| | | | | Arrive | Depart |
| 27th27 | OctOct | 202323 | Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia, embark on the Silver Explorer | | 18:00 |
| Papeete will be your gateway to the tropical paradise of French Polynesia, where islands fringed with gorgeous beaches and turquoise ocean await to soothe the soul. This spirited city is the capital of French Polynesia, and serves as a superb base for onward exploration of Tahiti – an island of breathtaking landscapes and oceanic vistas. Wonderful lagoons of crisp, clear water beg to be snorkelled, stunning black beaches and blowholes pay tribute to the island's volcanic heritage, and lush green mountains beckon you inland on adventures, as you explore extraordinary Tahiti. Visit to relax inside picturesque stilted huts, which stand out over shimmering water, as you settle into the intoxicating rhythm of life, in this Polynesian paradise. |
| 28th28 | OctOct | 202323 | At Sea | | |
| 29th29 | OctOct | 202323 | Raivavae, French Polynesia | 06:30 | 12:30 |
| Raivavae has been described as a smaller and laid-back version of Bora Bora –without the tourists. In addition to strolling the white sand beach of Mahanatoa on one of Raivavae Island’s motu (a local name for a reef islet), it is possible to circumnavigate the island by road to view a marae and lush greenery. All this is surrounded by the quintessence South Sea with its crystal clear waters and coconut palm tree fringes. Snorkelers may enjoy seeing the reef fish at one of the motu while tropicbirds, reef herons, and noddies glide overhead. |
| 30th30 | OctOct | 202323 | Rapa Island, French Polynesia | 13:30 | 23:30 |
| The island of Rapa (or Rapa Iti) is the southernmost inhabited island of French Polynesia. It has a protected central bay and is surrounded by a ring of mountains; the island appears to be a sinking volcano with the bay as the caldera. There are with two villages located on the island: the main village of Ahurei and the smaller village of ‘Area. Within Ahurei there are 28 ridgetop fortresses, the best example of which is the fortress of Morunga Uta. Excavated in 1956 by William Mulloy from Wyoming and local helpers, this fort -as all the others too- would indicate local warfare by the 16th to 17th century. The two villages today have a combined population of 515 inhabitants and are famous throughout French Polynesia for their religious singing. Experience a folkloric presentation in Ahurei, or attend the local church and hear the singing. |
| 31st31 | OctOct | 202323 | Marotiri Islands, French Polynesia | 05:00 | 09:30 |
| Some 75 kilometres southeast of Rapa are the four uninhabited rocks that make up the Bass Group, known as Marotiri to the Polynesians. According to stories from Rapa, these rocks were used on occasions to exile unwanted Rapans. The rocks are an important breeding site for seabirds and fish are abundant. Pending permission by the French Polynesian authorities we will take our Zodiacs to cruise around the four rocks and look for the seabird colonies on French Polynesia’s most remote possession. |
| 1st01 | NovNov | 202323 | At Sea | | |
| 2nd02 | NovNov | 202323 | Mangareva Island, French Polynesia | 08:00 | 17:00 |
| In the Gambier Islands of French Polynesia, Mangareva is the largest island with a population of over 1,200 people. Most live in the largest village on the island, Rikitea. A high central ridge runs the length of Mangareva peaking with Mt. Duff, which rises over 440 meters from the sea on the island's south coast. The island has a large lagoon sprinkled with coral reefs whose tropical fish helped ancient islanders survive much more successfully than on nearby islands with no reefs. Small ships are able to enter the lagoon of Mangareva. From inside the atoll it is possible to reach Mangareva’s main town. Ashore visitors can walk through the town or up the sides of Mt. Duff. The highlights in town include the cathedral with its mother-of-pearl shell objects designed by the students of Rikitea’s school. |
| 3rd03 | NovNov | 202323 | At Sea | | |
| 4th04 | NovNov | 202323 | Oeno Island, Pitcairn | 05:30 | 20:00 |
| Named after whaling ship Eno, Oeno Island is a small (0.5 square kilometer) coral atoll and the westernmost of the Pitcairn Islands. This beautiful island is low-lying and rarely visited, with the exception of nearby Pitcairners arriving on their annual holidays. The little island is surrounded by white sandy beaches inside a stunning blue lagoon studded with vegetation. A sand bar, which is constantly undergoing change, is currently unattached to the island. Oeno has been designated as an Important Bird Area by Birdlife International, as it is home to a number of seabirds such as Murphy's Petrels (with one of the largest colonies of this bird in the world), Sooty Terns and Brown Noddies. The island is as storied as it is tiny, with a history of at least four separate shipwrecks and the eradication of Polynesian rats some twenty years ago (the eradication of the rats allowed for the birds to have had a higher chance of survival). Access to the island is quite limited, as the currents close to the channel leading to the island can be quite strong and one has to carefully navigate around the many coral heads. |
| 5th05 | NovNov | 202323 | Pitcairn Island, Pitcairn | 06:00 | 19:30 |
| With a total of 56 residents on the island, Adamstown is the capital of the Pitcairn Islands and the only populated settlement, as all of the other Pitcairn Islands are uninhabited (although were populated by Polynesians in the 11th through 15th centuries). Halfway between Peru and New Zealand, Pitcairn was the perfect hiding spot for the famed HMS Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian wives. Not only had the island been misplaced on early maps of the region, but it can also be very difficult to come ashore as large breakers tend to build up just in front of the small harbour of Bounty Bay. On shore visit the local museum that houses the HMS Bounty Bible, the historic Adamstown Church, view Fletcher Christian’s cave, or keep an eye out for the Pitcairn Reed Warbler. |
| 6th06 | NovNov | 202323 | Henderson Island, Pitcairn | 06:00 | 13:30 |
| On this remote and uninhabited piece of land – a raised coral island virtually untouched by man – you will get a true sense of how the landscape has appeared for endless years, while gaining an understanding of how natural selection has resulted in Henderson’s primary attraction: four endemic land birds. To protect the rare, natural state of Henderson Island, UNESCO designated it as a World Heritage Site in 1988. |
| 7th07 | NovNov | 202323 | Ducie Island, Pitcairn | 07:00 | 12:30 |
| Discovered in 1606 by a Portuguese explorer, Ducie is a small isolated atoll and is the easternmost of the Pitcairn Islands. The island’s most prominent bit of history is the 1881 wreckage of the mail ship Acadia, which ran aground on the island when the lookout mistook the island for a cloud due to its white beaches. Ducie is a mere speck in the surrounding expanse of ocean, uninhabited except for the estimated 500,000 nesting seabirds that reside among the two plant species (Beach Heliotrope and at least one specimen of Pemphis) that grow over seventy percent of the island. Bird species that visitors may be able to see include Murphy's Petrels, White Terns, Great Frigate birds and Masked Boobies. Snorkelers love to visit the top of the wreck of the Acadia or in the atoll’s lagoon waters. |
| 8th08 | NovNov | 202323 | At Sea | | |
| 9th09 | NovNov | 202323 | At Sea | | |
| 10th10 | NovNov | 202323 | Hangaroa, Easter Island, Chile | | |
| Discovered (by the Western world) on Easter Sunday, 1722, Easter Island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most isolated places on the face of the Earth, some 2,300 miles from the Chilean mainland. Although more Polynesian than South American in character, the 64-square mile island was annexed by Chile in 1888, and is now famous as the world’s largest ‘open air museum’ on account of the Moai, or human-like stone statues, that can be found on the island. The Moai remain very much a mystery, which archaeologists are still trying to unlock by interpreting an ancient language of the Rapa Nui, which is the key to understanding this culture, and is written on the so called ‘rongo rongo tablets’. The island owes its origin to three volcanoes which erupted some three million years ago: Poike, Rano Kau and Maunga Terevaka. It is not known when or how the island was first populated, but the most credible theory suggests that the Rapa Nui people came from other Pacific islands in the 4th century AD. In addition to the cultural and archaeological interest, there are the beautiful beaches, transparent waters, and coral reefs that might be expected of a Pacific Island. |
| 11th11 | NovNov | 202323 | Hangaroa, Easter Island, Chile | | 12:00 |
| Discovered (by the Western world) on Easter Sunday, 1722, Easter Island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most isolated places on the face of the Earth, some 2,300 miles from the Chilean mainland. Although more Polynesian than South American in character, the 64-square mile island was annexed by Chile in 1888, and is now famous as the world’s largest ‘open air museum’ on account of the Moai, or human-like stone statues, that can be found on the island. The Moai remain very much a mystery, which archaeologists are still trying to unlock by interpreting an ancient language of the Rapa Nui, which is the key to understanding this culture, and is written on the so called ‘rongo rongo tablets’. The island owes its origin to three volcanoes which erupted some three million years ago: Poike, Rano Kau and Maunga Terevaka. It is not known when or how the island was first populated, but the most credible theory suggests that the Rapa Nui people came from other Pacific islands in the 4th century AD. In addition to the cultural and archaeological interest, there are the beautiful beaches, transparent waters, and coral reefs that might be expected of a Pacific Island. |
| 12th12 | NovNov | 202323 | At Sea | | |
| 13th13 | NovNov | 202323 | At Sea | | |
| 14th14 | NovNov | 202323 | At Sea | | |
| 15th15 | NovNov | 202323 | At Sea | | |
| 16th16 | NovNov | 202323 | Alejandro Selkirk Island, Chile | 14:30 | 20:00 |
| Alejandro Selkirk Island is part of the Juan Fernandez archipelago. The island itself was renamed in 1966 after the marooned sailor who served as the template for Daniel Defoe’s novel Robinson Crusoe, although Alejandro Selkirk was a castaway on a different island, named Robinson Crusoe Island. Alejandro Selkirk is located 165 kilometres west of the other islands in the archipelago. Throughout much of its history, the island has been uninhabited, although there is a former penal settlement on the middle of the east coast, which operated from 1909 to 1930. During the summer months, Selkirk welcomes a community of lobster fishermen and their families who come from Robinson Crusoe. As part of the Chilean National Park, it also holds the UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve title. The island is home to a number of rare and endangered plant and animal species. One of those iconic species—the Masafuera Rayadito—is found only on Selkirk; its global population numbers in the low hundreds and it is of particular interest to researchers and those looking to prevent species extinctions. |
| 17th17 | NovNov | 202323 | San Juan Bautista (Robinson Crusoe Island), Chile | 06:00 | 19:00 |
| Robinson Crusoe Island is located 600 kilometres off the coast of Chile. The island is a rugged volcanic speck where 70 percent of its plant species are endemic, and is the largest of the Juan Fernandez Islands, a small archipelago that since 1935 is a Chilean National Park which was declared a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. This island has witnessed and played an important role in Chilean and world history. In 1750 the village of San Juan Bautista was founded at Cumberland Bay and by 1779 there were already 7 fortresses bristling with guns. The island’s isolation offered Spain a splendid place for setting up a penal colony, to which high-ranking Chilean patriots were deported in the early 19th century. In 1915, during the First World War, three British ships and a German one, the Dresden, engaged in a sea battle which ended with the scuttling of the German cruiser. Today there are currently around one thousand people living in the archipelago, most of them in the village of San Juan Bautista engaged in fishing for the “pincer-less lobster”, a delicacy in the mainland. |
| 18th18 | NovNov | 202323 | At Sea | | |
| 19th19 | NovNov | 202323 | Valparaiso, Chile, disembark the Silver Explorer | | |
| Valparaíso's dramatic topography—45 cerros, or hills, overlooking the ocean—requires the use of winding pathways and wooden ascensores (funiculars) to get up many of the grades. The slopes are covered by candy-color houses—there are almost no apartments in the city—most of which have exteriors of corrugated metal peeled from shipping containers decades ago. Valparaíso has served as Santiago's port for centuries. Before the Panama Canal opened, Valparaíso was the busiest port in South America. Harsh realities—changing trade routes, industrial decline—have diminished its importance, but it remains Chile's principal port. Most shops, banks, restaurants, bars, and other businesses cluster along the handful of streets called El Plan (the flat area) that are closest to the shoreline. Porteños (which means "the residents of the port") live in the surrounding hills in an undulating array of colorful abodes. At the top of any of the dozens of stairways, the paseos (promenades) have spectacular views; many are named after prominent Yugoslavian, Basque, and German immigrants. Neighborhoods are named for the hills they cover. With the jumble of power lines overhead and the hundreds of buses that slow down—but never completely stop—to pick up agile riders, it's hard to forget you're in a city. Still, walking is the best way to experience Valparaíso. Be careful where you step, though—locals aren't very conscientious about curbing their dogs. |
