South America Cruise on the Silver Whisper

By Linda Garrison, About.com Guide

Cruising around the southern tip of South America has long been a dream of mine. I have visited South America several times on cruise ships, most recently on the Silver Spirit. I also completed a lifelong "bucket list" item when I saw Machu Picchu and Peru's Sacred Valley a few years ago. However, I had never sailed from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans (except through the Panama Canal). There's something enticing about following the routes of historic explorers into new seas and new places, and Magellan's first voyage through the strait that bears his name was certainly an historic journey. Lucky for us, today's travelers can re-create this South America voyage on a number of cruise ships, without having to face the challenges of the first European explorers.

I flew to Buenos Aires for a 16-day cruise on the small luxury ship the Silver Whisper. We cruised south along the Atlantic coast of South America and passed through the Strait of Magellan before heading north along the coast of Chile to Valparaiso. Having sailed around the tip of Africa on the Silver Wind, it was only fitting to have another marvelous Silversea experience around the tip of South America.

This South America cruise itinerary visited only a few places that are familiar to most North American or European cruise travelers. Much of our time ashore was spent exploring frontier towns, viewing wildlife, or touring Patagonia and the Chilean fjords. I can't think of a better way to see the coastline of Argentina and Chile than from a ship.
Find a Silversea Cruise Using Kayak

In addition to seven sea days, our Silver Whisper cruise included the following ports of call:

• Buenos Aires
• Montevideo
• Punta del Este
• Puerto Madryn
• Punta Arenas
• Laguna San Rafael
• Puerto Chacabuco
• Puerto Montt
• Valparaiso
• Santiago

The Silver Whisper had also planned to visit Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands, but bad weather kept the captain from launching the tenders, and we never got ashore.

Join me on a cruise on the Silver Whisper.

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