Adventure Cruise: Cape Horn & Glaciers
Trip type
Cruise
Trip length
5 Days
From
$2,261
Location
Tierra del Fuego
Adventure Cruise: Cape Horn & Glaciers - 5 - $2,261
Trip Summary and Itinerary Map
Day 1: Depart from Ushuaia
Day 2: Cape Horn to Wulaia Bay
Day 3: Pia Glacier and Porter Glacier
Day 4: Agostini Sound, Águila Glacier and Cóndor Glacier
Day 5: Magdalena Island to Punta Arenas
Start from Ushuaia and end at Punta Arenas
Landmarks visited on Adventure Cruise: Cape Horn & Glaciers
Operator's Itinerary
Day 1: Depart from Ushuaia
Check in at 409 San Martín Avenue in downtown Ushuaia between 10am and 5pm on the day of your cruise departure.
Board the cruise at 6pm. After a welcoming toast and introduction the ship departs for one of the most remote corners of planet Earth. During the night we traverse the Beagle Channel and cross from Argentina into Chilean territorial waters. The lights of Ushuaia disappear as we turn into the narrow Murray Channel between Navarino and Hoste islands and head due south.
After dinner you might like to enjoy the open-bar (all drinks are included on this voyage) with its stunning panoramic windows for you to appreciate the breath-taking landscapes at the End of the World. You are unlikely to cross any other cruise ships during your time aboard, given that very few operators have permission to sail in these magnificent waters.
Meals: Dinner
Day 2: Cape Horn to Wulaia Bay
Around the break of dawn, the cruise crosses Nassau Bay and enters the remote archipelago that comprises Cape Horn National Park. Weather and sea conditions permitting, we'll go ashore on the windswept island that harbours 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 425m (1,394ft) 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'. In 2005 UNESCO declared the park a World Biosphere Reserve. The Chilean navy maintains a permanent lighthouse on the island, staffed by a lighthouse keeper and his family, as well as the tiny Stella Maris Chapel and modern Cape Horn Monument.
Sailing back across Nassau Bay, we anchor at the 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 HMS Beagle.
This area is also renowned for its stunning beauty and dramatic geography. After a visit to the 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 wooded mountain behind the bay. On all of these you stroll through an enchanted Magellanic forest of Southern beech trees (lengas, coigües), winter's bark (canelo) and verdant ferns to reach an amazing panoramic viewpoint overlooking the bay.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 3: Pia Glacier and Porter Glacier
Overnight we continue our Patagonia glacier tour around the western end of Tierra del Fuego via the very narrow Gabrial Channel, Magdalena Channel and Cockburn Channel. After rounding the remote Brecknock Peninsula, the cruise tacks eastward and enters the Beagle Channel again. By morning we are entering Pia Fjord and boarding the Zodiacs for a shore excursion to Pia Glacier.
After disembarking, we take a short hike to a panoramic view of the spectacular glacier, which extends from the mountaintops down to the sea. There is also the option of a longer, much more difficult walk up a lateral moraine of the old Pia Glacier.
No one knows for certain how the hulking mass of snow and ice got its feminine moniker, but one theory says it was named for Princess Maria Pia of Savoy (1847-1911), daughter of the Italian king.
In the afternoon we board our Zodiac boats to sail between high rocky walls until we reach Porter Glacier.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 4: Agostini Sound, Águila Glacier and Cóndor Glacier
Early in the morning, we'll 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.
Later in the morning, we will disembark for an easy walk around a lagoon which was formed by the melting of the Águila Glacier. We'll reach a spot right in front of the glacier with stunning views. In the afternoon, we'll approach the Cóndor Glacier via Zodiac and hopefully see some of the abundant Andean condors in the area.
Your expedition guides will always be on hand to explain about the special ecosystem found only at these latitudes. All members of the team are specially trained for interpreting the flora and fauna of the region – all are local residents and will hugely enrich your learning experience.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 5: Magdalena Island* to Punta Arenas
After an overnight cruise through Magdalena Channel and back into the Strait of Magellan, we'll 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 Magellanic 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.
Finally, after a short cruise south along the strait, disembarkation at Punta Arenas is scheduled for 11:30am.
Meals: Breakfast
* In September and April, this excursion is replaced by a ride aboard Zodiacs to Marta Island to observe South American sea lions.
Note that camera extension poles are prohibited on Magdalena Island.
Please note that the same route can be taken in the opposite direction – see full details.
What our customers think of Adventure Cruise: Cape Horn & Glaciers
Adventure Cruise: Cape Horn & Glaciers trips scored 4.2/5 from 35 reviews
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About The Ship
Your cruise ship
Bar on board your cruise ship
Lounge onboard your cruise ship
Dining Room onboard your cruise ship
Lecture theatre onboard your cruise ship
Lounge onboard your cruise ship
Fellow passengers onboard your cruise ship
AAA Cabin onboard your cruise ship
AA Cabin onboard your cruise ship
Twin Cabin onboard your cruise ship
B Twin Cabin onboard your cruise ship
Your cruise ship
The new Ventus Australis expedition cruise ship is a 210-passenger vessel designed for exploring the remote southern tip of South America. It has been built with great manoeuvrability, a shallow draft, reinforced hull for ice-navigation and great access for easily boarding zodiacs during landings. There can be no better ship and crew for sailing through the narrow fjords and channels of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, where other ships dare not venture.
Adventure Cruising in Southern Patagonia
Prices, Departures and Inclusions
Prices are per person, based on a double-occupancy basis.
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Please contact us for more information, terms and conditions and details of any cabins recently made available.
* Note: Prices are per person. Paid in USD ($) - figure above is based on today's exchange rate. Actual cost $2261
Additional Notes
Excursion notes – Cape Horn Landing is subject to weather conditions. In September and April, due to penguin migration, the Isla Magdalena Penguin Colony trip will be replaced by a Zodiac boat trip to the Sea Lion colony at Marta Island.
Cabin details – Please contact us for further details of the different cabin types. In short:
- There are a limited number of 'B' cabins on the lowest deck which tend to get booked up a long time in advance
- 'AAA' cabins are on a higher deck than 'AA' and 'A' cabins
- Superior cabins ('S') are approx. 25% larger
Cruise route – Please note that the same route can be taken in the opposite direction – see full details.
Single Supplement And Child Policy
Single supplement & Solo travellers – The cruise operator does not have a 'willing to share' policy. If you are a solo traveller or would like a single cabin, there is a 50% surcharge.
Baby policy – 0 to 3-year-olds travel for free if sharing a bed with parents. Please ask for availability of complimentary travel cots. Please note, they will still be charged the port tax.
Child policy – 4 to 12-year-olds receive a 50% discount when sharing a cabin with an adult.
Extra beds – It is possible to turn certain cabins into triple cabins; for availability and rates please contact us.
Includes
- Meals: 4 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 4 dinners
- Drinks: all drinks during bar opening hours (alcoholic and nonalcoholic)
- All drinking water as requested
- Accommodation: cabin as requested (4 nights)
- All safety equipment (life jackets) for zodiac excursions
- All shipboard excursions and activities (as detailed in itinerary)
- Onboard activities and lectures
Excludes
- Port tax (USD $105 per person)
- Meals not indicated in the itinerary
- Any extra/optional excursions
- Transfers to/from cruise
- Personal travel insurance
- Personal equipment (see our recommended kit list)
- Gratuities/tips
- International and domestic/in-country flights
- Any visa, passport and vaccination expenses
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