Fjords of Tierra del Fuego

Your Patagonia fjords cruise departs from Punta Arenas where you will arrive independently and make your way to the port for embarkation which will begin around 6pm. After settling in to your comfortable cabin, you can join your crew and fellow expeditioners for an introduction and your first fantastic dinner on board. As we set sail for one of the most remote corners of the planet, overnight we will sail across the Strait of Magellan and enter the labyrinth of channels that define the southern extreme of Patagonia, and enter the Whiteside Canal between Darwin Island and Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego.

Your first adventure will see you enjoy a memorable navigation through the Admiralty Sound (Seno Almirantazgo), which is an incredibly picturesque offshoot of the Strait of Magellan that stretches nearly halfway across Tierra del Fuego. As well as onboard navigation, we will take to the Zodiacs for the first of many excursions. Whilst Zodiac cruising you will be surrounded by incredible scenery on all sides; the snowcapped peaks of Karukinka Natural Park to the north, and the deep fjords and broad bays of Alberto de Agostini National Park to the south. Our Zodiacs will then bring us ashore at Ainsworth Bay where we will be on the lookout for the colony of southern elephant seals that is often spotted here along with copious bird life. There will be two onshore excursions offered this morning, one to a waterfall tucked deep inside a pristine sub-polar forest and one which is a strenuous hike along the crest of a glacial moraine. Whichever excursion you choose, you will be rewarded with wonderful views of the Darwin Mountains and Marinelli Glacier.

In the afternoon we will then make our way to the Tucker Islets where a Zodiac cruise will take us up-close to a colony of more than 4,000 Magellanic penguins who reside here alongside dolphin gulls, oystercatchers, Chilean skuas, eagles, king cormorants, kelp geese and even the occasional Andean condor.

Please note: In September and April the penguins are not found at the Tucker Islets so this excursion will be replaced by a glacier trekking expedition in Brookes Bay.

Today it’s time for one of the highlights of any Tierra del Fuego cruise as we enter the beautiful Pia Fjord and board the Zodiacs for an unforgettable Pia Glacier tour. As we get closer to the glacier, we will disembark the Zodiacs to take a short hike that will reward in incredible panoramic views of this spectacular natural phenomenon. A more strenuous hike up a lateral moraine of the glacier will also be available.

After a thoroughly enjoyable morning at the Pia Glacier, we will get back onboard the ship to continue east along the Beagle Channel and through Glacier Alley which is home to some truly impressive tidewater glaciers which flow down from the Darwin Mountains and Darwin Ice Sheet.

This morning will see us cruise across Nassau Bay and into the remote archipelago that includes Cape Horn National Park which was declared a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2005. Here we will hope to, weather permitting, Zodiac to the shore to enjoy an exploration of the area including its remote walking trails, the lighthouse, its tiny Stella Maris Chapel and of course the famous Cape Horn Monument. Cape Horn is a legendary spot and visiting here to soak up the incredible landscape is a very special opportunity.

Having enjoyed a great exploration of Cape Horn we will set sail for our final adventure, the historic Wulaia Bay where we will drop anchor and head ashore to learn more about how this area was once the site of one of the region’s largest Yámana aboriginal settlements. Visited by Charles Darwin and sketched by Captain FitzRoy in the 1830s, the area also has an interesting past in regards to exploration. Onshore we will visit the museum in the old radio station and there will be a choice of 3 hikes of varying difficulty.

Your itinerary concludes in Ushuaia, Argentina, the world’s southernmost city. Disembarkation will begin early in the morning and you may wish to spend some time exploring the city before your onward or homeward journey.