Australis Cruise - Fjords of Tierra del Fuego

Day 1

PUNTA ARENAS: Welcome aboard and departure

Check in at 1398 Costanera del Estrecho Ave. (Arturo Prat Port) in Punta Arenas between 1:00 PM and 5:00 PM.
Board the ship at 6:00 PM. After a welcoming toast and introduction of the captain and crew, the ship will set sail for one of the most remote corners of the planet. During the night, we will cross the Strait of Magellan and enter the labyrinth of channels that define the southern tip of Patagonia. The twinkling lights of Punta Arenas will gradually fade into the distance as we enter the Whiteside Canal between Darwin Island and Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego. It’s the beginning of a remarkable experience aboard Australis!

Day 2

AUSTRALIS CRUISE: Ainsworth Bay & Tuckers Islets

After breakfast, get ready to enjoy your second day aboard the Australis Cruise. By dawn, the ship will be sailing up Admiralty Sound (Seno Almirantazgo), a spectacular extension of the Strait of Magellan that stretches nearly halfway across Tierra del Fuego. The snow-capped peaks of Karukinka Natural Park line the north side of the sound, while the south shore features the deep fjords and broad bays of Alberto de Agostini National Park. We will go ashore at Ainsworth Bay, home to abundant bird life and a colony of southern elephant seals, which can sometimes be spotted from the Zodiacs. Two guided excursions are available: one along the edge of a stream, peat bog, and beaver habitat to a waterfall and moss-covered rock face deep within a pristine sub-polar forest; the other is a more strenuous hike along the crest of a glacial moraine. Both excursions offer views of Marinelli Glacier and the Darwin Mountains.

Leaving Ainsworth Bay, the Australis will sail west along the sound to the Tucker Islets. After lunch, we will board the Zodiacs again for a close-up view of the Magellan penguins that inhabit these tiny islands. Over 4,000 penguins use Tucker as a nesting and breeding site. Other bird species frequently seen include king cormorants, oystercatchers, Chilean skuas, kelp geese, dolphin gulls, eagles, and even the occasional Andean condor. In September and April, when the penguins are elsewhere, this excursion is replaced by a short walk to a glacier at the stunning Brookes Bay.

Day 3

AUSTRALIS CRUISE: Pia and Alley Glaciers

Overnight, we will sail around the western end of the island via the narrow Gabrial Channel, Magdalena Channel, and Cockburn Channel. After rounding the remote Brecknock Peninsula, the Australis will tack eastward and re-enter the Beagle Channel. By morning, we will be entering Pia Fjord and boarding the Zodiacs for a Pia Glacier tour. After disembarking, you can choose a short hike for a panoramic view of the spectacular glacier, which extends from the mountaintops down to the sea, or a longer, more challenging walk up a lateral moraine of the old Pia Glacier.

No one knows for certain how this massive glacier received its feminine name, but one theory suggests it was named after Princess Maria Pia of Savoy (1847-1911), daughter of the Italian king.

Back on board the Australis, we will continue east along the Beagle Channel through an area known as Glacier Alley. True to its name, this passage features several impressive tidewater glaciers flowing down from the Darwin Mountains and Darwin Ice Sheet on the north shore. Most of these glaciers are named after European countries—Holland, Italy, Germany, Spain, and France.

Day 4

AUSTRALIS CRUISE: Enjoying the mythical Cape Horn and visit Wulaia Bay

In the morning, we will cruise across Nassau Bay into the remote archipelago that includes Cape Horn National Park. Weather and sea conditions permitting, we will go ashore on the windswept island that is home to the legendary 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 Oceans 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 with a modern monument at the end of a trail.

In the afternoon, the Australis will navigate the narrow Murray Channel between Navarino and Hoste islands and anchor at historic Wulaia Bay. This location is one of the few in the archipelago where human history is just as captivating 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. The area is renowned for its mesmerizing beauty and dramatic geography. After visiting the Australis-sponsored museum in the old radio station—particularly strong on the Yámana people and European missionaries in the area—passengers have the option of three hikes (of increasing difficulty) that ascend the heavily wooded mountain behind the bay. On all hikes, you will stroll through an enchanted Magellan forest of lengas, coihues, canelos, ferns, and other endemic flora to reach a panoramic viewpoint overlooking the bay. Before leaving Wulaia Bay, drop a letter or postcard into the wooden mail barrel inside the museum—an ancient mariner tradition revived by Australis.

Day 5

DAY 4 - AUSTRALIS CRUISE: Arrival to Ushuaia

The following morning, we will sail into Argentine waters and dock in Ushuaia, the world’s southernmost city.
Arrival will be between 8:30 AM and 9:30 AM, depending on the date of departure and disembarkation.
If you are continuing with us on an organized itinerary, we will transfer you to a hotel in Ushuaia or Ushuaia Airport to continue your program. If you have only booked the cruise, we hope you enjoyed this incredible expedition.