Patagonia Cruise

Categories Winter & Spring Cruises Small Ship Cruises Patagonia Cruises South America Travel

During the cruise, there will be daily inland tours lasting approximately two hours. These tours are organized and managed by the Mare Australis Expedition Group and consist of walks through trails in the native forest and visits to glaciers. The tours include talks on the flora and fauna of the area. A delicious whisky with the millenary ice, or a cup of hot chocolate will be served at the end of the excursions.

During the cruise there will be interesting lectures on the wildlife, history and geography of this legendary region given by the Mare Australis and Via Australis Expedition Group. The lectures will take place both on board (with audio-visual support) and on land.

Itinerary

Check in at San Martín 245, Ushuaia, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Cruise ship boarding from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Captain and crew give a welcome cocktail reception on board. Immediately afterward, the ship departs for the uttermost part of the earth. Our excursion will take us through Beagle Channel and the Strait of Magellan to explore one of the most captivating wilderness regions in the world: Southern Patagonia, and Tierra del Fuego. We have just embarked on a Great Adventure!

We sail through Beagle and Murray channels to reach and disembark in Cape Horn National Park (weather permitting). Cape Horn, on Hornos Island, is a sheer, 425-meter (1,394-foot) high rocky promontory at the point where the Atlantic and Pacific oceans merge. This mythical place is known as the End of the Earth; a visit is a singular privilege. The park was declared a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in June 2005.

In the afternoon, we go ashore in historic Wulaia Bay, once the site of one of the regions largest aboriginal settlements. This area is also renowned for the mesmerizing beauty of its vegetation and geography. We walk through a Magellanic forest of Lengas, Coigües, Canelos, ferns and other native vegetation to reach a lookout point.

In the afternoon, we view awe-inspiring Gunther Plüschow Glacier, named after the regions pioneering German aviator. Then we sail to Chico Sound, where we disembark in Zodiacs to observe majestic Piloto and Nena glaciers.

Early in the morning, we go ashore on Magdalena Island, the home of an immense colony of more than 120,000 Magellanic Penguins that we can watch during our walk to a lighthouse, which guides ships on their way through the Strait of Magellan. The islands penguins migrate in April; as a replacement we visit Marta Island, to observe a sea lion colony. After our visit, we sail to Punta Arenas, disembarking at 11:30 a.m.

Notes