Patagonia Cruising Adventure: Chile and Argentina

Board the 132-passenger Mare Australis at 5:00 p.m. After enjoying a “welcome” cocktail, the ship will depart for the Strait of Magellan and our cruise adventure!

Continue navigating through the Patagonia channels and around Tierra del Fuego. Bounded by the Strait of Magellan to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and a maze of channels and islands on the other two sides, Tierra del Fuego was still terra incognita three and a half centuries after its discovery in 1520. The smoke that Magellan saw of fires lit by the natives on the seashore prompted him to name the land Tierra del Humo (Land of Smoke), but King Charles V of Spain decided there could be no smoke without fire and rechristened it Tierra del Fuego, or Land of Fire.

We’ll navigate through Almirantazgo Fjord to Ainsworth Bay, from where we can see the enormous ice giant of the Marinelli Glacier standing more than 40 meters high. Disembark to visit a colony of elephant seals and take a walk through quiet trails in the native woods to a beaver dam. The Australis Cruises Expedition Group will give us a brief talk about the ecosystem and geography. Later in the afternoon we’ll stop at the bay of the Brookes Glacier for a hike near the glacier. Back on board the ship, we’ll continue cruising, with possibilities of sighting dolphins and colonies of cormorants, seals, and sea lions.

We continue our voyage, winding around various fjords and coming out nearly to the ocean, before heading into the inner fjords again. We’ll disembark at the Pia Glacier on the northwest arm of the Beagle Channel and take a walk to an observation point that offers excellent conditions to view the Darwin Range, where the glacier originates, and its progress as it gradually runs down into the waters of Pia Bay. Here we will listen to the thunderous noises caused by the large masses of ice cracking and dropping into the bay. Next we’ll navigate through the Beagle Channel and appreciate the spectacular “Glacier Avenue,” with its impressive array of glaciers lined up one after another.

We navigate through the Beagle and Murray Channels and disembark at Cape Horn National Park, weather permitting. Cape Horn, an island featuring 1,500-foot-high cliffs, was discovered on January 30, 1616, by a Dutch commercial expedition organized by Isaac LeMaire and under the command of Captain Wilhem Schouten. The Cape owes its name to the Port of Hoorn from where the expedition departed on June 14, 1615. We will visit Horn Island to get a panoramic view of the famous and mythical Cape Horn, the place where the Pacific and Atlantic oceans merge and the last promontory of South America. 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 region’s largest aboriginal settlements. This area is also renowned for the mesmerizing beauty of its vegetation and geography, and we’ll walk through a Magellanic forest of lengas, coigüesc Canelos, ferns, and other native vegetation to reach a lookout point.

Full day excursion to Perito Moreno Glacier, a very active glacier on the south arm of Lago Argentino. We’ll watch as its awesome 100-foot-high headwall continually calves massive blocks of ice into the lake with a thunderous roar. Depending on the weather, we can also take an optional walk on the glacier itself, an outstanding but easy glacier hike among the great ice peaks and towers. Picnic lunch. Return to Calafate where we'll have dinner on our own - what do you want guys?

After an early breakfast we’ll drive about five hours across the pampas and along the northern end of Lago Viedma to the little town of El Chaltén, small town within Los Glaciares National Park. The views get better and better as we approach the stunning mountains and glaciers. We’ll stop for a picnic lunch en route. After checking into our hotel, there may be time for a short day hike.

Two days to enjoy the tremendous vistas of the spectacular peaks of Fitzroy (11,072') and Cerro Torre (10,280'), the masterpieces of Los Glaciares National Park. There are a variety of day hikes to suit all abilities, including Laguna Torre, the base camp of Cerro Torre climbs, situated on a beautiful glacial lake with the stunning monolith framed behind the lake; Laguna Capri and Laguna de los Tres, directly in front of Fitzroy; Piedras Blancas and Laguna Sucia, which boast large glaciers calving into beautiful alpine lakes with Fitzroy as a backdrop; Piedras del Friale, looking towards the north face of Fitzroy and the east entrance to the famous Patagonia Ice Cap. Where we hike is weather dependent, but with all these great options, we can’t miss!

Drive across the border into Chile and proceed to Torres del Paine National Park. Picnic lunch en route.

2 days of day hikes among the ice-clad peaks and granite needles of the Torres del Paine (10,000')—5,000 feet of near-vertical granite rising from rolling grasslands and beautiful lakes. Hikes are dependent on the weather, abilities, and interests of the group, but possibilities include a hike into the French Valley, one of the most spectacular cirques in the Paine Range, or to the face of the Grey Glacier, where we can observe icebergs calving into Lago Grey—a truly spectacular experience. Other possibilities include visits to Salto Grande and Salto Chico (waterfalls) or to Las Torres, the famous “Towers of Paine.”

Drive about six or seven hours to Punta Arenas, stopping at the fishing and mining town of Puerto Natales situated on the shores of Seno Ultima Esperanza (Last Hope Sound) for a visit to the traditional Estancio Río Verde. Continue to Punta Arenas. Farewell dinner with the group.

Weather permitting, we’ll visit the penguin rookery about 60 miles from Punta Arenas. Afternoon transfer to the airport for departure on homeward-bound flight via Santiago.

Are you ready to go? I don't know if I will be!