

I mean really.

I wonder when the turning point occurs from enjoying nature in all its raw and wonderous glory to needing to enjoy it from the vantage point of a luxury, fully-staffed surprise lunch table.

[source:telegraph]