Australis Glaciers at the Edge of the World

Patagonian Cruise

About

This is a specially-created Australis Patagonia cruise that starts from Punta Arenas, navigates the channels and fiords of Southern Patagonia, including Cape Horn (weather permitting) before returning to Punta arenas port and lasting longer than usual, is 5 nights.

Apart from this being an excellent trip on its own, Australis has also teamed up with luxury Torres del Paine Lodge Tierra Patagonia and together they offer a Patagonia Land and Sea 9-night program with a 20% discount off the usual cost.

If you have ever wanted to get the best out of Patagonia and make your money go further then this is the moment. Experience Chile will also ADD a free night in Santiago, Puerto Natales or Punta Arenas to make things even better.

NOTE: The VIDEO below is not of this specific itinerary, but it will show you the area in general and some of the route of this trip. Also, the route map shown below is NOT of this itinerary, but it does cover most of the points of visit.

*Fleet: There are two ships, one is called the Stella Australis and the other is called the Ventus Australis.

 

Australis Glaciers at the Edge of the World Itinerary

Day 1 Punta Arenas

The starting point of the expedition cruise is the port city of Punta Arenas. Passengers will board from 16:15hrs, whereupon the first evening will be on board the vessel. Once everyone is aboard the ship will set sail and there will be a dinner and introductory lecture to get to know the captain, his crew and what the expedition team has planned.

Day 2 Pia Glacier – Glacier Alley

After sunrise the ship will enter the Pia Fjord. Moreover, there will be an opportunity to board the Zodiacs for a shore excursion to the Pia Glacier. After disembarking there is a short uphill hike in order to gain a panoramic view of the spectacular glacier, which extends from the mountaintops down to the sea. Alternatively, for those who prefer a different route, there is a longer, but more difficult walk up a lateral moraine of the old Pia Glacier. Once everyone is back onboard the Australis, we continue east along the Beagle Channel through an area called Glacier Alley. Certainly living up to its name, this passage features a number of impressive, tidewater glaciers, that flow down from the north side of the Darwin Ice Sheet.

Day 3 Cape Horn – Wulaia Bay

During the early morning, the ship will be cruising across Nassau Bay into the remote archipelago that includes the Cape Horn National Park. Weather and sea conditions permitting, we shall go ashore the windswept island that harbors legendary Cape Horn (Cabo de Hornos). To explain, Cape Horn was discovered in 1616 by a Dutch maritime expedition – and named after the town of Hoorn in West Friesl and then translated into English, whereupon it became known as “Cape Horn”. To clarify, Cape Horn is actually a solitary island with 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 Pacifc and Atlantic, and was often referred to as the “end of the Earth”.  Cape Horn Park was declared a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2005.

The ship will sail back across Nassau Bay, and anchor at the fabled Wulaia Bay, one of the few places in the archipelago where human history is just as compelling as the natural environment. Originally the site of one of the region’s largest Yamana aboriginal settlements. The bay was described by Charles Darwin, and sketched by Captain FitzRoy, in the 1830s during their voyages on the HMS Beagle.

Day 4 Aguila Glacier

Early in the morning, we will sail through the Cockburn Channel and enter Agostini Sound. From there it is possible to see the glaciers that descend from the middle of the Darwin Mountain Range – some of them reaching the water. This morning, we will disembark and go for an easy walk around a lagoon, which was formed by the melting of the Aguila Glacier. We will reach a spot right in front of that glacier with stunning views.

Day 5 Parry Fjord – Ainsworth Bay

At dawn we will navigate Parry Fjord. From this area it will be possible to appreciate various glaciers that come down to the sea from the upper icefield. Onboard Zodiac boats, we will motor to the far end of the fjord to see an amphitheater of glaciers in an area where sometimes it is possible to see leopard seals. In the afternoon, we will navigate our way through Almirantazgo Sound, arriving at Ainsworth Bay which is sited within Alberto De Agostini National Park. It’s the perfect spot from which to see the Marinelli Glacier descending from Darwin Mountain Range in the distance; and to appreciate how the land returns to life after glacial retreat. We will also take a walk to a beaver dam in the stunning sub-polar Magellan Forest.

Day 5 Magdalena Island – Punta Arenas

After an overnight cruise through Magdalena Channel and back into the Strait of Magellan, we anchor off Magdalena Island, which lies about halfway between Tierra del Fuego and the Chilean mainland. Crowned by a distinctive lighthouse, the island used to be an essential source of supplies for navigators and explorers and is inhabited by an immense colony of Magellan penguins. At the break of dawn, weather permitting, we go ashore and hike a path that leads through thousands of penguins to a small museum lodged inside the vintage 1902 lighthouse. Many other bird species are also found on the island. After a short cruise south along the strait, disembarkation at Punta Arenas is scheduled for around 12:15 PM​