Kimberley Expedition Cruise Review 1/8
Watch the full review on YouTube by clicking here.
I have to start by saying that I will never take travelling or cruising for granted, especially after living through the lockdowns and cruise bans. But, I have been yearning to expand my cruising horizons and just a few months ago, I didn’t have any cruises planned until my group cruise this December. I wasn’t sure what exactly I wanted to do, I tossed around the idea of travelling overseas but, as I’m sure other Aussies will especially appreciate, travelling overseas and to Europe in particular is a lengthy and expensive trip and once there, the list of places to see and things to do is almost endless.
So, looking closer to home but still for something different, I discovered one of Australia’s most incredible and possibly under-appreciated cruise destinations - The Kimberley.
This amazing part of Australia is gigantic, desolate, spectacular and truly a bucket list destination. In total, the Kimberley covers a land size that’s 3 times the size of the United Kingdom, or about the same size as the state of California. In a country that is already so sparsely populated, the entire Kimberley region has a permanent population of around 30,000 people. Imagine 10,000 people living in the UK and that gives you an idea of just how isolated this part of the world is. A significant portion of the Kimberley coastline doesn’t have road access, meaning air or sea are the only ways to get there.
Although big cruise ships do sail past the Kimberley and offer a day of scenic cruising, this cruise is a little different. I’m embarking on my first ever expedition cruise and there’s going to be a few differences.
For one, the ship I’m sailing on has a maximum passenger capacity of just 144. Silver Explorer is a 6000 gross tonne, ice-rated ship that forms part of Silversea’s expedition fleet, but at the end of her current cruise season, she will begin operations with French line, Exploris. There are a range of cruise lines that operate expeditions through the Kimberley region, including Silversea, Coral Expeditions, Ponant, Llindblad and others. What really separates an expedition from a normal cruise is how you access the landscape around you and the people you do that with.
The Expedition Team is made up of various field experts with unrivalled knowledge of the local landscapes, flora and fauna. Throughout the cruise, the Expedition team will prepare everyone for the next day’s adventures with destination briefings, plus provide recaps and opportunities for passengers to ask questions. Accessing the landscape is not by tender, but by Zodiac. There are 14 onboard Silver Explorer, and each one allows passengers to access the land where there are no docks or jetties to be seen.
Sea-spray-filled zodiac rides and hikes through the Australian landscape will be juxtaposed with an onboard experience that promises to be 6 star. Each suite comes with the service of a butler, all meals are included, as well as beverages including alcohol and with so few travellers onboard, there’s a crew to passenger ratio of close to 1:1.
The very nature of an expedition cruise means that the itinerary can be modified on the fly, and the time of arrival and departure in any one location is often guided by tidal forces which particularly in the Kimberley can have a huge impact on the delivery of experiences off the ship. I think that’s what I am most excited for!