Tierra del Fuego, King Penguin and Cruise

Code: CTV035
  • Start: Punta Arenas Airport
  • Departure: Daily (According to Cruise departure)
Description

Tierra del Fuego, King Penguin and Cruise provides a round trip expedition throung land and sea to meet the stunning landscape and history of Tierra del Fuego.



Price includes
Accommodation according program
Excursions according program
Transfers by Private Van according program
Sailing Cruceros Australis Ushuaia - Punta Arenas
Meals according program.
Spanish and English speaking guide during the land services
Ferry Crossing
Museum and National Parks entrance fee
Price does not include
Air tickets.
Port taxes USD 60.
Tips.

Departure from Ushuaia 2018 - 2019

  • September 2018: 30
  • October 2018: 8 - 16 -24
  • November 2018: 1 - 9 - 17 - 25
  • December 2018: 3 - 11 - 19 - 27
  • January 2019: 4 - 12 - 20 - 28
  • February 2019: 5 - 13 - 21
  • March 2019: 1 - 9 - 17 - 25
  • April 2019: 2
Itinerary

The Tierra del Fuego, King Penguin and Cruise program offers a round trip expedition from Punta Arenas to meet by land and sea the astonishing landscape and history of Tierra del Fuego. During this adventure we will cross the worldwide known Magellan Strait in order to visit the small King Penguin Colony, and after we will continue to the Argentinean city of Río Grande.
The next day we will visit an estancia for a real gaucha experience, and by the afternoon, we will get the picturesque port of Ushuaia in order to board M/V Ventus Australis. This expedition ship will allow us to make exclusive visit to distant places, disembarking daily by zodiac boat with a team guide. The journey will lead us to the mythical Cape Horn where we will land, if climate conditions allow it. Moreover, we will visit the historical Wulaia Bay, the wonderful glaciers of the Darwin Mountain Range and a Magellan Penguin Colony, sailing through the same route of the great explorers. 
The journey will end in the charming city of Punta Arenas.

Day 01: Punta Arenas Airport – Cabo de Hornos Hotel
Reception at the Punta Arenas Airport and transfer from the Punta Arenas Airport to the Cabo de Hornos Hotel. Accommodation. 

Day 02: Punta Arenas - Río Grande 
After breakfast at the Cabo de Hornos Hotel, we will cross the iconic Strait of Magellan. We will visit the Porvenir Museum in order to discover the historical richness of Tierra del Fuego and the native people such as the Selk’nam, owners during thousand years of this bleak land. After that, we will continue to visit the King Penguin Colony. Then we continue our trip to Río Grande, Argentina. Accommodation at Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.

Day 03: Río Grande - Ushuaia - Australis Cruise
During our third day, we will enjoy a real Gaucha experience with Patagonian-style barbecue. We will continue to Ushuai.

Check in at 409 San Martín Ave. in downtown Ushuaia between 10:00 and 05:00 pm (10 AM-5 PM) on the day of your cruise departure. Board the M/V Ventus Australis at 6:00 pm. After a welcoming toast and introduction of captain and crew, 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.
 
Day 04: Cape Horn - Wulaia Bay
Around the break of dawn, Stella Australis crosses Nassau Bay and enters the remote archipelago that comprises 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 (currently awaiting repair after being damaged by fierce winds).

Sailing back across Nassau Bay, we anchor at 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 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 wooded mountain behind the bay. On all of these you stroll through an enchanted Magellanic forest of lengas, coigües, canelos and ferns to reach panoramic viewpoints overlooking the bay.
 
Day 05: Pía Glacier – Garibaldi 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, Ventus 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.

Making our way further west along the Beagle Channel, we enter another long fjord and drop anchor near Garibaldi Glacier for another shore excursion. Garibaldi is one of only three glaciers in Patagonia gaining mass rather than staying the same or slowly shrinking. This time we hike through virgin Magellanic forest to a glacial waterfall, a towering wall of ferns and moss, and spectacular viewpoints looking down on the glacier and fjord. The walk is demanding -- very steep, negligible trail, rough footing -- and not for everyone. For those who choose to stay onboard, our captain will point the bow towards the beautiful sky blue Garibaldi Glacier so everyone can enjoy the panoramic view from the upper decks.
 
Day 06: Agostini Sound – Águila Glacier – Cóndor Glacier
Early in the morning, we will 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. This morning, we will disembark and go for an easy walk around a lagoon, which was formed by the melting of the Águila Glacier.  We will reach a spot right in front of that glacier with stunning views.  In the afternoon, we will approach the Condor Glacier via Zodiac -- and hopefully see some of the abundant Andean Condors in the area.
 
Day 07: Magdalena Island - Punta Arenas
After an overnight cruise through Magdalena Channel and back into the Strait of Magellan, we 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. In September and April -- when the penguins dwell elsewhere -- this excursion is replaced by a ride aboard Zodiacs to Marta Island to observe South American sea lions. After a short cruise south along the strait, disembarkation at Punta Arenas is scheduled for around 11:30 AM.

End of the services.

Accommodations

Important note: In the event that one of the hotels does not have availability, it will be exchanged for a hotel with similar characteristics.

Faq
All our tours and local suppliers are implementing and demanding all sanitary measures to make our tourist experiences as safe as possible. Face masks are mandatory for passengers in public areas. Hand sanitization available for passengers and staff during the tour, and regularly sanitized vehicles.
All tours can be canceled and rescheduled with 48 hours of anticipation.
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