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

4 day/3 night Mare or Via Australis

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

DAY 1: Punta Arenas
Check in at Magallanes 990, Punta Arenas, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Cruise ship boarding at 6:00 p.m. After a welcome cocktail and Captain's cocktail, the ship departs for “the end of the earth”. The excursion will take passengers through the Strait of Magellan and Beagle Channel to explore one of the most breathtaking wilderness regions in the world: Southern Patagonia, and Tierra del Fuego. We have just embarked on a Great Adventure!

DAY 2: Ainsworth Bay - Tuckers Islets
At dawn, continue navigating through Almirantazgo Sound, arriving at Ainsworth Bay, inside the Alberto De Agostini National Park. From a distance passengers may see the Marinelli Glacier which descends from the Darwin Mountain Range, and we will learn how life begins after the retreat of the ice. Also take a walk to discover a beaver dam in the marvelous subpolar Magellanic forest. On the beach, try to see elephant seals.

Later, sail to Tuckers Islets, and after lunch board the Zodiac boats to view Magellanic Penguins (which only live in the Southern Hemisphere), and Cormorants. In September and April this excursion is replaced by Brookes Bay where we land for a short walk to approach a glacier.

DAY 3: Pia Glacier - Glacier Alley
Navigate along the main part of the Beagle Channel to reach Pia Fjord, where passengers disembark near Pia Glacier. Take a short hike to a look-out point with a spectacular view of the entire glacier tongue, stretching from high in the mountains all the way to the sea. After this unforgettable experience, continue sailing along the northwest arm of the Beagle Channel through majestic “Glacier Alley”.

DAY 4: Cape Horn - Wulaia Bay
Sail through the Murray Channel and Nassau Bay to reach Cape Horn National Park, where we will 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, 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.

This 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 5: Ushuaia
Arrival at Ushuaia, Argentina’s most important city on Tierra del Fuego, and the southernmost city in the world. Disembark at 8:00 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:

*The first two sailings of 2009 are 20% less than the low season rate and
the sailings on the 22nd and 29th 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.