Silversea now exploring the Pacific Coast from top to bottom
Silversea (cruise.center/silversea) is sending its 130-guest luxury expedition ship, Silver Explorer, to the Pacific Coast for the first time next year. It’s fantastic news for those who have been curious about Silversea’s longstanding expedition program, but who aren’t enamoured with the idea of travelling to the Arctic or Antarctic.
Beginning this coming February, Silver Explorer will debut a unique collection of seven voyages that will travel from Ushuaia, Argentina — the southernmost city in the world — up the full length of the west coast of South, Central and North America.
Along the way, guests will have the opportunity for in-depth explorations, led by Silversea’s talented expedition team that features specialists in a wide array of studies. Often combining zodiac tours, hikes, walks and cultural experiences ashore, these immersive excursions are included in the cost of Silversea’s expedition cruises, as are all beverages and gratuities.
“These new and exciting expeditions offer the modern-day traveller a chance to rediscover the naturally stunning and historically interesting west coast of the Americas,” said Conrad Combrink, Silversea’s vice-president of expedition planning and strategic development. “Each of these unique expeditions will offer a wide variety of exploration activities — from exploring rich marine ecosystems by Zodiac, hiking in rain forests, discovering prolific wildlife, cruising historically important rivers, and exploring volcanoes, to savouring incredible cuisine. Our selection of expeditions along the west coasts of these two great continents will impress and leave the most intrepid traveller longing for more.”
While each of the seven new voyages are worthwhile in their own right, there are a few that you definitely won’t want to miss out on. The first is Silver Explorer’s debut Pacific Voyage: a 14-day journey from Ushuaia, Argentina to Valparaiso, Chile, that departs on Feb. 25. This journey from the “end of the world” includes scenic cruising and exploration through Chile’s magical glaciers and fiords, along with port calls in Punta Arenas, Tortel, Castro and Puerto Montt, Chile.
Then we get into the really unique voyages. Departing from Mazatlan, Mexico, on April 21, Silver Explorer sails an 11-night cruise that thoroughly explores Mexico’s vibrant Sea of Cortes. In addition to expeditions off such picturesque spots as Los Islotes and Isla San Francisco, Silver Explorer spends two days docked in Tobolobampo, Mexico, where guests can elect to visit Mexico’s famous Copper Canyon by train. A full day of fun in the sun is included in Cabo San Lucas on this itinerary before Silver Explorer finishes its journey in San Diego.
Even better, Silver Explorer comes to Canada next year. On May 2, an 11-day journey will take Silver Explorer from San Diego to Vancouver, with stops in: San Francisco; Astoria, Oregon; and Friday Harbor in Washington’s San Juan Islands, among others. The following voyage from Vancouver to San Francisco includes many of the same stops, but with a shorter nine-day duration. This one is pretty cool, as it spends two full days in the San Juan Islands, with stops at Friday Harbor, Lopez Island, Anacortes and Cyprus Island.
For the ultimate Pacific Ocean adventure, Silver Explorer’s massive 17-day voyage from Seward, Alaska to Otaru, Japan,fits the bill. This includes an in-depth exploration of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, culminating with a visit to Dutch Harbor before crossing the International Date Line.
The remainder of this itinerary spends seven days exploring Russia’s remote Kamchatka Peninsula, including the town of Petropavlovsk, before arriving in Japan. Silversea also throws plenty of niceties into its expedition cruises, from complimentary backpacks and water bottles, to parkas on cold weather sailings and butler service in every suite.
Happy cruising.
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