Puerto Williams in Chile will be the new departure port for Silver Explorer’s expedition cruises to Antarctica, from November 2021.
Described as a “sparsely populated frontier town”, Puerto Williams is on Isla Navarino in the Beagle Channel at the southern tip of South America.
Passengers will travel to and from the port on private flights from Santiago for their cruises to Antarctica.
Conrad Combrink, Silversea’s senior vice-president of expeditions, turnaround operations and destination management, said: “The addition of Puerto Williams as a new departure port, combined with our exclusive private flight service between the city and Santiago, highlights our commitment to unlocking seamless expedition experiences to the White Continent in unparalleled comfort.”
The cruise line will have three expedition ships – Silver Explorer, Silver Cloud and Silver Wind – deployed to Antarctica during the region’s summer season.
It offers a series of 10-day or 12-day cruises of the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands, as well as shorter sailings of five, six, or nine days as part of the Antarctica Bridge fly-cruise programme.
Longer cruises encompass the Antarctic Peninsula, the South Shetland Islands, the Falkland Islands, Elephant Island and South Georgia.