Reiseverlauf

Reiseverlauf abhängig von Wetter- und Eislage. Beschriebene Naturerlebnisse / Tiersichtungen sind mögliche Ereignisse auf den Expeditionen und nicht garantiert.

• Tag 1

  Papeete (Tahiti)
  Fr., 10. Oktober
  Ankunft 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 onward exploration of Tahiti – an island of breathtaking landscapes and oceanic vistas. A wonderful lagoon of crisp clear water begs to be snorkelled 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.

• Tag 2

  Rangiroa
  Sa., 11. Oktober
  Ankunft 10:30
  
  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.

• Tag 3

  Day at sea
  So., 12. Oktober
  Ankunft 00:00
  
  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 shore side.

• Tag 4

  Hatiheu, Nuku Hiva
  Mo., 13. Oktober
  Ankunft 12:00
  
  Shrink before stadium-sized bays of deep water and folded valleys clad with dense green jungle, on arrival in Hatiheu. You’ll be warmly welcomed to this raw and ravishing island of natural beauty, legend and awe-inspiring views. Nuku Hiva is the largest of the Marquesas Islands, which are strung across a blissfully blue Indian Ocean. Remote and wonderful, you can find waterfalls tumbling from cliffs, volleyball-sized breadfruit clustering in trees, and incredible sacrificial sites and petroglyphs. Explore to see cinematic views of sprawling bays unravelling, while on breathtaking mountain hikes and drives. Or take it easy, strolling by the water and watching yachts mingling in the turquoise seas, as sharks circle for offcuts tossed by fishermen. Wild horses trot tight streets, and pigs shuffle through the undergrowth, clambering up and down dense mountainsides. Journey south to see the Tiki Tuhiva carving watching out over rich-blue waves. The gigantic statue is a proud example of the island’s resurgent culture, which was almost extinguished by European colonists. Take the chance to duck out of the afternoon sun into the stone-walled shelter of Notre Dame Cathedral, which is decorated with carved sculptures and soaring wooden eaves. The church’s crooked towers rise incongruously from the rainforest’s tangle - follow the ethereal sounds of choral singing to find it. Nuku Hiva’s ceremonial sites, crafts and stone statues add further layers of intrigue to this magical Pacific island.

• Tag 5

  Omoa, Fatu Hiva
  Di., 14. Oktober
  Ankunft 06:30
  
  Ridges and cliffs form the beautiful, rocky Fatu Hiva, the southernmost of the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia. The half-moon-shaped Omoa Bay encircles the village of Omoa, where about 250 people reside near the island’s main church. They make tapa cloth in a traditional way with beaten bark decorated in inked traditional Polynesian designs. The island is covered in lush jungle vegetation that is divided in some places by narrow ravines marked by sharply dropping cliffs. The ruggedly beautiful Bay of the Virgins, appears as if its palm tree-lined, jutting rocky ridges were carved by some great hand into stone sculptures

• Tag 5

  Hanavave, Fatu Hiva
  Di., 14. Oktober
  Ankunft 14:00
  
  Situated in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, Fatu Hiva is the most isolated island of the most isolated archipelago on the planet. Sometimes called the ‘island at the edge of the world’, Fatu Hiva is also the greenest, wildest and most mountainous island of the Marquesas. And what mountains! The island’s dramatic cliffs and lush valleys, illuminates the extraordinary Polyenian countryside, will give you the impression of being in a Paul Gauguin painting. On your arriving in this tropical paradise, you’ll be welcomed with the traditional welcome to the Marquesas Islands, ‘Mave Mai’, involving ancestral dances. Let yourself be carried away by the Haka rhythm before discovering the charming village of Hanavave. After strolling among the village’s picturesque

• Tag 6

  Tahuata, Marquesas Islands
  Mi., 15. Oktober
  Ankunft 06:30
  
  If you’re looking for a perfect incarnation of Polynesia’s unparalleled beauty, you just found it. Discover mesmerising Tahuata and unveil all its secrets. Part of the Marquesas, this is the tiniest inhabited island of the archipelago, with only 700 inhabitants. This croissant-shaped piece of land was discovered in 1595 by Spanish navigator Alvaro de Mendana de Neira and has been a dreamy destination for many travellers since. Indeed, its spectacular and idyllic scenery, made of contrasts between impressive mountains and sandy beaches, would inspire every poet – and not only! How can’t you be impressed admiring Meae Ufa, a 3181-feet volcano and the stunning twin bays Ivaiva Nui and Ivaiva Iti? The island is also nicknamed ‘Monoi Island’ thanks to the great quality of its tiaré oil, heritage of traditions and secrets orally transmitted generation to generation. Tahuata has a huge reputation across French Polynesia for another savoir-faire, its rich craftsmanship. The craftsmen excel at carving beautiful pieces, spears, puzzles, dishes they produce on bone or rosewood. These unique creations are exhibited in the craft centre of the pretty village of Hapatoni and in the Vaitahu Town Hall Museum. Very close to one another (15-min boat ride or 30-min walk), these two tiny villages are absolutely worth a visit with their charming mixt of Polynesian and European atmosphere. And don’t forget to have a swim at Hana Moenoa beach, the island’s most beautiful one. Maybe you’ll come across sea turtles in its crystal-clear waters.

• Tag 6

  Atuona - Hiva Oa, Marquesas Island
  Mi., 15. Oktober
  Ankunft 13:30
  
  The largest of the southern islands Hiva Oa the master pillar or finial 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 whose 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 last 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.

• Tag 7

  Day at sea
  Do., 16. Oktober
  Ankunft 00:00
  
  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 shore side.

• Tag 8

  Day at sea
  Fr., 17. Oktober
  Ankunft 00:00
  
  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 shore side.

• Tag 9

  Day at sea
  Sa., 18. Oktober
  Ankunft 00:00
  
  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 shore side.

• Tag 10

  Adamstown (Pitcairn Island)
  So., 19. Oktober
  Ankunft 08:30
  
  Home to the original mutineers of the Bounty, Adamstown’s is today the capital of all four Pitcairn Islands. The islands – the last British Overseas Territory in the Pacific – include the namesake Pitcairn Island itself, plus the uninhabited Oeno, Henderson and Ducie. Pitcairn is the archipelago’s only inhabited island, with the population of just 50 centred in Adamstown. It is no surprise that the nine mutineers along with six Tahitian men, 12 Tahitian women and one child stopped on Pitcairn in 1790; with its sloped and varied landscape, lush tropical promise and equidistant location between Peru and New Zealand, Pitcairn would have seemed an ideal hiding spot for the mutineers to settle. The ship was burnt to avoid detection (the ballast stone remains of the wreck in Bounty Bay). However, the ideal bucolic life that mutineer leader Fletcher Christian had envisaged was not to be. Poor treatment of the Tahitian men led to alcoholism, chaos and carnage and by 1800 only John Adams – who had recently discovered Christianity – remained. Adams taught the women and children to read and write from the bible. The capital is named after him.Not only had the island been misplaced on early maps of the region, but it can also be very difficult to come ashore as large breakers tend to build up just in front of the small harbour of Bounty Bay. The local museum houses the HMS Bounty Bible, the same bible that Adams taught the women and children to read and write from in the early 19th century.

• Tag 11

  Adamstown (Pitcairn Island)
  Mo., 20. Oktober
  Ankunft 00:00
  
  Home to the original mutineers of the Bounty, Adamstown’s is today the capital of all four Pitcairn Islands. The islands – the last British Overseas Territory in the Pacific – include the namesake Pitcairn Island itself, plus the uninhabited Oeno, Henderson and Ducie. Pitcairn is the archipelago’s only inhabited island, with the population of just 50 centred in Adamstown. It is no surprise that the nine mutineers along with six Tahitian men, 12 Tahitian women and one child stopped on Pitcairn in 1790; with its sloped and varied landscape, lush tropical promise and equidistant location between Peru and New Zealand, Pitcairn would have seemed an ideal hiding spot for the mutineers to settle. The ship was burnt to avoid detection (the ballast stone remains of the wreck in Bounty Bay). However, the ideal bucolic life that mutineer leader Fletcher Christian had envisaged was not to be. Poor treatment of the Tahitian men led to alcoholism, chaos and carnage and by 1800 only John Adams – who had recently discovered Christianity – remained. Adams taught the women and children to read and write from the bible. The capital is named after him.Not only had the island been misplaced on early maps of the region, but it can also be very difficult to come ashore as large breakers tend to build up just in front of the small harbour of Bounty Bay. The local museum houses the HMS Bounty Bible, the same bible that Adams taught the women and children to read and write from in the early 19th century.

• Tag 12

  Day at sea
  Di., 21. Oktober
  Ankunft 00:00
  
  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 shore side.

• Tag 13

  Day at sea
  Mi., 22. Oktober
  Ankunft 00:00
  
  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 shore side.

• Tag 14

  Day at sea
  Do., 23. Oktober
  Ankunft 00:00
  
  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 shore side.

• Tag 15

  Easter Island
  Fr., 24. Oktober
  Ankunft 13:00
  
  Easter Island, the easternmost settled island of Polynesia, received its European name in 1722 when the island was seen 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 grassland, eucalyptus forest 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 which 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 has been 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 US Air Force set up a base to record 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.

• Tag 16

  Easter Island
  Sa., 25. Oktober
  Ankunft 00:00
  
  Easter Island, the easternmost settled island of Polynesia, received its European name in 1722 when the island was seen 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 grassland, eucalyptus forest 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 which 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 has been 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 US Air Force set up a base to record 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.

• Tag 17

  Day at sea
  So., 26. Oktober
  Ankunft 00:00
  
  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 shore side.

• Tag 18

  Day at sea
  Mo., 27. Oktober
  Ankunft 00:00
  
  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 shore side.

• Tag 19

  Day at sea
  Di., 28. Oktober
  Ankunft 00:00
  
  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 shore side.

• Tag 20

  Day at sea
  Mi., 29. Oktober
  Ankunft 00:00
  
  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 shore side.

• Tag 21

  Alexander Selkirk Island
  Do., 30. Oktober
  Ankunft 14:30
  
  Think of Daniel Defoe's classic novel Robinson Crusoe and you will be picturing an intrepid castaway, marooned on a paradisiacal island. That image might be ideal for movie lovers, but the actual inspiration for Robinson Crusoe was a salty Scottish seadog who went by the name of Alexander Selkirk. Selkirk was marooned in Chile's Juan Fernandez archipelago for four years and four months, rescued by a British private warship. Despite Selkirk's slightly chequered past, he was greeted as a celebrity upon his return to England. His adventures were given a gloss and immortalised in the much loved 18th century classic.Alejandro Selkirk Island is located 165 kilometres west of the other islands in the archipelago, for a surface area of just under 50 m2. The island was renamed from its Spanish name Isla Más Afuera in 1966 by the Chilean government in homage to the sailor. The topography is very different form the Caribbean dream that Defoe writes about, think dense woodland, rugged coast and peaks, shrouded (more often than not) in cloud. Sandy beaches can be found to the north of the island.Throughout much of its history, the island has been uninhabited, although there is a former penal settlement on the middle of the east coast, which operated from 1909 to 1930. During the summer months, Selkirk welcomes a small community of lobster fishermen and their families who come from Robinson Crusoe. As part of the Chilean National Park, it also holds the UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve title.

• Tag 22

  Robinson Crusoe Island
  Fr., 31. Oktober
  Ankunft 07:30
  
  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 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.

• Tag 23

  Day at sea
  Sa., 1. November
  Ankunft 00:00
  
  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 shore side.

• Tag 24

  Valparaiso
  So., 2. November
  Ankunft 07:00
  
  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 colourful clifftop homes to the mix and you'll soon see why Valpariaso is many people's favourite 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 levelled 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.