What’s the best way to see the most of Patagonia in a single trip? You might argue for getting in a car and heading down the Carretera Austral, that epic highway that runs down the spine of Chilean Patagonia? Or you might dash about with a series of internal flights, ticking off as many spots as possible, pausing to take in a day hike or mountain view along the way.
Alternatively, you might let a ship take the strain, and cruise your way along Chile’s famously long and crinkled coastline, seeing landscapes that can only be visited from the water because they’re too remote and mountainous for roadbuilding. That’s what I did when I got on board the Magellan Explorer ship to join Swoop’s 9 day Patagonia: Fjords, Glaciers & Beyond expedition cruise.
The Magellan Explorer, boutique cruise ship
I’d already seen parts of Patagonia by sea when I sailed to Cape Horn from Punta Arenas on a 4 day cruise. Other ships offer comparable short itineraries, taking in the Southern Chilean Fjords, or the Northern Fjords and Chiloé island, but I was drawn to the Magellan Explorer as it was the only ship offering a detailed itinerary taking in the whole of Chilean Patagonia, starting in the Chilean Lake District and sailing all the way down to Tierra del Fuego to finish in Ushuaia in Argentina.
I knew the choice was the right one when I arrived dockside in Puerto Montt on the first day. The Magellan Explorer is a ship with a real wow factor, and stylish enough to make you think you’ve seen it in a James Bond film. Some of my colleagues at Swoop Antarctica had sailed on the Magellan Explorer before, as it spends much of its time exploring the Antarctic Peninsula, but I was joining its first season operating in Patagonia.
Though built for polar waters, the experience inside turned out to be more like a boutique hotel. It only carries 76 passengers, but you’re looked after by a really large team, with guides ranging from marine biologists and historians to professional photographers. Once we were underway, I learned that most of the team, from the crew to the guides, had been together for years – and there was a definite feeling of stepping into a tight knit group of experts who were there to look after you.
Itineraries designed for explorers
As soon as we slipped our moorings, the team did everything to encourage the idea that we were on an expedition, rather than just a cruise with a list of ports of call. The expedition leader David would give a daily briefing on the weather and conditions and the likelihood of doing different excursions or their alternative. Mother Nature would set the course, but we could see that we had a good ship to get us there. As it turned out, we were blessed with perfect weather almost every day, but the briefings always helped build anticipation and excitement for what was ahead.
As we headed south, the landscape constantly changed and evolved. Puerto Montt is on the edge of the Lake District’s temperature rainforest, but within hours the landscape started to transition from one ecosystem or type of geology to the next as we sailed towards a coastline of glaciers. I found myself with a group of photographers and we were like children at Christmas, running around together excited by the new scenery as we went along, as the light changed, the mountains changed or the island greenery changed.
The first stop was Isla Kent, an island whose green inlets we explored in small zodiac boats, spotting sea lions along the way. On landing, we hiked through thick forest until the tree cover broke and—to our great surprise—we found ourselves on a wide sandy beach with waves rolling in from the Pacific Ocean.
The next stop couldn’t have offered a greater contrast – Laguna San Rafael, where an immense glacier from the Northern Patagonian Ice Field pokes its tongue out of the forest to calve icebergs into an enormous lagoon. There was actually too much ice for even the Magellan Explorer to navigate safely, so we transferred to small shallow draft boats that spent an hour ferrying us to the face of the glacier, looking for the resident leopard seals along the way.
The texture of the ice was incredible. I’m the kind of person who’s always thinking of wide angle panoramic shots and the overall immensity of a scene (easy to do in Patagonia), but at San Rafael I lost myself taking close up photos of glassy chunks of a thousand years old, floating and bobbing in the lagoon.
Celebrating a coastal fiesta
The following day was Fiestas Patrias – the national holiday to celebrate Chilean independence. With due ceremony, we docked on the edge of Caleta Tortel, a remote and very rustic coastal village that lies almost at the end of the Carretera Austral. Most of the village is built on stilts over the water, or climbing to the steep slopes of the fjord.
The zodiacs transferred us to the tiny waterfront, where we were suddenly transported into another world. Some of the locals led us up to a covered bandstand, where the whole village had got together to celebrate the fiesta. Music was playing, there was food on the grill and plenty of beer flowing. We spent the afternoon mingling and dancing, talking to the locals before being pulled up for another round on the dance floor. It felt entirely magical, and entirely the sort of rich cultural experience you hope to have while travelling.
A spectacle of ice and glaciers
There was a party of a different kind the next day as we cruised to Pio XI Glacier, the biggest glacier in Chile. Unlike San Rafael, the Magellan Explorer was able to go right up to its face, giving us the opportunity to really revel in its panorama and spectacle.
With the front of the glacier shining blue in the sun, we explored its face by zodiac, completely dwarfed by the scene. The temptation to pull right up to its cliff walls was almost tangible, but this is where the guides’ experience is so important. I’ve seen glaciers calve from a distance, but it’s quite another thing when it happens in front of you and you’re in a tiny boat. Several enormous tower blocks of ice sheared from the cliff face and thundered into the water. By the time we had our cameras clicking away, our guide was already moving us back to an even safer position. It was dramatic and adrenaline-filled, and the photos look like we’re about to be engulfed, but by the time the great wave reached us, it was thankfully little more than a big ripple.
Back at the ship, we celebrated by doing the polar plunge, diving into the shockingly cold water with Pio XI as a backdrop, then gathered out on the deck where the galley team had put on an amazing barbecue, so we could have a mini fiesta of our own. right in front of the glacier. It was the perfect day – all sun with the drama of the ice calvings, an amazing barbecue and then as the sun completely disappeared, the sky turned pink and purple. I cursed that it was the one time on the whole trip I’d left my camera in my cabin, but thankfully our expedition photographer Francisco had us covered.
Landscapes of Tierra del Fuego
Every day I was struck by how diverse the landscape was. At Isla Madre de Dios we were met with a strange island hidden amid the coastal cliffs and channels. Its limestone was so bright that from a distance I thought it was covered with ice. We explored on footstep, hiking through the lenga and coihue trees woven in between the rocks. I’ve never seen geology like it. Isla Madre de Dios is only 150 km from Puerto Natales, the gateway to Torres del Paine, but in practice it’s so isolated that it might as well be on another planet.
From here we cruised through Kawésqar National Park, where the landscape suddenly becomes raw and untamed. This isn’t a place that offers much comfort, so I was glad that our ship was a cosy retreat to see glaciers like Bernal and Garibaldi Glacier. Sometimes we’d explore by zodiac, sometimes we stayed on board, running out onto the deck as it started to snow to take in the views – then heading back inside to enjoy them again in the lounge, with a glass of Chilean red. It was unforgiving Patagonia at its best – from the comfort of our beautiful ship. I wasn’t the only one whose heart sank slightly when we saw Ushuaia on the horizon, knowing our trip was nearly at an end.
Even after living in Chile for many years, its diversity never fails to surprise. After working as a guide in Torres del Paine and Patagonia National Park as well as living in the Atacama Desert, it’s easy to trick yourself into thinking you’ve seen the best of the country. But cruising along the length of Patagonia, was a great way of reminding myself that there’s always so much out there, and this region is home to the most incredible diversity.
The Magellan Explorer was the perfect platform to showcase that diversity. I knew that its next stop was Antarctica, and these cruises are designed to bookend the polar season, but I couldn’t help but wish it could linger a little longer in the fjords and take me to another fiesta or two.
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