Have questions? We're here.
Hotel Jose Nogueira, Punta Arenas

Patagonian Explorer: Ushuaia to Punta Arenas

Example 5 Day Cruise
Talk with an expert
Build your ideal Patagonia trip. Call 1.406.541.2677
Start Planning My Trip
Board the MV Via Australis for this 5-day itinerary through the fjords of stunning Patagonia. Begin in Ushuaia and make your way to Punta Arenas. Along the way, stop to view magnificent glaciers, unique wildlife, historic sites, and remote destinations in the far corners of the earth. The natural splendor of Patagonia is on full display as you travel on one of the industry’s most comfortable expedition cruise ships, designed to make your trip as pleasant and remarkable as possible through the Strait of Magellan and Beagle Channel.
The Cape Horn MemorialHikers stand looking at the view of Wulaia Bay.Penguins on Magdalena Island.Zodiac tours to see glaciers.Hotel Jose Nogueira, Punta Arenas
Highlights
  • Travel Patagonia along one of the world’s most iconic sea routes
  • Cruise along glaciers, fjords, wildlife colonies, and historic places
  • Journey through the Strait of Magellan and Beagle Channel
  • Relax on one of the industry’s most comfortable expedition cruise ships
Places Visited
Activity Level: Relaxed
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
0

Full Itinerary

Expand All

Day 1: Embark in Ushuaia, Argentina

  • 1 Dinner
Arrive in Ushuaia and board the Via Australis this evening. The captain and crew give a welcome cocktail reception on board, and afterwards the ship departs for the journey through one of the most captivating wilderness regions in the world. During the night traverse the Beagle Channel and cross from Argentine into Chilean territorial waters. The lights of Ushuaia disappear as the ship turns into the narrow Murray Channel between Navarino and Hoste islands.

Day 2: Cape Horn | Wulaia Bay

  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
By early morning, Via Australis is cruising across Nassau Bay into the remote archipelago that includes Cape Horn National Park. Weather and sea conditions permitting, 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.

Sailing back across Nassau Bay, anchor at fabled 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 can stroll 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.

Day 3: Pia Glacier | Garibaldi Glacier

  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Casting off from Wulaia Bay, retrace the route to the Beagle Channel and sail westward along the southern edge of Tierra del Fuego into a section of Alberto de Agostini National Park called Glacier Alley or Avenue of the Glaciers. Flowing down from the Darwin Mountains and Darwin Ice Sheet are a number of impressive tidewater glaciers, most of them named after European countries - Holland, Italy, Germany, Spain and France. In amongst this frozen league of nations enter the narrow Pia Fjord and board the Zodiacs for a shore excursion to Pia Glacier. No one knows for certain how the hulking glacier got its feminine moniker, but one theory says it was named for princess Maria Pia of Savoy (1847-1911), daughter of the Italian king. After disembarking 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.

Making your way further west along the Beagle Channel, enter another long fjord and drop anchor near Garibaldi Glacier for another shore excursion. Garibaldi is one of only three glaciers in Patagonia gaining mass rather than staying the same or slowly shrinking. This time hike through virgin Magellanic forest to a glacial waterfall, a towering wall of ferns and moss, and spectacular viewpoints looking down on the glacier and fjord. The walk is demanding - very steep, negligible trail, rough footing - and not for everyone. For those who choose to stay onboard, the captain points the bow towards the beautiful sky blue Garibaldi Glacier so everyone can enjoy the panoramic view from the upper decks.

Day 4: Glaciers | De Agostini Sound

  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Rounding the Brecknock Peninsula at the western extreme of Tierra del Fuego, the ship is exposed to the open Pacific for a brief time before entering the Cockburn Channel. Dead ahead is Chico Sound and your next Zodiac excursion. Traveling in the swift little boats, explore Alakaluf Fjord and enjoy incredible views of Piloto and Nena glaciers from the sea. Find yourself being drawn to the intense blue color of Piloto Glacier, caused by its compression and age. During the excursion learn about the formation of glaciers and their influence on the extravagant topography of the Fuegian-Patagonian channels. During the excursion it's often possible to spot rare rock and king cormorants nesting on the stones facing the glaciers.

In the afternoon MV Via Australis navigates Magdalena Channel and Keats Fjord to reach De Agostini Sound. Named after an Italian Salesian priest who worked among the region's indigenous people during the first half of the 20th century, the sound is flanked by numerous glaciers and saw-toothed peaks. After landing on the beach, hike around the edge of a lagoon to the base of towering Águila ("Eagle") Glacier. Condors can sometimes be seen winging high above, but there is always abundant bird life around the lagoon.

Day 5: Magdalena Island | Disembark in Punta Arenas

  • 1 Breakfast
After an overnight cruise back into the Strait of Magellan, anchor off Magdalena Island, which lies about halfway between Tierra del Fuego and the Chilean mainland (camera extension poles are prohibited on Magdalena Island). 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 Magellanic penguins. At the break of dawn, weather permitting, 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. In September and April, when the penguins dwell elsewhere, this excursion is replaced by a ride aboard Zodiacs to Marta Island to observe South American sea lions.
 
After a short sail south along the strait, disembark at Punta Arenas around 11:30 AM.

Dates & Prices

My Preferred Start Date

Per person starting at

Notes

Select a Date
Included
  • 4 Breakfasts, 3 Lunches, 4 Dinners

Map

Popular Add-ons

Patagonia Travel Links

Inquire

* By providing your phone number, you consent to receive direct phone calls or SMS messages from our Trip Planners to get the process started. We do not share your information with third-parties.
Change & customize to make it yours.
Travel Agents

We Love to Talk Travel

Call 1.800.344.6118
or
Chat Now
The trip might have been the absolute best of our lifetime (thus far). We particularly want to commend our guide Peter in the Guilin area-he was so incredibly attentive, energetic, enthusiastic-and absolutely dedicated to ensuring that our meals were 100% vegetarian.
Jack Charney

Patagonia Travel Guide

Favorite Patagonia All Trips

More Reasons

Why Travel With Adventure Life

All News

Recognized By