Crossing countries in Patagonia

Arrival in Santiago and private transfer to your hotel.

An English-speaking guide will accompany you during the transfer.
Visit of Chile's capital, nestled at the foot of the Andes. Although Santiago has become over the years a modern and bustling city, some older neighbourhoods have preserved their atmosphere and a romantic charm.
You will visit the Plaza de Armas, San Francisco Church, the Bellavista area, Cerro San Cristobal, etc.

Night at the Galerias hotel ***.

Included : transfer arrival, english speaking guide, guide expenses, entrance fees, private transport, room & breakfast
Included opts : International guide

Departure at 09:00 from your hotel and ride to Valparaiso.

Visit of this town and its old quarters, listed as a World Heritage by UNESCO. With its many hills crowned with picturesque houses and warehouses, its steep narrow streets, its funicular railways and street singers, the city has a particular identity and a very special atmosphere.
Make sure you have lunch in a typical seafood restaurant.
Visit of La Sebastiana, one of Pablo Neruda's houses.

Night at the hotel Diego de Almagro ****.
Included : english speaking guide, guide expenses, entrance fees, private transport, room & breakfast

Private transfer from Valparaiso to Santiago airport.
Domestic flight from Santiago to Puerto Montt (time to be confirmed, flight indicated in option).

Arrival at Puerto Montt and transfer in a private vehicle to Puerto Varas next to Llanquihue lake.

Night at the Park Inn Hotel ***
Included : private transport, domestic flight, airport tax, transfer arrival, room & breakfast

Departure at 9:00 to reach Puerto Montt. From Puerto Montt, capital of the Lake District, you will take the Panamericana 5 to the port of Pargua from where you will take a ferry to Chiloe island. The crossing takes 30 minutes and you will land in the village of Chacao. You will visit the Puñihuil Penguins National Reserve before descending further south to the capital of the island, Castro. Visit of the Cathedral of Castro, built in 1910 and declared Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

Night at the Hosteria de Castro ***
Included : english speaking guide, private transport, room & breakfast

Excursion in the Chiloé National Park. Possibility of multiple walks (from 30 minutes to 2 hours).
Back on the east coast to the small fishermen's village of Dalcahue, visit of the craft shops. The restaurants serve Curanto, the typical dish of the island with meat, potatoes, corn cakes and seafood.
Boat trip in the afternoon to reach a small island off the coast of Dalcahue (Achaco or Quinchao) to explore the fishing villages. Visit of the churches that, in 2000, were listed as World Heritage by UNESCO.
Return to Castro.

Night at the Hosteria de Castro ***
Included : english speaking guide, private transport, room & breakfast

Departure at 9:00am to visit Castro. The peculiarity of Castro lies in its houses on stilts, handy indeed for those standing by the water, but even for those further away because of the high level of precipitation. The churches of Chiloé are classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site, you will visit some of them on the way. You will also pass through fishing villages. Fishing and agriculture are the main activities of the island. Take a nice walk at the pace of this quiet island. By late afternoon, you will return to Puerto Varas with the same ferry that brought you there.

Night at the Park Inn Hotel ***
Included : english speaking guide, private transport, room & breakfast

Two hours before your flight, transfer from Puerto Varas to El Tepual airport (Puerto Montt).
Domestic flight from Puerto Montt to Punta Arenas (time to be confirmed, flight indicated in option).

Arrival at Punta Arenas airport, transfer in a private vehicle to the port of Punta Arenas to board the cruise.

Check in at 1385 O’Higgins Street (Arturo Prat Port) in Punta Arenas between 13:00 and 17:00 (1-5 PM) on the day of your cruise departure. Board the M/V Stella Australis or M/V Via Australis at 18:00 (6 PM). After a welcoming cocktail reception hosted by the captain and his crew, the ship departs for one of the remotest corners of planet Earth. During the night we cross the Strait of Magellan and enter the labyrinth of channels that define the southern extreme of Patagonia. The twinkling lights of Punta Arenas gradually fade into the distance as we enter the Whiteside Canal between Darwin Island and Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego.
Included : departure transfer with english speaking guide, domestic flight, airport tax, transfer arrival, cruise, all inclusive, drinks

By dawn, the ship is sailing up Admiralty Sound (Seno Almirantazgo), a spectacular offshoot of the Strait of Magellan that stretches nearly halfway across Tierra del Fuego. The snowcapped peaks of Karukinka Natural Park stretch along the north side of the sound, while the south shore is defined by the deep fjords and broad bays of Alberto de Agostini National Park. We go ashore at Ainsworth Bay, which harbors copious bird life and a colony of southern elephant seals which can sometimes be spotted from the Zodiacs. Two guided excursions are available: one is along the edge of a stream, peat bog and beaver habitat to a waterfall-and-moss-covered rock face tucked deep inside a pristine sub-polar forest; the other is a more strenuous hike along the crest of a glacial moraine. Both afford views of Marinelli Glacier and the Darwin Mountains.

Leaving Ainsworth Bay behind, we sail west along the sound to the Tucker Islets. After lunch, we board the Zodiacs again for a close-up view of the Magellan penguins that inhabit the tiny islands. More than 4,000 penguins use Tucker as a place to nest, give birth and nurture their chicks. Many other bird species also frequent the area including king cormorants, oystercatchers, Chilean skuas, kelp geese,

dolphin gulls, eagles and even the occasional Andean condor. In September and April - when the penguins live elsewhere - this excursion is replaced by a short walk to a glacier at nearby stunning Brookes Bay.

Overnight we sail 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, Stella Australis 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 gain a panoramic view of the spectacular glacier, which extends from the mountaintops down to the sea or 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.

Back onboard the ship, we continue east along the Beagle Channel through an area called Glacier Alley. Living up to its name, the passage features a number of impressive tidewater glaciers flowing down from the Darwin Mountains and Darwin Ice Sheet on the north shore. Most of them are named after European countries -- Holland, Italy, Germany, Spain and France.

In the early morning, we navigate the narrow Murray Channel between Navarino and Hoste islands and drop anchor at historic 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 the HMS Beagle. This area is also renowned for its mesmerizing beauty and dramatic geography. After a visit to the Australis-sponsored 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 wooden mountain behind the bay. On all of these you will be strolling through an enchanted Magellan forest of lengas, coigües, canelos and ferns, to reach a panoramic viewpoint overlooking the bay. Before leaving Wulaia Bay, drop something into the wooden mail barrel inside the museum - letters or postcards meant to be hand delivered by future travelers - an ancient mariner tradition revived by Australis.

In the afternoon we cruise across Nassau Bay into the remote archipelago that includes Cape Horn National Park. Weather and sea conditions permitting, we shall go ashore on the windswept island that harbors 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 425-meter (1,394-foot) 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." The park was declared a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2005. The Chilean navy maintains a permanent lighthouse on the island, staffed by a lightkeeper and his family, as well as the tiny Stella Maris Chapel and modern Cape Horn Monument.

The following morning we sail into Argentinian waters and dock in Ushuaia, the world's southernmost city. Stella Australis is scheduled to arrive at 8:30 or 9:30 AM depending on the date of departure; Via Australis is scheduled to arrive at 9:30 AM.

OBSERVATION: The excursions described in the itinerary are normally frequently achievable. However, Transportes Marítimos Terra Australis SA and Transportes Marítimos Via Australis SA reserve the right to switch, change or omit a part of the program, without notice, when the well-being and the safety of passengers or the protection of the environment are at stake or when an event occurs or exceptional circumstances of fortuitous circumstance or force majeure. For the same reasons, the hours of lifting and pier vessels may be subject to change.

Reception in Puerto Natales and transfer to your hotel.

Night at the If Patagonia hotel ***.
Included : transfer arrival, room & breakfast

Departure from the hotel at 7:45 to Torres del Paine National Park, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1978. You will enter the park by the lagoon area to enjoy a panoramic view of the famous Paine towers, three impressive blocks of granite.
You'll discover along the way the Nordenskjold and Pehoe lakes, the cascade "del salto grande" (walking tour of the site is approximately 45 minutes), the panorama of the Paine Massif and its glacier, and the "Cuernos" del Paine. This park will amaze you with its massive turquoise lakes.

Entrance fees to Torres Del Paine National Park included.
English-speaking guide.

Night at the If Patagonia hotel ***.
Included : private transport, entrance fees, english speaking guide, room & breakfast
Included opts : entrance national park TDP, English speaking guide Torres del Paine

Private transfer to Punta Arenas airport.
Domestic flight from Punta Arenas to Santiago (time to be confirmed, flight indicated in option).

Arrival in Santiago and private transfer to your hotel.

Night at the Galerias hotel ***.

Included : transfer departure, domestic flight, airport tax, transfer arrival, room & breakfast

Private transfer from your hotel to Santiago airport.

Included : transfer departure

Transfer from the port to Ushuaia Airport in a private vehicle.
Transfer with an English-speaking guide.

Half day (morning or afternoon) dedicated to the visit of Ushuaia City.

Ushuaia, the capital of the province of Tierra del Fuego, is located in a wide bay in the Beagle Channel, guarded by Martial Mount, which features a unique landscape in Argentina, with the sea, glaciers, mountains and forest mingling together.

You depart on a private vehicle from the Maipú Avenue up to the Luis Pedero Fique bridge, to reach Misión neighborhood, chosen by the first settlers. We also visit Brown and Solier neighborhoods where the early twentieth century buildings now coexist with the modern houses built after the huge urban growth of the 80´s.

You then head towards the Martial Glacier, a small ski resort which offers the visitor the possibility of taking a chair lift to the top and to enjoy the panoramic view onto the Beagle Channel and the city of Ushuaia. You return via the Leandro N. Alem Avenue and go to the Marine museum and the former prison. Then you visit the Fin del Mundo Museum.

An English-speaking guide will accompany you during the city tour.

Night at the Hosteria Patagonia Jarke in standard room.

Included : private transport, english speaking guide, excursion (private), room & breakfast
Included opts : english speaking guide, English speaking-guide.

Half day excursion to Tierra del Fuego National Park in a private service. Located at only 11 km from Ushuaia, and next to the border with Chile, it has 63.000 hectares full of lakes, lagoons and rivers and exit towards Beagle Channel, characteristic that marks the difference with the other national parks of Argentina.

We will drive out of the city passing by the slope of the Susana Mount, where there is the Southern Fuegian Railway.

Then we continue through the Pipo River Valley to the detour that takes us to Ensenada Bay, where we will contemplate the Redonda and Estorbo Islands and on the other coast the Beagle Channel, the snow-white Mountains of the Sampaio Chain (Chile). Then we will go to Roca Lake and Lapataia River.

We will go towards the other end of the Park, where National Route Nº 3 finishes, at Lapataia Bay. Here we can find the Green Lagoon and the Black Lagoon, large growing peat bog. Finally we will pass by the beaver dams, whose footpath will lead to Lapataia Bay.

Return to Ushuaia at lunch time.

Excursion of 4 hours approximately.

Entrance fee to the National Park included.

An English speaking guide will acompany you during your tour.

2 hours prior to your flight, check out and transfer to Ushuaia Airport.

Domestic flight Ushuaia - Calafate.

Reception at El Calafate Airport and private transfer to the hotel.

An English speaking guide will acompany you during your transfer.

Night at Patagonia Queen Hotel Boutique in standard room.

Included : excursion (private), entrance fees, english speaking guide, transfer departure, domestic flight, airport tax, transfer arrival, reception with english-speaking guide, room & breakfast
Included opts : Entrance fees National park tierra del fuego, English speaking-guide., English speaking-guide.

At 8 am, transfer with a private vehicle, to go to the Perito Moreno Glacier, 80km away from El Calafate.

This full-day excursion allows you to thoroughly enjoy the exceptional natural surroundings.

You will delight in the panoramic views, afforded by countless foot-bridges of the glacier and its surrounding lenga beech forest.

Return trip to El Calafate at 4:30 pm approximately.

An English speaking guide will acompany you during the tour.



Nautical Safari tour included (1h):

From the port located at Refugio Argentino, you embark on an hour navigation to enjoy the South face of the Glacier that can surpass 70 meters.

Entrance to Los Glaciares National Park included.

Night at Patagonia Queen Hotel Boutique in standard room.

Included : excursion (private), english speaking guide, navigation, entrance fees, room & breakfast
Included opts : English speaking-guide., Nautical Safari tour in pool service., Entrance to the Los Glaciares National Park.

Transfer with a private vehicule from the hotel to the bus station in El Calafate.
You leave from the bus terminal in El Calafate at 8:30 a.m. to Puerto Natales (Chile). This township is located 360 km South of El Calafate and 260 km North of Punta Arenas. During the trip, you admire the typical Chilean Patagonian landscape. As we reach Puerto Natales, you enjoy the view onto the many snow-capped mountain tops and glaciers belonging to the Andes Mountain Chain. Arrival is scheduled at 1:30 p.m. Puerto Natales is a small town located at sea-level on the shores of the Senoret Channel.
Note: a 362 km. 5 hours (subject to the border crossing). Leaving everyday since September 1st
Included : private transport, transfer departure, bus ticket, shared transport