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FJORDS OF TIERRA DEL FUEGO

  • 1
  • 5 Days
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Expedition Cruises in Patagonia

Australis

Australis is an expedition cruise company specialized in navigating through Patagonia.

  • Local time:02:11

FJORDS OF TIERRA DEL FUEGO

FJORDS OF TIERRA DEL FUEGO

Our tours follow the fjords of the southern edge of Tierra del Fuego, highlights the stunning natural beauty of Patagonia and several of its most important historical sites. Whether you are sailing aboard M/V Stella Australis, this four-day journey includes visits to wildlife rich Ainsworth Bay, massive Pia Glacier and Glacier Alley, as well as mystical Wulaia Bay and the legendary Cape Horn.

Punta Arenas

Check in at 1385 O'higgins Street (Arturo Prat Port) between 13:00 and 17:00. Board the M/V Stella Australis at 18:00 (6 PM). After a welcoming cocktail reception hosted by the captain and his crew, the ship departs for one of the remotest corners of planet Earth. During the night we cross the Strait of Magellan and enter the labyrinth of channels that define the southern extreme of Patagonian. The twinkling lights of Punta Arenas gradually fade into the distance as we enter the Whiteside Canal between Darwin Island and Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego. Read more

Punta Arenas

Tucker Islets

By dawn the ship is sailing up Admiralty Sound (Seno Almirantazgo), a spectacular offshoot of the Strait of Magellan that stretches nearly halfway across Tierra del Fuego. The snowcapped peaks of Karukinka Natural Park stretch along the north side of the sound, while the south shore is defined by the deep fjords and broad bays of Alberto de Agostini National Park. We go ashore at Ainsworth Bay, which harbors copious bird life and a colony of southern elephant seals which can sometimes be spotted from the Zodiacs. Two guided excursions are available: one is along the edge of a stream, peat bog and beaver habitat to a waterfall-and-moss-covered rock face tucked deep inside a pristine subpolar forest; the other is a more strenuous hike along the crest of a glacial moraine. Both afford views of Marinelli Glacier and the Darwin Mountains. Leaving Ainsworth Bay behind, we sail west along the sound to the Tucker Islets. After lunch, we board the Zodiacs again for a closeup view of the Magellan penguins that inhabit the tiny islands. More than 4,000 penguins use Tucker as a place to nest, give birth and nurture their chicks. Many other bird species also frequent the area including king cormorants, oystercatchers, Chilean skuas, kelp geese, dolphin gulls, eagles and even the occasional Andean condor. Read more

Pia Glacier & Glacier Alley

Overnight we sail around the western end of Tierra del Fuego via the very narrow Gabrial Channel, Magdalena Channel and Cockburn Channel. After rounding the remote Brecknock Peninsula, Stella Australis tacks eastward and enters the Beagle Channel again. By morning we are entering Pia Fjord and boarding the Zodiacs for a shore excursion to Pia Glacier. After disembarking we take a short hike to gain a panoramic view of the spectacular glacier, which extends from the mountaintops down to the sea or a longer much more difficult walk up a lateral moraine of the old Pia Glacier. No one knows for certain how the hulking mass of snow and ice got its feminine moniker, but one theory says it was named for Princess Maria Pia of Savoy (1847-1911), daughter of the Italian king. Back onboard the ship, we continue east along the Beagle Channel through an area called Glacier Alley. Living up to its name, the passage features a number of impressive tidewater glaciers flowing down from the Darwin Mountains and Darwin Ice Sheet on the north shore. Most of them named after European countries -- Holland, Italy, Germany, Spain and France. Read more

Wulaia Bay & Cape Horn

During the early morning we navigate the narrow Murray Channel between Navarino and Hoste islands and drop anchor at historic Wulaia Bay, one of the few places in the archipelago where the human history is just as compelling as the natural environment. Originally the site of one of the region’s largest Yámana aboriginal settlements, the bay was described by Charles Darwin and sketched by Captain FitzRoy in the 1830s during their voyages on the HMS Beagle. This area is also renowned for its mesmerizing beauty and dramatic geography. After a visit to the Australis-sponsored museum in the old radio station -- which is especially strong on the Yámana people and european missionaries in the area -- passengers have a choice of three hikes (of increasing degrees of difficulty) that ascend the heavily wooden mountain behind the bay. On all of these you will be strolling through an enchanted Magellan forest of lengas, coigües, canelos, ferns, and other endemic fauna to reach a panoramic viewpoint overlooking the bay. Before leaving Wulaia Bay, drop something into the wooden mail barrel inside the museum – letters or postcards meant to be hand delivered by future travelers – an ancient mariner tradition revived by Australis. In the afternoon we cruise across Nassau Bay into the remote archipelago that includes Cape Horn National Park. Weather and sea conditions permitting, we shall go ashore on the windswept island that harbors legendary Cape Horn (Cabo de Hornos). Discovered in 1616 by a Dutch maritime expedition -- and named after the town of Hoorn in West Friesland -- Cape Horn is a sheer 425-meter (1,394-foot) high rocky promontory overlooking the turbulent waters of the Drake Passage. For many years it was the only navigation route between the Pacific and Atlantic, and was often referred to as the "End of the Earth." The park was declared a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2005. The Chilean navy maintains a permanent lighthouse on the island, staffed by a lightkeeper and his family, as well as the tiny Stella Maris Chapel and modern Cape Horn Monument. Read more

Ushuaia

The following morning we sail into Argentine waters and dock in Ushuaia, the world's southernmost city. Stella Australis is scheduled to arrive at 8:30 AM.

ACCOMMODATIONS

Day in trip
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Hotel
Day 1
Location 2nd deck
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Location 3rd Deck
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Location 4th Deck

TRIP PACKAGE

Package includes

  • 4 nights expedition cruise
  • full board pension
  • every drinks (with and without alcohol)
  • daily excursions
  • On board activities

Package excludes

  • Transfers
  • Port taxes
  • Tips

More information

  • Port taxes are 50 USD per person
  • Tips are recommended 15 USD per person and per night

REVIEWS

7 Reviews

Amy Auth, United States

Takes you on a journey through one of the most beautiful places on earth. Phenomenal guides and staff, awesome excursions, terrific food and bar -- we couldn't be happier.

Gita Lakshminarayanan, United States

Had an awesome experience this past week. Did the Punta Arenas to Ushuaia 4-day cruise on Stella Australis and had a blast. All of the guides and crew members were extremely knowledgeable and accommodating (we were a party of 13). Shout out to Sara and Augustin who were always willing to answer questions or play a game with us to pass the time; to Rodrigo and Felipe for being great expedition guides; and of course, to Sandor who was the best camarero anyone could ever ask for. Read more

Chris Benz, United States

There were ~150 people on our Stella Australis cruise, we had generous sized births, and the crew provided spectacular food, beverage and tour guide service. The captain deviated from our route just so we could watch Minke whales, and we made at least one and sometimes two zodiac landings a day, accompanied by on board tour guides, to visit spectacular sites including landing and ascent of Cabo Hornus, stoping and hiking on a fjord island where FitzRoy and Darwin interacted with indigenous natives, and viewing up close massive glaciers by water and by foot, not to leave out the fascinating and amusing walk we took among Magellenic penguins. This was a wonderful and all-to-brief cruise. Read more

MORE REVIEWS

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Australis
7 Reviews
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THE TEAM

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Booking Executive

Elisabeth

Australis is an expedition cruise company specialized in navigating through Patagonia.

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  • Languages:English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese
  • Local time:02:11

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