Everything You Need to Know for Your Expedition Voyage

A short stroll through the flats along the Nome River, 20 miles outside its namesake town in Alaska, brings me to one of the rarest wildlife sights in North America: a small herd of musk oxen, serenely browsing amid clutches of platinum willow, fuchsia fireweed and vivid ivory Arctic cotton.

I take 10 minutes just to measure and treasure this one-of-a-kind moment in Alaska. Never again in my life, I reckon, will I be in such a place savoring such a sight.

Meanwhile, 5,000 miles away, my sister, Kristin, is snorkeling across a small cove in the Galápagos Islands off Ecuador, discreetly keeping pace with a large male sea turtle below. Kristin's lifelong affinity for turtles (as kids, she had a couple as pets) adds a dose of meaning to her journey in this special place, one of the world's best-known yet least spoiled nature destinations.

These kinds of lifetime memories - sometimes even life-changing - distinguish expedition cruising, water-borne adventure to which Silversea has applied its luxury expertise. When these specially outfitted ships sail some of the world's most remote but sought-after waters, the result is not only untrammeled enjoyment but also superlative substance. Here's what to expect.

Expedition suffused with luxury

The Galápagos and the Arctic and Antarctica are among the far-flung, spectacular places Silversea reaches with its four expedition ships: Silver Origin, Silver Endeavour, Silver Cloud and Silver Wind. Also on the expedition map are South America and Antarctica, the British Isles, Greenland, Australia and Africa, and more (see below).

Years ago, Adventure travel once meant wild and woolly: amazing destinations with parallel discomfort such as tiny cabins, lumpy bunk beds, freeze-dried meals, clunky clothing and, actual cold feet. Today, Silversea, a leader in ultra-luxury, makes such voyages as luxurious as those you'll experience on the rest of the fleet. The destinations vary but the attention to details, comfort and care for all guests sets these voyages of discovery apart.

What is an expedition voyage?

A whale breaches in a fjord in Greenland/Getty Images

An expedition is generally a journey to remote areas known for scenery, wildlife, geologic and geographic interest and human culture, often indigenous, outside the 21st century mainstream. Urban ports of call are rare, save the beginning and end-point cities easily reached by air. Many anchorages are small towns or villages, and some are not settled, such as remote Arctic and Antarctic bays, fjords and inlets.

In other words, these voyages often follow paths that 200 years ago would have drawn explorers, not visitors.

Sharks in the Kimberley, Australia's western, wild region./Getty Images

Silversea's expedition vessels visit remote places around the world, the excursions are usually moderate, sometimes easy, but rarely strenuous. This isn't Hannibal crossing the Alps. It's inquisitive guests boarding a Zodiac (see below) for ride past small icebergs in a shimmering steel-blue bay in Antarctica or watching wildlife in Australia's wild Kimberley region.

Or it might be as simple as donning flippers, masks and maybe wetsuits to plunge in the balmy waters off Bali for a guided snorkeling excursion amid clouds of rainbow-hued reef fish. Or strolling through the massive desert sand dunes in Namibia for a candlelit dinner beneath the Southern Cross. Or a simple walk through a hard-to-reach indigenous village in the Arctic or a visit to a tropical village to admire artful handcrafts whose practitioners are following in the footsteps of their ancestors.

Many activities are determined on the spot as Silversea guides consider what natural wonders are best to see, what the weather holds that day and what the ship's guests express interest in.

You can do similar things on regular cruises, but not in similar places. Silversea's expedition destinations are outside the mainstream of modern travel. It just happens that Silversea takes you there in a luxury suite on an elegant ship with awesome amenities.

More about the ships that sail expedition itineraries

Silversea's four expedition vessels, like Silversea's eight other ships, are all-suite and focus on luxury throughout. All four include expansive observation and relaxation spaces as well as an array of suites, many with verandas or balconies.

In the Northwest Passage, be on the lookout for polar bears./Getty Images

Silver Wind

Silver Wind is a twice-refurbished vessel that does double duty in the Silversea fleet, offering expedition and regular voyages. With enhanced ice shielding, it sails polar waters, but may also be found in the sunny climes of the Caribbean. At 514 feet, it holds 274 guests on seven decks, and its 239 crew members include 28 guides and interpreters for excursions on 24 Zodiacs.

A pool, fitness center, entertainment lounge, four restaurants and a spa provide creature comforts for polar adventurers.

Silver Wind sails the fabled Northwest Passage and remote sub-Arctic Alaska; heads to South America and Antarctica; then back up the coast of Africa to the North Atlantic and Northern Europe.

Silver Origin

The Galápagos Islands are an adventure in biodiversity and includes species you may not anywhere else in the world./Getty Images

Silver Origin is the smallest ship, expressly designed and built to navigate the delicate waters of the Galápagos Islands, the industry's first such vessel.

The 240-foot, 100-passenger ship contains cutting- edge technologies that minimize the ship's environmental footprint. For instance, advanced positioning and guidance systems allowing it to hold fast without damaging the seabed below; and a special onboard water purification system minimizes the use of plastic bottles for drinking water, forestalling an estimated 17,000 bottles a year.

Ecuadorian cuisine, guides trained and certified by National Park of the Galápagos, and marina access to its eight Zodiacs enhance the experience onboard. Of the 90 crew members on Origin, 10 are guides and interpreters.

Yes, it was Charles Darwin's trip to the Galápagos that spurred him to write The Origin of Species, one of the signature moments in human understanding of our world. Darwin's book is of course onboard Origin in the extensive knowledge library in Basecamp, our everything-Galapagos lounge.

Silver Endeavour

Abundant wildlife in Antarctica makes good camera equipment a necessity./Getty Images

Silver Endeavour, Silversea's newest expedition ship was expressly designed for voyages into Earth's polar regions, with superior ice-handling capabilities (ice class rating P6), extra stability devices and maneuverability thrusters, and state-of-the-art technology that enables anchor-free positioning in remote environmentally sensitive waters.

The 539-foot, eight-deck ship holds 220 guests, with 207 crew members that include 20 guides and interpreters. An inboard marina enables super-safe, comfortable boarding on her 18 Zodiacs for passengers heading out to adventure.

An enclosed sun deck, the Otium Spa, a pool, numerous relaxation and observation areas and a fitness center join four restaurants to ensure a full spectrum of deluxe travel, even at the ends of the Earth. Yes, there's an outdoor whirlpool… imagine enjoying a hot soak while you admire the glaciers of Antarctica or Greenland in the late evening light.

Endeavour sails northern latitudes such as the North Sea, Iceland, Greenland and Norway, with one weekslong journey along the famed Northwest Passage, in late summer. In winter it transitions to southern South America and Antarctica, and is the key marine element in the fly-sail Antarctica Bridge (see below).

Silver Cloud

Valparaíso, Chile, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a port call on Silver Cloud./Getty Images

Silver Cloud, a 514-foot crossover ship, serves expedition and regular voyages. Its eight decks hold a beauty spa, fitness center, four restaurants, pool, lounges and a library to serve 254 guests. The crew of 212 includes 20 guides and interpreters.

Twenty Zodiacs ensure guests have ample access to adventure on Silver Cloud's expedition journeys, which include South America, Antarctica, French Polynesia and Australia.

What to pack for an expedition cruise

It's a big world out there, with a world of weather found on its oceans and shores. You don't need radical outdoor gear for our expedition sailings, though by all means bring it along if you do. Otherwise, Silversea will supply it (see below).

Linen is versatile: It dries quickly and breathes, keeping you cooler in warmer climates. Just be sure to assess how resistant it is to wrinkles./Getty Images

Beyond that, pack sweaters and fleece… and shorts, sun dresses, sunglasses and swimsuits, as they'll be handy in the many shielded interior spaces such as pool decks and observation lounges, if not outdoors on our warm-latitude itineraries. Linens (seek non-wrinkling kinds) are ideal fabrics for expedition cruises, except outdoors in sub-Arctic and polar climes.

Fleece and rainproof outerwear will come in handy on most Silversea itineraries, except the few that visit only tropical and sub-tropical areas, and even there, a jacket is often called for on late evenings beneath the stars as a cool ocean breeze washes the ship.

Indoor dining wear is best covered by business casual: slacks and collared shirts. Each ship has at least one fine-dining venue where a gentlemen's jacket will be appropriate. You usually can leave suits and ties at home unless you are keen to revive the glamorous days of cruising a century ago.

What's that saying about clothing?

On some cold-weather expeditions, Silversea will outfit you with foul-weather gear to ensure safety and comfort./Silversea

It's a Norwegian expression: "There's no such thing as bad weather-just bad clothing." Onboard the expedition cruises, Silversea has you covered. You probably don't own a high-seas survival suit, or a thermal water-repellant down slicker for traveling Antarctic waters in an open-air Zodiac, or a wet suit for snorkeling in the Galapagos, or ice crampons for hiking glaciers, or so many other outdoor items. Silversea has enough everyone.

What's a Zodiac?

Zodiacs can get you closer to the places that demand a closer look, with or without disembarking as in the Kimberley in Western Australia./Silversea photo

A Zodiac, the world's most popular small expedition skiff, date to the early 20th century; its French maker, Zodiac Nautic, has since sold more than 1 million of its inflatable expedition boats.

Zodiacs can be as small as 6 feet, fitting four passengers, and up to 28 feet holding 25 passengers. They come in soft and rigid hulls and have proved their worth in almost every marine environment you can imagine. Their stability, durability, easy beach landing ability and overall maneuverability make them ideal for the remote maritime locations Silversea expedition cruises reach, especially polar waters.

Silversea's four expedition ships carry a total of 70 Zodiacs, a number designed to ensure every guest who wishes can take advantage of water-borne excursions.

What is the Antarctica Bridge?

Flying to Antarctica gives you the gift of time: By skipping the Drake Passage, you save four days of sailing in what sometimes can be rough waters./Silversea photo

This innovation pioneered by Silversea is a commercial aviation link between southern Chile and Antarctica, allowing guests who wish it to forgo crossing the Drake Passage and maximizing their time in the southernmost continent. A two-hour flight in business class takes guests from Punta Arenas, Chile, to King George Island, Silversea's main port in Antarctic waters. Thus you skip, thereby obviating a two-day crossing of the infamous Drake Passage. After a six-day sailing along the Antarctic Peninsula, guests return to Punta Arenas by air for their journeys home or on to other destinations.

It's doubtful a real bridge to Antarctica will be built, at least in our lifetimes, especially because the Drake Passage reaches depths greater than 15,000 feet. Silversea also offers numerous Antarctic itineraries that are entirely maritime for those who seek the adventure of crossing the Southern Ocean.

Oh, the places you'll go

Embarkation to some expedition voyages may occur in such places as Nome, Alaska./Getty Images

Here's what Dr. Seuss said: "You're off to great places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so… Get on your way!"

Silversea expedition itineraries reach more than 100 remote anchorages and small ports of call around the world. Many are first-ever destinations for luxury cruising, and Silversea continues to add more.

Embarkation and debarkation ports are, by necessity, served by commercial airlines, but by no means are they all major cities. Some may be Cape Town, South Africa, for example, but others are decidedly not, such as Nome, Alaska.

Herewith, some of the questions these destinations may raise.

Are there skeletons on Africa's Skeleton Coast?

Landscape of the Skeleton Coast

Namibia's desert coastline likely got its name from the remains of whales that washed up on its shores, although there is a significant number of boat skeletons. Silversea passes this mesmerizing land on the northbound cruises that depart Cape Town.

Before sailing along the Skeleton Coast, two days are spent in Walvis Bay, a hard-to-reach outpost 200 miles south of the national park. From there, excursions into the Namibian desert reveal animal adaptations to the harsh environment, and birdwatchers can marvel at the hundreds of thousands of flamingos, pelicans, herons and other shore birds that throng to the area.

Do penguins actually march?

Penguins you may see in Antarctic regions, from top left: Adelie, Rockhopper, Megellanic; from middle left: Chinstrap, King, Gentoo, from bottom left Emperor chick, Emperors and Macaroni.

Seen in person, the penguin might be best described as waddling - but the determined air with which these flightless birds navigate land lends itself to the term "march." Silversea expedition cruises visit all the regions in which the world's 17 penguin species are found, and three of our destinations offer multiple opportunities to ogle one of the planet's favorite birds.

The Galápagos penguin is the most northerly of its genus and a common sight in these islands. Our Antarctica sailings all visit the Antarctica Peninsula, homeland of a half dozen penguin types. And the southern coast of Africa has several famous bays where penguin colonies blithely go about their business under the gaze of their awestruck admirers.

Penguins are cute. The way they cock their heads and look at one another suggests some sort of telepathic communication: "Suzy, you look especially cute today." "Thanks, Ralph, I think so too."

A third of Silversea's expedition sailings reach Antarctica and often sell out well in advance. We can't credit penguins entirely for that popularity but… You really have to see them in person to understand.

How many endemic species in the Galápagos?

Darwin's Finch eating on a cactus flower, San Cristóbal Island, Galápagos Islands National Park/Getty Images

"Endemic" is a fancy biological term for unique - found only in whatever place you're discussing. Anacondas are endemic to South America, for example, and many small songbirds are endemic to Hawaii.

The Galápagos Islands are famed for (and attracted Charles Darwin because of) the dozens of animals that evolved into forms found here and nowhere else. Darwin's finches take 17 forms, for example, and helped the famed biologist formulate his ideas about evolution.

Perhaps the most famous such residents are the 20,000 Galápagos giant tortoises, largest such animal on Earth and capable of exceptional lifespans. One specimen reaches 175 years in captivity.

The islands also hold the only maritime iguana, many unique mockingbirds, one type of penguin, a flightless cormorant, and hundreds of other animals, plus thousands of plants. How many are unique to the islands? No universally accepted number has been catalogued, but Galápagos conservation interests estimate that 80 percent of the land birds and 97 percent of the land mammals and reptiles, are unique to the islands.

Are polar bears the biggest bears?

Polar bear/grizzly bear hybrid is also called grolar bear or a pizzly bear. Getty Images

The answer depends on where you are. In Greenland and Arctic Canada, yes. These massive ursids stand up to 8 feet when erect, and coastal browns max out around 7 feet. But in Alaska, zealous fans of the Great Land's coastal brown bears (of whom inland grizzlies are a subspecies) point out that though their bears may be a few inches shorter, their salmon-rich diets mean they weigh up to 1,500 pounds, while a truly massive polar bear is about 1,150 pounds.

Judge for yourself: Book a suite on Silversea's late summer sailing from Nuuk, Greenland, to Nome, Alaska, and you are almost certain to see polar bears. Then hop on a plane to Anchorage to board one of Silversea's itineraries through the Gulf of Alaska and Inside Passage to Vancouver, Canada, and you are almost certain to see coastal brown bears. The entire journey will take about 35 days, so there's lots of time to make up your mind.

Nature's answer takes a different tack: Climate change is forcing polar bears off their ice floes to dry land, where they are now mating with brown bears, yielding a new hybrid called a "grolar bear." This rare new animal is found in northern Canada, so who knows? Seeing one would be the wildlife sighting of a lifetime.

How many glaciers in Greenland?

Massive icebergs from Jakobshavn Glacier melting in Disko Bay on a sunny summer evening in Ilulissat, Greenland/Getty Images

Estimates for named glaciers range up to 730, but it also depends on how you define a "glacier."

A far more important fact is that the Greenland ice sheet holds about 12 percent of Earth's ice, covering 656,000 square miles. The Antarctic ice sheet holds almost all the rest, by volume. The two locations contain 99 percent of the ice in our world, and if it all melted oceans would rise more than 200 feet.

What about all the other places with glaciers? Alaska, for example, has 15,000-20,000, plus several large icefields, such as the St. Elias Icefield from which the Hubbard Glacier descends. Despite all that apparent ice quantity, Earth's glaciers and icefields are microscopically small compared with the ice caps of Greenland (which is also the world's largest island) and Antarctica.

Silversea expeditions visit virtually all the world's major glacial ice locales.

Roosevelt says the fundamental things apply

"Conservation of natural resources is the fundamental problem. Unless we solve that problem, it will avail us little to solve all others." It's a good takeaway from expedition guests as they frame their marvelous memories.

Silversea takes you to exceptional places not just to be sensational, but in the hope that these expedition journeys will instill in guests a profound appreciation for the wonders of this planet and its people - and a strong desire to preserve, protect and enhance them all.

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