23-Day World Cruise: South Pacific Explorer

Callao, Peru, delivers South America's irresistible combination of dramatic landscapes, vibrant culture, and extraordinary biodiversity. Essential experiences include exploring local markets, tasting the distinctive regional cuisine, and venturing into the surrounding natural environments. Best visited May through September, when drier conditions prevail and temperatures remain pleasant. Cruise lines including Cunard feature this port on their most compelling itineraries. Whether you have a few hours or a full day, the port rewards exploration at every pace and in every direction.

General San Martín, in Peru's Paracas region, is the gateway to the wildlife-rich Islas Ballestas, the dramatic Paracas National Reserve, and the pisco bodegas of the Ica Valley where Peru's celebrated grape brandy originates. Must-dos include boat tours among sea lions and Humboldt penguins, viewing the mysterious Candelabra geoglyph, and tasting fresh ceviche with artisanal pisco. The Southern Hemisphere summer from December through March offers the best conditions.

Iquique, Chile, delivers South America's irresistible combination of dramatic landscapes, vibrant culture, and extraordinary biodiversity. Essential experiences include exploring local markets, tasting the distinctive regional cuisine, and venturing into the surrounding natural environments. Best visited May through September, when drier conditions prevail and temperatures remain pleasant. Cruise lines including Azamara feature this port on their most compelling itineraries. Whether you have a few hours or a full day, the port rewards exploration at every pace and in every direction.

Easter Island — Rapa Nui to its Polynesian people — stands as one of the most remote and compelling destinations on Earth, a volcanic outpost 3,700 kilometres from the nearest continental shore, its hillsides and coastline populated by nearly 900 monumental stone moai whose purpose and method of construction remain the subject of ongoing fascination. The UNESCO-listed Rapa Nui National Park encompasses the island's most significant archaeological sites, including the quarry of Rano Raraku and the ceremonial platform of Ahu Tongariki. November through April brings the warmest, driest conditions for exploring this extraordinary living testament to Polynesian civilisation.

Nuku Hiva is the largest Marquesas Island, a volcanic fortress of jagged peaks, hidden valleys, and ancient Polynesian ceremonial sites 1,400 kilometers northeast of Tahiti. Must-dos include visiting the stone tikis at Kamuihei, tasting poisson cru with just-caught tuna, and witnessing the island's revived tattooing traditions. May through October's dry season offers the clearest skies for exploring this dramatically remote corner of French Polynesia.

Hiva Oa in the Marquesas Islands is the remote Pacific island where Gauguin and Jacques Brel chose to spend their final years, drawn by volcanic landscapes of razor ridges and black-sand bays that remain among the most dramatic in Polynesia. Must-dos include the Calvaire Cemetery, the Puamau archaeological tiki, and tasting Marquesan goat stew with breadfruit. May through October's dry season offers the best conditions for exploring this extraordinarily isolated paradise.

Fakarava is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve atoll in French Polynesia's Tuamotu Archipelago, offering some of the world's most spectacular diving — including drift dives through shark-filled passes — and pristine pink-sand beaches. Must-dos include diving the Garuae "wall of sharks," visiting a black pearl farm, and stargazing from an uninhabited motu. April through November brings the driest weather, with June and July featuring the legendary grouper spawning.

Avatiu, Rarotonga, Cook Islands, epitomizes the Pacific island dream—pristine waters, vibrant coral reefs, and a Polynesian or Melanesian culture that welcomes visitors with authentic warmth. Essential experiences include snorkeling the surrounding reefs and participating in traditional community gatherings. Best visited May through September, when drier conditions prevail and temperatures remain pleasant. Cruise lines including Windstar Cruises feature this port on their most compelling itineraries. Whether you have a few hours or a full day, the port rewards exploration at every pace and in every direction.

Papeete is the spirited, slightly ragged capital of French Polynesia — not the languorous paradise of travel-poster imagination, but a working harbour city of fresh produce markets, baguette bakeries, and Tahitian outrigger canoe clubs that provides an authentic counterpoint to the pearl-still lagoons of Bora Bora and Moorea nearby. The daily Marché de Papeete is the city's essential experience, its stalls piling high with vanilla pods, monoi-scented oils, black pearls, and the most exuberant floral arrangements in the Pacific. Moorea, visible across the Sea of the Moon and just 30 minutes by fast ferry, offers a dramatically quieter alternative. The dry season, May through October, brings the finest weather.