Silversea unveils new Asia Pacific expeditions

Silversea has unveiled the itineraries it plans to offer using its new expedition ship, Silver Discoverer.

The new vessel will launch on 2 April 2014, embarking on a cruise to the Kimberley region of northwest Australia. But this will mark just the start of a series of expedition cruises, taking in remote regions on Southeast and Northeast Asia, Russia’s Far East, Australia, New Zealand and the islands of the South Pacific.

“Since the launch of the Silversea Expedition product in 2008 we have seen an upward trend for more adventurous travellers who want to see the most remote parts of the world, without giving up on life’s luxuries,” said the company’s director of expedition planning & strategic development, Conrad Combrink.

“Reflective of this, we expanded the expedition fleet to include Silver Galapagos, which launched in September 2013 and also noticed that there were very few expedition vessels operating in the Pacific region. We therefore took the decision to launch Silver Discoverer to offer guests new experiences in more diverse locations such as these whilst still offering Silversea’s high level of luxury onboard.”

Voyages on offer in 2014 and 2015 include trips to the mud volcanoes of Kota Kinabalu and Tun Sakaran Marine Park in Malaysia, and the chance to experience a traditional burial ceremony on the remote Indonesian island of Sumba.

A voyage to New Zealand’s Bay of Islands will offer the opportunity to learn about Maori culture, while a trip to Palmerston Island will uncover one of the most remote communities on Earth. The itinerary to French Polynesia will include a helicopter flight over Bora Bora.

Back onboard, the 5,218-tonne Silver Discoverer can accommodate up to 120 guests in 62 ocean-view cabins. It offers such facilities as a restaurant, lounge and lecture room, an outdoor dining and bar area, swimming pool, sun deck, gym, beauty salon and spa.