South Pacific Horizons

16 Mar 26
00:00 - 20:00

Since time immemorial Valparaiso has inspired writers, poets, musicians, and artists alike. If the city is still a little rough around the edges, this only adds to its bohemian ambience; the architecture, style, street art, nightlife, and live music scenes of Valparaiso are some of the best in the world. Add colorful clifftop homes to the mix and you'll soon see why Valpariaso is many people's favorite Chilean city. The city was founded in 1536 by Spanish conquistador Juan de Saavedra, who named the city after his birthplace. Many of the colonial buildings he implemented are still standing today, despite the rain, wind, fire, and several earthquakes (one of which almost leveled the city in 1906). Quirky architecture also abounds; poetry lovers and amateur architects will no doubt want to make the 45 km trip south to Chilean poet laureate (and Nobel Prize winner) Pablo Neruda’s ship-shaped house and museum for a taste of the extraordinary. The city and region are also extremely well known for their love of good food and wine. The vineyards of the nearby Casablanca Valley - first planted in the early 1980s - have earned worldwide recognition in a relatively short space of time. However, Chile’s viticulture history does date back much farther than that. De Saavedra brought grape vines on his voyage to South America in order to make his own wine and this led to a new grape brandy being created, Pisco. Today give any Chilean a Pisco and wherever they are in the world, they will be home.

17 Mar 26

Days at sea are the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind, and catch up with what you've been meaning to do. So whether that is going to the gym, visiting the spa, whale-watching, catching up on your reading, or simply topping up your tan, these blue sea days are the perfect balance to busy days spent exploring shoreside.

18 Mar 26
08:00 - 18:00

Robinson Crusoe Island is located 600 kilometers 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 in 1977 was declared a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. This island has witnessed and played an important role in Chilean and world history. In 1704 the Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk was marooned on the island and stayed for more than 4 years, eventually inspiring Daniel Defoe’s novel Robinson Crusoe - hence the name of the island. 1750 the village of San Juan Bautista was founded at Cumberland Bay and by 1779 there were already 7 small 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 - spiny lobster-, a delicacy exported to the mainland.

1 Included Shore Excursion

Robinson Crusoe Island

19 Mar 26

Days at sea are the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind, and catch up with what you've been meaning to do. So whether that is going to the gym, visiting the spa, whale-watching, catching up on your reading, or simply topping up your tan, these blue sea days are the perfect balance to busy days spent exploring shoreside.

20 Mar 26

Days at sea are the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind, and catch up with what you've been meaning to do. So whether that is going to the gym, visiting the spa, whale-watching, catching up on your reading, or simply topping up your tan, these blue sea days are the perfect balance to busy days spent exploring shoreside.

21 Mar 26

Days at sea are the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind, and catch up with what you've been meaning to do. So whether that is going to the gym, visiting the spa, whale-watching, catching up on your reading, or simply topping up your tan, these blue sea days are the perfect balance to busy days spent exploring shoreside.

22 Mar 26

Days at sea are the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind, and catch up with what you've been meaning to do. So whether that is going to the gym, visiting the spa, whale-watching, catching up on your reading, or simply topping up your tan, these blue sea days are the perfect balance to busy days spent exploring shoreside.

23 Mar 26
08:00 - 00:00

Easter Island, the easternmost settled island of Polynesia, received its European name in 1722 when the island was spotted by a Dutch expedition under Roggeveen on Easter Sunday. The triangular-shaped island of 163 square kilometers is famous for the hundreds of statues known locally as moai. Rolling hills covered in grasslands, eucalyptus forests, and a rocky shore surround Hangaroa, the island's only village on the southwestern coast. This is where Captain Cook landed in 1774, where missionaries built the first church, and where ships find the best protection from winds and swells. Small beaches and transparent waters invite swimmers and snorkelers, but it is the cultural aspect that attracts visitors. Since 1935 the island has been a National Historic Monument and today 43.5% of the island is a national park administered by the Chilean National Forest Corporation and Mau Henua, a local community group. The island's national park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. Found slightly more than 3,500 kilometers west of Chile, the island was annexed in 1888. Used as a sheep ranch for many decades, the island was opened in 1965, and an airstrip was built. The U.S. Air Force set up a base to monitor the behavior of the Earth's outer atmosphere and by 1987 NASA had the runway extended as an emergency runway for the space shuttle. This never happened, but tourism benefitted from this improvement, and today the island receives more than 100,000 visitors a year.

2 Included Shore Excursions:

Hanga Roa Village & Moais
Easter Island Highlights

3 Selected Shore Excursions:

An Easter Island Cultural Journey
Orongo, Rano Kau & Vinapu
Terevaka Volcano Hiking Trek

24 Mar26
00:00 - 14:00

Easter Island, the easternmost settled island of Polynesia, received its European name in 1722 when the island was spotted by a Dutch expedition under Roggeveen on Easter Sunday. The triangular-shaped island of 163 square kilometers is famous for the hundreds of statues known locally as moai. Rolling hills covered in grasslands, eucalyptus forests, and a rocky shore surround Hangaroa, the island's only village on the southwestern coast. This is where Captain Cook landed in 1774, where missionaries built the first church, and where ships find the best protection from winds and swells. Small beaches and transparent waters invite swimmers and snorkelers, but it is the cultural aspect that attracts visitors. Since 1935 the island has been a National Historic Monument and today 43.5% of the island is a national park administered by the Chilean National Forest Corporation and Mau Henua, a local community group. The island's national park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. Found slightly more than 3,500 kilometers west of Chile, the island was annexed in 1888. Used as a sheep ranch for many decades, the island was opened in 1965, and an airstrip was built. The U.S. Air Force set up a base to monitor the behavior of the Earth's outer atmosphere and by 1987 NASA had the runway extended as an emergency runway for the space shuttle. This never happened, but tourism benefitted from this improvement, and today the island receives more than 100,000 visitors a year.

2 Included Shore Excursions:

Hanga Roa Village & Moais
Easter Island Highlights

3 Selected Shore Excursions:

An Easter Island Cultural Journey
Orongo, Rano Kau & Vinapu
Terevaka Volcano Hiking Trek

25 Mar 26

Days at sea are the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind, and catch up with what you've been meaning to do. So whether that is going to the gym, visiting the spa, whale-watching, catching up on your reading, or simply topping up your tan, these blue sea days are the perfect balance to busy days spent exploring shoreside.

26 Mar 26

Days at sea are the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind, and catch up with what you've been meaning to do. So whether that is going to the gym, visiting the spa, whale-watching, catching up on your reading, or simply topping up your tan, these blue sea days are the perfect balance to busy days spent exploring shoreside.

27 Mar 26

Days at sea are the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind, and catch up with what you've been meaning to do. So whether that is going to the gym, visiting the spa, whale-watching, catching up on your reading, or simply topping up your tan, these blue sea days are the perfect balance to busy days spent exploring shoreside.

28 Mar 26

Days at sea are the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind, and catch up with what you've been meaning to do. So whether that is going to the gym, visiting the spa, whale-watching, catching up on your reading, or simply topping up your tan, these blue sea days are the perfect balance to busy days spent exploring shoreside.

29 Mar 26

Days at sea are the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind, and catch up with what you've been meaning to do. So whether that is going to the gym, visiting the spa, whale-watching, catching up on your reading, or simply topping up your tan, these blue sea days are the perfect balance to busy days spent exploring shoreside.

30 Mar 26
08:00 - 23:00

Think of French Polynesia and you are automatically transported to the white sands of Tahiti, the blue seas of Bora Bora, or, at the very least, the iconic statues of Easter Island. Now, imagine a place that is home to that majestic trinity, but has no crowds and is full of island authenticity that is rare in these global times. You have just imagined Nuku Hiva. The island is the second largest after Tahiti in the archipelago but is yet to be discovered by tourism. As part of the Marquesas Islands, Nuku Hiva is technically French, but don't expect to find any blue-and-white striped shirts here! In fact, even though French is the “official” language of the island, a sing-song dialect of Tahitian mixed with Marquesan is more widely spoken. The younger generations also speak English. Undeniably, Nuku Hiva has been blessed by the gods. With towering mountains, eight magnificent harbors, and one of the world's highest waterfalls, Nuku Hiva is rich with Mother Nature's jewels. The island could lay claim to a great many claims to fame, such as its deep, unpolluted waters, its lush forests bursting with vitality, or its fascinating assortment of archaeological interests including tikis (sacred statues) and pae pae (stone platforms that formed the foundations of homes). Yet for those in the know, the island's primary claim to fame is that author Herman Melville deserted his ship to live among the natives of the island, and his books Typee and Omoo were inspired by his experiences on Nuku Hiva.

1 Included Shore Excursion

Taipivai Valley Scenic Drive

31 Mar 26
08:00 - 18:00

The largest of the southern islands, Hiva Oa, the master pillar or final post of the “Great House” - which represents the Marquesan archipelago in the local mythology - has always been the rival of Nuku Hiva. The island is shaped like a seahorse and has a mountain range running southwest to northeast and the main peaks, Mt. Temetiu and Mt. Feani form a real wall around Atuona. Atuona, a peaceful little port at the head of the Taaoa Bay, also known as Traitors Bay, has emerged from obscurity due to having had the privilege of being the final resting place of Paul Gauguin and of the singer Jacques Brel. The tombs of these famous personalities are on the side of the Calvary Cemetery looking out across the bay and are places of great pilgrimage. In the village, the Gauguin Museum displays items related to the painter's stay there at the beginning of the century and has copies of his works.

1 Included Shore Excursion

Mave Mai Traditional Welcome

01 Apr 26

Days at sea are the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind, and catch up with what you've been meaning to do. So whether that is going to the gym, visiting the spa, whale-watching, catching up on your reading, or simply topping up your tan, these blue sea days are the perfect balance to busy days spent exploring shoreside.

02 Apr 26
08:00 - 18:00

Rangiroa is French Polynesia’s largest atoll. More than 400 motu (islets) enclose the lagoon, which is so wide and long that one cannot see the southern row of motu from the two main islets in the north - hence the local name Rangiroa meaning wide or long sky, sometimes taken as ‘immense sky’. There are several passes from the ocean into the lagoon and the two main villages of Avatoru and Tiputa are located next to the passes of the same names. Drift diving and snorkeling the incoming tides looking for sharks and manta rays at these passes is one of Rangiroa’s main touristic draws. Government jobs, ecotourism and pearl farming are the main sources of income on the atoll. The lagoon’s calm turquoise waters, rich marine underwater world, and relaxed atmosphere attract visitors year-round to the many local guesthouses and a few hotels. Both Avatoru and Tiputa also feature schools for the other Tuamotu Islands which have no higher education possibilities. One of Rangiroa’s most unusual attractions is the white and rose wine produced on the islet immediately west of Avatoru - the wine has won several awards.

3 Included Shore Excursions

Black Pearl Farm Visit
Rangiroa Glass Bottom Boat Cruise
Snorkelling at the Natural Aquarium

1 Selected Shore Excursion:

Discover the Green Lagoon

03 Apr 26
09:00 - 19:30

Although it lies between Moorea and Bora Bora, Huahine (pronounced Hu-a-hee-nee or Wha-hee-nee) isn't on the tourist circuit just yet, but it should be. Its near-deserted roads and villages and wooded hills entwined with jungle vines beckon those looking for a little R&R. Huahine is two islands (Huahine Nui and Huahine Iti) joined by a bridge. What passes for action takes place in the main town of Fare (pronounced far-ay) on Huahine Nui, the northern and bigger island. Away from this little port, life is slow-paced and you'll be lucky to find anyone stirring on a lazy afternoon in any of the villages of Huahine Iti. Most locals ride bicycles and agriculture is still the main industry - plantations grow vanilla and melons. There are various legends surrounding the island's name. Some say that hua> means "sex" and hine means "woman," while others say the name means "pregnant woman" due to a rock outline on Huahine Nui's Fitii Peninsula. Then there's the legend of Hiro, Polynesia's most famous god. It's said that Hiro rammed his canoe into the island, splitting it down the middle. Not far from the town of Maroe is a rock spire called Te Moa o Hiro or "penis of Hiro" - you can't miss it. It's easy to explore Huahine (75 square km [47 square miles]) by rental car, as there is really only one road, albeit with a few forks in it. When you cross the bridge into Huahine Iti you can go either left to Maroe or right to Parea. The road to Haapu leads off to a dead end. When crossing from Huahine Iti to Nui the same rule applies. Take the left fork to the "busy" town of Fare and the right fork to the "sacred eel" village of Faaie, via the Belvedere lookout. Hiring your own boat allows you to circle the island and anchor at the motu; a couple of self-catering villas provide both a car and a boat. There are only one or two restaurants on Huahine Iti; you either eat at your pension, choose a pension with cooking facilities, or drive up to Fare for a wider, though still rather limited, choice.

1 Included Shore Excursion:

Sacred Sites & Legendary Places

4 Selected Shore Excursions:

Cruise & Snorkel Adventure with Motu Picnic
Snorkel Safari
Matairea Outrigger Lagoon Tour & Tasty Tropical Lunch
Off Road Quad ATV Adventure

04 Apr 26
08:00 - 19:30

If you have ever dreamed up your ideal island holiday, we suspect it goes something like this: Soapy blue seas? Check. Sparkling white beaches? Check. Thatched wooden huts, gently sloping palm trees, and kaleidoscopic marine life? Check, check, and check. And yet, even by ticking every box, first-time viewing of Bora Bora still beggars belief. This tropical hideaway less than 12 square meters in the heart of the South Pacific has been topping travel wish lists for years. Long considered the realm of honeymooners - spectacularly romantic sunsets are a specialty - Bora Bora is not just for wandering with your love. If the prismatic shades of blue of the world's most beautiful lagoon do not fill you up, then perhaps underwater scooters and aqua-safaris will charge your batteries. If exploring Bora Bora's lush hinterland is more your glass of tequila sunrise, then trips around the island (often stopping off at the celebrity haunt Bloody Mary Restaurant & Bar) are a must. Bora Bora's peaceful ambiance has not always been the case. The island was a U.S. supply base, known as “Operation Bobcat,” during WWII. During this time, Bora Bora was home to nine ships, 20,000 tons of equipment, and nearly 7,000 men. Eight massive 7-inch naval cannons were installed around the island, all but one of which are still in place. Although little is known of the history of the island, it is known that Bora Bora was called Vava'u in ancient times. This supports the belief that the island was colonized by Tongans before French annexation in 1888.

1 Included Shore Excursion:

Bora Bora by Local Truck

3 Selected Shore Excursions:

Blue Lagoon & Motu Picnic
Shark & Ray Snorkeling Adventure
Aquabike Adventure

05 Apr 26
08:00 - 18:00

Moorea is a high mountainous island with two nearly symmetrical bays found on the north coast. The island's triangular shape has been likened to a heart or a bat. Eight mountain peaks reaching a height of up to 1,207 meters give Moorea a very rugged silhouette. The reef surrounding the island encloses a narrow lagoon - a RAMSAR Wetland - and has barely any motu (reef islets). Sharks and rays are some of the lagoon's attractions. The island is only one-eighth the size of neighboring Tahiti and has a more relaxed lifestyle. A road leads around Moorea, passing small villages with their churches and the resorts and smaller hotels mainly found on the north coast. A detour into the interior will show large pineapple plantations, French Polynesia's only agricultural school, ancient marae (stone platforms), and splendid views of the island from Belvedere above Cook's Bay. Many of the 18,000 residents work in Tahiti, taking one of the ferries plying between Vaiare on the east coast and Papeete. This led to Papeete being one of France's busiest ports in passenger volume. Foreign visitors either come into Temae airport, tucked in-between the Green Pearl golf course and Temae's public beach, or by ship entering one of the two bays on the north coast. Both bays are connected to Captain Cook's visit in 1777: he stayed in Opunohu Bay, but to honor him Pao Pao Bay has been named Cook's Bay.

1 Included Shore Excursion

Moorea Highlights

4 Selected Shore Excursions

Motu Island & Snorkelling Adventure
Belvedere Guided E-Bike Tour
Moorea Culinary Experience & Cook Lab
Moorea Motu Island Beach Day

05 Apr 26
21:00 - 00:00

Papeete is the center of 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 further exploration of Tahiti - an island of breathtaking landscapes and oceanic vistas. A wonderful lagoon of crisp, clear water begs to be snorkeled, 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 and settle into the intoxicating rhythm of life in this Polynesian paradise.

06 Apr 26

Papeete is the center of 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 further exploration of Tahiti - an island of breathtaking landscapes and oceanic vistas. A wonderful lagoon of crisp, clear water begs to be snorkeled, 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 and settle into the intoxicating rhythm of life in this Polynesian paradise.