Silver Nova in Kuşadası: choosing a morning or late-afternoon ride
Silver Nova arrives in Kuşadası at 08:00 and does not leave until 23:00. The port schedule as of early October 2026 shows 13 calls over the next 12 months, and not one of them breaks that pattern. For a safari, that is about as simple as it gets. Both of our sessions fit every date, so the question is not whether you can ride but when you would rather do it.
Silver Nova is a Nova-class ship from Silversea Cruises. She entered service in 2023 and carries 728 guests by Silversea's own figure. The dates and the latest times for each call are on the Silver Nova planner page. This post is about shaping the day around them.
Three calls this autumn, ten next summer
The first stretch comes soon: Friday 9 October, Friday 16 October and Wednesday 28 October 2026. Then there is a gap until Thursday 20 May 2027, after which the calls run through June and July. There is one in August, and the run ends with two Fridays, 10 and 17 September 2027. Fridays turn up more often than any other day, five times in all, but there are also Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, a Saturday and a Monday.
The hours are the same whichever day you land on, so the plans below work for all 13 calls.
Ride first, free afternoon after
If you like having the active part of the day behind you, the morning session is the one.
You have just over two hours between arrival at 08:00 and our 10:10 meeting time. That is plenty to get ashore without hurrying. We meet at the Kervansaray meeting point (The Big Ottoman Palace), about 50 m from the cruise port exit (map). The drive out to the trails behind Pamucak beach takes about 15 minutes. The ride starts at 11:00 and lasts about 2 hours through the pine forest, including a 30-minute break at Pamucak beach. You are back at the port between 13:45 and 14:15.
After that, Silver Nova still has almost nine hours before she sails. You could have a long lunch, spend the afternoon in Kuşadası or rest on board and head out again in the evening.
Free morning, ride before dinner
If you would rather start gently, take the afternoon session. Meet us at the same spot at 15:10. The ride starts at 16:00 and you are back at the port between 18:45 and 19:15.
With a 23:00 departure, that still leaves about four hours. Our rule is that you must be back at least 60 minutes before the ship leaves, and here you clear it easily. Do check the all-aboard time in your daily programme, as it is usually earlier than the departure time. On these dates it would still have to be very early to cause a problem.
How the two sessions compare
| 11:00 session | 16:00 session | |
|---|---|---|
| Meet at Kervansaray | 10:10 | 15:10 |
| Back at the port | 13:45–14:15 | 18:45–19:15 |
| Time left before 23:00 | about 9 hours | about 4 hours |
Neither is the "right" answer. It comes down to whether you want your free hours before the ride or after it.
Horse, quad or buggy
For a quieter outing, the horse safari is the one we would point you to first. It suits beginners and is open to ages 8 and over, with children accompanied by an experienced companion. It goes out as a small group led by a riding guide, and helmets are provided. Swimming at the beach stop depends on the season. If you would rather drive, the quad safari and buggy safari need no licence. Drivers must be 16 or over, and there are single and double vehicles. Everyone wears a helmet and goggles, hears a safety briefing and follows the guide in convoy. Children under about 2 cannot ride on the quads or buggies.
Reserving a session
Open the cruise day planner, choose Silver Nova and your date, and it will show both sessions as fitting and fill in the form for you. Pick 11:00 or 16:00 according to how you want the day to run. If you already know what you want, the reservation page works just as well.
Cruise schedules do move, and a change of departure time would change the picture for the afternoon ride in particular. Before you book, check the full list of Silver Nova calls and port hours, which always shows the current times.