Aboard Silver Whisper with Silversea
Cruise Overview
Valparaíso's dramatic topography—45 cerros, or hills, overlooking the ocean—requires the use of winding pathways and wooden ascensores (funiculars) to get up many of the grades.
The slopes are covered by candy-color houses—there are almost no apartments in the city—most of which have exteriors of corrugated metal peeled from shipping containers decades ago.
Valparaíso has served as Santiago's port for centuries.
Before the Panama Canal opened, Valparaíso was the busiest port in South America.
Harsh realities—changing trade routes, industrial decline—have diminished its importance, but it remains Chile's principal port.
Most shops, banks, restaurants, bars, and other businesses cluster along the handful of streets called El Plan (the flat area) that are closest to the shoreline.
Porteños (which means "the residents of the port") live in the surrounding hills in an undulating array of colorful abodes.
At the top of any of the dozens of stairways, the paseos (promenades) have spectacular views; many are named after prominent Yugoslavian, Basque, and German immigrants.
Neighborhoods are named for the hills they cover.
With the jumble of power lines overhead and the hundreds of buses that slow down—but never completely stop—to pick up agile riders, it's hard to forget you're in a city.
Still, walking is the best way to experience Valparaíso.
Be careful where you step, though—locals aren't very conscientious about curbing their dogs.
Robinson Crusoe Island is located 600 kilometres 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 was declared a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve.
This island has witnessed and played an important role in Chilean and world history.
In 1750 the village of San Juan Bautista was founded at Cumberland Bay and by 1779 there were already 7 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 “pincer-less lobster”, a delicacy in the mainland.
Discovered (by the Western world) on Easter Sunday, 1722, Easter Island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most isolated places on the face of the Earth, some 2,300 miles from the Chilean mainland.
Although more Polynesian than South American in character, the 64-square mile island was annexed by Chile in 1888, and is now famous as the world’s largest ‘open air museum’ on account of the Moai, or human-like stone statues, that can be found on the island.
The Moai remain very much a mystery, which archaeologists are still trying to unlock by interpreting an ancient language of the Rapa Nui, which is the key to understanding this culture, and is written on the so called ‘rongo rongo tablets’.
The island owes its origin to three volcanoes which erupted some three million years ago: Poike, Rano Kau and Maunga Terevaka.
It is not known when or how the island was first populated, but the most credible theory suggests that the Rapa Nui people came from other Pacific islands in the 4th century AD.
In addition to the cultural and archaeological interest, there are the beautiful beaches, transparent waters, and coral reefs that might be expected of a Pacific Island.
The slopes are covered by candy-color houses—there are almost no apartments in the city—most of which have exteriors of corrugated metal peeled from shipping containers decades ago.
Valparaíso has served as Santiago's port for centuries.
Before the Panama Canal opened, Valparaíso was the busiest port in South America.
Harsh realities—changing trade routes, industrial decline—have diminished its importance, but it remains Chile's principal port.
Most shops, banks, restaurants, bars, and other businesses cluster along the handful of streets called El Plan (the flat area) that are closest to the shoreline.
Porteños (which means "the residents of the port") live in the surrounding hills in an undulating array of colorful abodes.
At the top of any of the dozens of stairways, the paseos (promenades) have spectacular views; many are named after prominent Yugoslavian, Basque, and German immigrants.
Neighborhoods are named for the hills they cover.
With the jumble of power lines overhead and the hundreds of buses that slow down—but never completely stop—to pick up agile riders, it's hard to forget you're in a city.
Still, walking is the best way to experience Valparaíso.
Be careful where you step, though—locals aren't very conscientious about curbing their dogs.
Robinson Crusoe Island is located 600 kilometres 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 was declared a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve.
This island has witnessed and played an important role in Chilean and world history.
In 1750 the village of San Juan Bautista was founded at Cumberland Bay and by 1779 there were already 7 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 “pincer-less lobster”, a delicacy in the mainland.
Discovered (by the Western world) on Easter Sunday, 1722, Easter Island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most isolated places on the face of the Earth, some 2,300 miles from the Chilean mainland.
Although more Polynesian than South American in character, the 64-square mile island was annexed by Chile in 1888, and is now famous as the world’s largest ‘open air museum’ on account of the Moai, or human-like stone statues, that can be found on the island.
The Moai remain very much a mystery, which archaeologists are still trying to unlock by interpreting an ancient language of the Rapa Nui, which is the key to understanding this culture, and is written on the so called ‘rongo rongo tablets’.
The island owes its origin to three volcanoes which erupted some three million years ago: Poike, Rano Kau and Maunga Terevaka.
It is not known when or how the island was first populated, but the most credible theory suggests that the Rapa Nui people came from other Pacific islands in the 4th century AD.
In addition to the cultural and archaeological interest, there are the beautiful beaches, transparent waters, and coral reefs that might be expected of a Pacific Island.
Cruise Itinerary
Aboard Silver Whisper
Launch Year: 2001 Length: 186 Width: 24 Currency: USD Capacity: 392 Crew Count: 302 Deck Count: 7 Cabin Count: 194
Silver Whisper, sports a relaxing, sophisticated and genuinely elegant atmosphere. A multi-million dollar refit in 2018 makes her one of the most technically up-to-date ships at sea.
The amenities of a larger ship with the charm of a boutique hotel. Silversea’s Millennium Class ships Silver Whisper and sister ship Silver Shadow invite you to enjoy Silversea’s world-class accommodation, shipboard conviviality and warm, personal service. Revel in the pampering treatments of an expanded spa, enjoy dynamic full-scale productions in a multi-tiered show lounge and dine on delectable cuisine in her four superlative restaurants. Silver Whisper has it all.
Small and nimble, Silver Whisper features four restaurants and many suite options. She emphasises the hallmarks of boutique ship passenger pampering, including fine dining and spaciousness throughout. View her deck plan here.
Silver Whisper Facilities
Silver Whisper Includes
Cabin Details
Silversea’s suites offer one of the highest space-per-guest ratios of any luxury cruise accommodations. All Silversea suites have ocean views, and most include a private teak veranda so that you can breathe in the fresh sea air simply by stepping outside your door. And regardless of the ship or suite category, all guests will be pampered with the personalised services of an attentive butler.
For a truly personal experience, customise your suite with an abundance of thoughtful options and luxurious amenities from Bulgari toiletries and personalised stationery to a bar with your favourite wines and liquors. Settle in with a complimentary movie or choose instead to simply watch the ocean swim by. You can even have dinner in-suite served course by course by your butler. Then, when it’s time to retire, curl up beneath Egyptian cotton linens and a fluffy duvet, with your choice of nine different pillow types. The ultimate in luxury cruise accommodations, Silversea’s suites are your home away from home.
