The fjords of Patagonia are among the most beautiful and untouched regions on our planet. To the west, the Pacific. To the east, the Andes mountain range rises as a continuous wall, battered almost year-round by the most relentless drizzle on Earth. This region is a labyrinth of islets and dead-end channels, navigated by boat to witness nature's most majestic spectacle.
Day 1: Punta Arenas - Embarkation
Embarkation in the late afternoon. Welcome cocktail and introduction of the Captain and crew. The ship will then weigh anchor, bound for the far south. Passing through the legendary Strait of Magellan and the Beagle Channel, you will journey across Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego.
Day 2: Australis Cruise: Ainsworth Bay / Tuckers Islets
At first light, we will sail into Almirantazgo Sound to approach the Marinelli Glacier in Ainsworth Bay. We will learn how life re-established itself after the ice melted. An excursion will take us to a beaver dam and the magnificent surrounding subantarctic Magellanic forest. On the beach or the island, we will attempt to observe a colony of elephant seals. We cannot guarantee a sighting, as the exact location of the colony is unpredictable. After lunch, we will resume our course toward the Tuckers Islets, where, aboard Zodiacs, we will observe Magellanic penguins and cormorants.
* In September and April, this excursion is replaced by a walk near a glacier in Brookes Bay.
Day 3: Australis Cruise: Pia Glacier / Glacier Alley
We will sail along the northwest arm of the Beagle Channel to enter and land in Pía Fjord. An excursion will take us to a viewpoint from which you can observe the glacier of the same name, its main tongue stretching from the high mountain range down to the ocean. After this unforgettable experience, we will continue our course beneath the majestic sight of “Glacier Alley”.
Day 4: Australis Cruise: Cape Horn / Wulaia Bay
We will sail through Murray Channel before landing at Wulaia Bay, a historic site that was once one of the largest indigenous settlements of the Yámana canoe people. Charles Darwin landed here in 1833 during his voyage aboard the HMS Beagle. This site offers a visually striking display of vegetation and geography. We will walk through the Magellanic forest, where lenga (Tierra del Fuego beech), coigüe, winter's bark and ferns grow among other species, to reach a viewpoint. In the afternoon, we will sail to the far south, passing through Nassau Bay to reach Cape Horn National Park, where we will land if weather conditions permit. The legendary Cape Horn was discovered in 1616; it is a nearly vertical rocky promontory 425 meters high. For years it was a major shipping route for sailing vessels between the Pacific and the Atlantic. Known as the end of the world, it was declared a World Biosphere Reserve in 2005.
Day 5: Australis Cruise: Wulaia Bay / Ushuaia
Arrival in Ushuaia, the largest Argentine city in Tierra del Fuego and the southernmost city in the world.
Disembarkation early in the day.
