Ushuaia - Punta Arenas Cruise Itinerary
4 day/ 3 night Mare or Via Australis
*M/V Stella Australis in 2010-2011

5 day/4 night Mare or Via Australis

M/V Mare Australis - Wednesday Departure from Ushuaia - Saturday Arrival at Punta Arenas
M/V Via Australis - Saturday Departure from Ushuaia - Tuesday Arrival at Punta Arenas

DAY 1: Ushuaia
Check in at San Martín 245, Ushuaia, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Cruise ship boarding from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. After a welcome cocktail and Captain's reception, the ship departs for “the end of the earth.” The excursion will take travelers through the Beagle Channel and the Strait of Magellan
to explore one of the most captivating wilderness regions in the world: Southern Patagonia, and Tierra del Fuego.

DAY 2: Cape Horn - Wulaia Bay
Sail through the Murray Channel and Nassau Bay to reach Cape Horn National Park, where passengers disembark (weather permitting). The mythical Cape Horn was discovered in 1616, and it is a sheer, 425-meter (1,394- foot) high rocky promontory. For many years it was an important navigation route between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, and it is known as the “End of the Earth”.
The park was declared a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in June 2005. In the afternoon, we go ashore at historic Wulaia Bay, once the site of one of the region’s largest Yamana aboriginal settlements. Charles Darwin landed here on January 23rd, 1833, during the voyage of the HMS Beagle.

The area is also renowned for the mesmerizing beauty of its vegetation and geography. We will walk through a Magellanic forest of Lengas, Coihues, Canelos, ferns, and other native vegetation to reach a look-out point.

DAY 3: Piloto and Nena Glaciers
In the morning sail through the desolate Brecknock and Ocasion channels, to reach Cockburn Channel in the afternoon. After lunch, arrive at Chico Sound and disembark in Zodiac boats to explore Alakaluf Learn about the formation of glaciers and their influence in the abrupt geography of the region’s channels.

DAY 4: Magdalena Island - Punta Arenas
Early in the morning, go ashore on Magdalena Island (weather permitting). Located in the Strait of Magellan, it was an essential source of supplies for navigators and explorers in the past. The island is inhabited by an immense colony of Magellanic Penguins which can be sighted during our walk to a lighthouse, which guides ships on their way through the strait. In September and April this excursion is replaced by a Zodiac boat ride at Marta Island to observe sea lions. After our visit, we sail to Punta Arenas, disembarking at 11:30 a.m.

NOTE: The excursions/day trips described in the itineraries can normally be, and are frequently, carried out. Without prejudice to the aforesaid, Transportes Marítimos Terra Australis S.A. y Transportes Marítimos Via Australis S.A. reserve the right to reschedule shorten or alter all or part of itineraries and/or excursions without previous notice, in order to safeguard the well being and
safety of passengers, preserve the environment or due to the extraordinary circumstances, acts of god or force majeure. For the same reasons, the hours of departure or arrival of the vessels may be subject to change.

(Rates per pax in US$) for 2009/2010:

Ushuaia - Punta Arenas: 3-night cruise departs on Wednesdays and Sundays

*The first sailing of 2009 is 20% less than the low season rate and
the sailings on the 23rd and 30th of Dec are 20% higher than the high season rate.

Contact us to include a cruise on the Mare Australis or Via Australis in the Patagonia as part of a customized itinerary of travel in Chile.