Wulaia Bay Fjord Scenery
Wulaia Bay Fjord Scenery
Elephant Seals, Ainsworth Bay & Magdalena Island Penguins
Elephant Seals, Ainsworth Bay & Magdalena Island Penguins
Stunning Pia Fjord Scenery & Glacier Alley Views from Cruise Ship
Stunning Pia Fjord Scenery & Glacier Alley Views from Cruise Ship
Cape Horn Island, a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve
Cape Horn Island, a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve
Wulaia Bay
Wulaia Bay

Australis Fjords of Tierra del Fuego

4 nights from £1,279 per person

Overview

Discover the naturally stunning Tierra del Fuego, an archipelago located at South America’s southernmost tip, on this epic four-night cruise. Starting in Punta Arenas and ending in Ushuaia, you’ll cruise through some truly breath-taking sights, including soaring glaciers, sparkling waters, and beautiful wildlife.

Enjoying luxurious amenities onboard the Stella Australis, highlights include boarding the Zodiac boats to venture to Ainsworth Bay and get a closer view of the stunning Cape Horn headland. The natural splendour of Patagonia will certainly captivate you, and that’s before you’ve even explored the rich human history that adds even more depth to this alluring destination. (AUS)

Highlights

  • Sail along Admiralty Sound
  • Discover elephant seals and hike with views of Marinelli Glacier in Ainsworth Bay
  • Encounter Magellan penguins on the Tucker Islets
  • Explore Pia Fjord and sail down the aptly named Glacier Valley
  • Experience Cape Horn National Park
  • Enjoy an afternoon on Wulaia Bay
Whats included?
  • Accommodation
  • ATOL Protection
  • In resort assistance & 24 hour contact centre
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Day 1

Punta Arenas

Upon arrival in Punta Arenas, you will need to check in at 1385 O’Higgins Street between 1pm and 5pm.

At 6pm, you will board the vessel for a welcoming toast and to be introduced to the captain and crew. Spend the evening enjoying the sights, sailing overnight across the Strait of Magellan and entering the Whiteside Canal between Darwin Island and Isla Grand de Tierra del Fuego.

Day 2

Ainsworth Bay – Tuckers Islets

When you wake, you’ll find yourself sailing up Admiralty Sound, a stunning body of water that trails off from the Strait of Magellan and stretches almost halfway across Tierra del Fuego. The sound has a striking backdrop of snow-capped mountains in Karukinka Natural Park, whilst the south is framed by jaw-dropping fjords and the bays of Alberto de Agostini National Park.

Your first stop is at Ainsworth Bay, a beautiful coastal inlet home to an array of bird life and a curious colony of southern elephant seals that can usually be seen from the Zodiacs. Choose from one of two excursions – you could either hike along the edge of a stream, peat bogs and beaver-adorned marshes to discover a waterfall-shrouded rock deep inside a sparkling sub-polar forest, or you could embark on a more energetic hike along the crest of a gorgeous glacial moraine. Whichever you choose, you’ll be treated to amazing views of Marinelli Glacier and the Darwin Mountains.

Once back on the vessel, you’ll journey west, where you’ll be greeted with views of the Tucker Islets. Enjoy a delightful lunch on the ship before boarding the Zodiacs for an unforgettable view of the Magellan penguins that make the tiny islands their home. More than 4,000 penguins reside in the Tucker Islets, meaning there’s a high change you’ll spot a fair few. Look out for more birdlife too, including Andean condors, eagles and dolphin gulls.

If you go on this tour in September and April, you won’t be able to see the penguins, so instead you’ll enjoy a short walk to a glacier at Brookes Bay.

Day 3

Pia Glacier – Glacier Alley

Overnight, your vessel will cruise around the western end of Tierra del Fuego via the narrow Gabrial Channel, Magdalena Channel and Cockburn Channel. Once you’ve sailed around the secluded Brecknook Peninsula, you’ll enter Beagle Channel. Once you wake in the morning, you’ll be sailing through Pia Fjord and boarding the Zodiacs for a tour of the fjord.

You’ll disembark in Pia Fjord, embarking on a short hike which ends with an unsurpassable view of the glacier. Alternatively, you could take the harder walk up a lateral moraine of the old Pia Glacier.

Once you’re back on the ship, you’ll journey east along the Beagle Channel, arriving in an area called Glacier Alley. This is an aptly named destination, adorned with breath-taking glaciers that flow down from the Darwin Mountains and Darwin Ice Sheet. Many are named after European countries – including Italy, Spain and Holland.

Day 4

Cape Horn – Wulaia Bay

In the morning, you’ll set sail across Nassau Bay, journeying into the isolated archipelago that includes the stunning Cape Horn National Park – depending on the weather, you may go ashore the island that harbours Cape Horn, a 425m high rugged promontory that looks out onto the Drake Passage. Once known as the ‘end of the earth’, the park was named a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2005.

In the afternoon, you will sail down the Murray Channel between Navarino and Hoste islands, ending at Wulaia Bay. This part of the archipelago is steeped in fascinating human history – it was once the site of one of the largest Yámana aboriginal settlements, and the bay was described by Charles Darwin and drawn by Caption FitzRoy in the 1830’s. It’s a very beautiful area, and you will have time too explore the museum in the old radio station to find out more about its past.

You’ll then have a choice of three hikes. They all differ in terms of difficult, but all ascend the mountain behind the bay, passing enticing Magellan forest of canelos, ferns and lengas before ending at a panoramic viewpoint. When you leave Wulaia, a nice touch is to drop something into the wooden mail barrel that’s inside the museum – it’s filled with letters meant to be hand delivered by future travellers, and in an ancient mariner tradition revived by Australis.

Day 5

Ushuaia

This is your last day. You will sail into Argentine waters and disembark in Ushuaia.

  • Four nights on board the Stella Australis, a ship featuring 100 cabins and a maximum occupancy of 210 passengers
  • Sea transportation
  • All activities as per those listed in the itinerary above
  • Full board food and drink including an open bar with alcohol and spirits

What's not included?

  • USD 80 per person for port fees

What to wear:

  • Waterproof hiking boots or shoes
  • Waterproof trousers
  • Waterproof parker or windproof jacket
  • Warm, waterproof gloves
  • Warm jumper
  • A cap or beanie
  • Sunglasses
  • Suncream

 

Lucy Moon
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