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Peregrine Travel Centre

Cairns to Apra: South Pacific Islands Expedition Cruise

Cairns to Apra: South Pacific Islands Expedition Cruise

From USD $13,800

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Description

Join us to experience the highlights of Melanesia and Micronesia; the true gems of the regions. Starting in Cairns, Silver Explorer will sail through Papua New Guinea and will finally visit several little islands in Yap before reaching Guam. This voyage will lead you from active volcanoes to underwater wonders to Lamotrek’s beautiful blue lagoon. You can swim and snorkel or look for seabird colonies on isolated islands. Photograph active hot springs and mud pools and study volcanoes at the Volcano Observatory. Meet local communities and prepare to be impressed by the friendliness of the Pacific Islanders. Throughout the voyage, learn about the history, geology, wildlife and botany of these locations from lecture presentations offered by your knowledgeable onboard Expedition Team.

Trip Name
Cairns to Apra: South Pacific Islands Expedition Cruise
Days
17
Overview
Vessel Type: Luxury Expedition Length: 108 metres Passenger Capacity: 144 Built / refurbished: 1989 / 2008 / 2018 Silversea’s purpose-built luxury Silver Explorer expedition cruise ship has been designed specifically for navigating waters in some of the world’s most remote destinations, including both of earth’s polar regions. A strengthened hull with a Lloyd’s Register ice-class notation (1A) for passenger vessels enables the Silver Explorer Expedition Cruise Ship to safely push through ice floes with ease. A fleet of 12 Zodiac boats allows Silversea Expedition guests to visit even the most off-the-beaten path locations and an expert Expedition Team provides insight and understanding to each unforgettable Silver Explorer luxury cruise adventure.

Itinerary



Day 1 - Day 1 CAIRNS
Tourism is the lifeblood of Cairns (pronounced Caans). The city makes a good base for exploring the wild top half of Queensland, and tens of thousands of international travelers use it as a jumping-off point for activities such as scuba diving and snorkeling trips to the Barrier Reef, as well as boating, fishing, parasailing, scenic flights, and rain-forest treks.It's a tough environment, with intense heat and fierce wildlife.
Day 2 - Day 2 DAY AT SEA
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 whale watching from the Observatory Lounge, writing home to your loved ones or simply topping up your tan by the pool, these blue sea days are the perfect balance to busy days spent exploring shore side.
Day 3 - Day 3 ALOTAU
Alotau is the provincial capital of the Milne Bay Province located in the southeast bay of Papua New Guinea. The town and surrounding area has been an important staging ground during World War II and we will see remains and memorials dating back or referring to the war. On a tour of the town, visitors will appreciate lovely vistas of the bay and experience the markets, which are frequented not only by locals, but also by islanders selling their products or looking for produce to take back into Milne Bay.
Day 4 - Day 4 TUFI
Tufi is located on the south-eastern peninsula of Cape Nelson in the Oro Province of Papua New Guinea. It is situated on a tropical fjord, which is the work of ancient volcanic activities and was not shaped by ice as the descriptive name might lead you to believe. Surrounded by uncharted coral reefs, the underwater world has attracted many divers wanting to see for themselves how the area earned the description of having more fish than water.
Day 5 - Day 5 DEI DEI HOT SPRINGS (FERGUSSON ISLAND) & DOBU ISLAND
Fergusson is one of the three biggest and mountainous islands in the Milne Bay Province, and part of the D’Entrecasteaux Islands. On Fergusson’s south side are the famous Dei Dei geysers — natural hot springs that periodically erupt with vapour steam next to mud pools and a warm stream. The hot springs are still used by locals to cook food in palm frond and pandanus leaf baskets placed into the boiling hot water. Birds in the area include Eclectus Parrots, Yellow-bellied Sunbirds and the endemic Curl-crested Manucode – a bird-of-paradise.
Day 6 - Day 6 KUIAWA ISLAND
The Trobriand Islands are the northernmost islands in the Milne Bay Province. Kuiawa is to the southwest of the largest of these islands. A visit to one of the smaller Trobriand Islands will always be a cultural emersion. Trobriand Islanders are well known for their gardening skills and for employing magic to grow better produce. Yam gardens are a source of pride for the islanders and yam is not only used as food, but larger yams are publicly displayed to indicate the skill and importance of the owner. On some islands the yam storage huts are prominent features of the villages.
Day 7 - Day 7 JACQUINOT BAY
Jacquinot Bay is a large open bay on the eastern coast of the island of New Britain. It is a tranquil place with white sandy beaches and tropical palm trees all around. There is also a well-known beautiful waterfall that flows out of the mountainside with freezing cold water right onto the beach. But during WWII, however, it was not a quiet place. It was, in fact, an important base for the Australian Army who liberated it in November 1944.
Day 8 - Day 8 RABAUL
Rabaul, the former provincial capital, has quite a remarkable location. The town is inside the flooded caldera of a giant volcano and several sub-vents are still quite active today! The fumes of the volcano Tavurvur can be seen continually and the town suffered greatly during the last major eruption of 1994 when some 80% of the houses collapsed due to the ash raining down onto their roofs. Rabaul has a Volcano Observatory sitting atop the town’s center, monitoring the 14 active and 23 dormant volcanoes in Papua New Guinea.
Day 9 - Day 9 DAY AT SEA
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 whale watching from the Observatory Lounge, writing home to your loved ones or simply topping up your tan by the pool, these blue sea days are the perfect balance to busy days spent exploring shore side.
Day 10 - Day 10 TUAM ISLAND
Banana-shaped Tuam is an uplifted coral atoll covered in palm trees. The only village is located on the lower eastern side of the island. Highly exposed to the trade winds, the islanders have set up protective walls made out of palm-branches giving the village the look of a fortified castle from a distance. A trail marked by white sand leads from the landing site to the settlement area of neatly organized wooden huts and houses with pandanus-thatched roofs. The forest reveals different gardens set up in the higher regions of the island.
Day 11 - Day 11 MADANG
The eastern half of the island of New Guinea - second largest in the world - was divided between Germany (north) and the United Kingdom (south) in 1885. The latter area was transferred to Australia in 1902, which occupied the northern portion during World War I and continued to administer the combined areas until independence in 1975. A nine-year secessionist revolt on the island of Bougainville ended in 1997 after claiming some 20,000 lives. On the north coast of the island, we find colourful Madang, called the “prettiest town in the South Pacific”.
Day 12 - Days 13 - 14 AT SEA
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 whale watching from the Observatory Lounge, writing home to your loved ones or simply topping up your tan by the pool, these blue sea days are the perfect balance to busy days spent exploring shore side.
Day 13 - Day 15 SATAWAL (YAP)
Satawal is a remote coral atoll made up of just over 1 km2 of land that is thick with coconut and breadfruit trees. It is home to approximately 500 inhabitants. Archaeologists have not yet agreed about when or how the islands of Yap and Satawal were settled. The people of Satawal are culturally and linguistically related to those of Chuuk in the Caroline Islands. Satawal has a narrow fringing reef and is not frequently visited by outsiders. After World War II, the island was controlled by the United States and administered as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands from 1947.
Day 14 - Day 16 LAMOTREK, YAP
Lamotrek is a coral atoll in the Federated States of Micronesia, and one of the fourteen outlying atolls that partly makeup the island State of Yap. While the total land area is less than half a square mile, it encloses a reef that is 12 square miles in size. The atolls are considered somewhat separate from Yap proper, which is made up of three contiguous islands set higher along the Philippine Sea Plate. The population of Lamotrek is approximately 373, and the residents are accustomed to visitors but still maintain their own culture proudly.
Day 15 - Day 17 GAFERUT (YAP)
Gaferut Atoll is a rookery island full of nesting birds, and one of the fourteen outlying atolls that partly make up the island State of Yap in the Federated States of Micronesia. Just 1,500 feet long and 500 feet wide, Gaferut is called Fayo by the Fareulep people of the neighboring atolls; meaning stone or rock in the Woleaian language. The atolls are considered somewhat separate from Yap proper, which is made up of three contiguous islands set higher along the Philippine Sea Plate.
Day 16 - Day 18 APRA
Guam is blessed with spectacular natural beauty and a rich cultural history. Apra Harbor is a deep-water port located on the western side of the island near the Mariana Islands and the Mariana Trench, which is the deepest part of the earth’s oceans, and the deepest location of the earth itself. The port serves both as a U.S. naval station and Guam’s main commercial port. The harbour, formed by the Orote Peninsula to the south and Cabras Island in the north, is considered to be one of the best natural ports in the Pacific.
Day 17 - Please Note:
Expedition highlights and itinerary listed here are possible experiences only and cannot be guaranteed. Your Expedition Leader and Captain will work together to ensure opportunities for adventure and exploration are the best possible, taking into account the prevailing weather and wildlife activities. Expedition Team members scheduled for this voyage are subject to change or cancellation.

Trip Dates

StartEndPrice FromRoom Type
11-05-202027-05-2020USD $13,800Adventurer Suite. From
11-05-202027-05-2020USD $14,000Explorer Suite. From
11-05-202027-05-2020USD $15,000View Suite. From
11-05-202027-05-2020USD $15,500Vista Suite. From
11-05-202027-05-2020USD $21,700Veranda Suite. From
11-05-202027-05-2020USD $27,300Medallion Suite. From
11-05-202027-05-2020USD $28,000Silver Suite. From
11-05-202027-05-2020USD $29,900Grand Suite. From
11-05-202027-05-2020USD $34,700Owner's Suite. From

Inclusions

    • Discover Dei Dei Hot Springs, Kuiawa Island, Rabaul, Tuam, Satawal, Lamotrek, Gaferut
    • Visit small island communities to experience Melanesian and Micronesian welcomes
    • Witness the Trobriand Islander’s spectacular traditional dances
    • Wander a local market in Rabaul, Papua New Guinea with all the sights and smells therein
    • Meet the traditional navigators of Satawal and Lamotrek and see their ocean-going canoes
    • Wildlife Watch List: Birds: Melanesian Scrubfowl, Common White Tern, Lesser Frigatebird, Brown Booby, Red-footed Booby, Brown Noddy, Pacific Reef Heron, Dolphins, Underwater: feather stars, colourful nudibranchs, vase sponges, gorgonian fans, lionfish and octopi, reef fish

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