In the Wake of Magellan: Patagonia by Land & Sea

Day 1: Santiago

Early morning airport reception and transfer to the Hotel Plaza San Francisco. In the afternoon take a historic tour of Santiago including the Presidential Palace, once the National Mint and thus called "La Moneda", the historic main square or "Plaza de Armas", the Cathedral, the National History Museum, and "Casa Colorado" the historic residence of the Governor. Continue on to Santa Lucia, the hill upon which the Spanish founded Santiago in 1541. Overnight at the Park Plaza Santiago or similar.

Accomodations: Santiago Park Plaza

Day 2: Puerto Natales - Torres del Paine National Park

Transfer to the airport for a morning flight to Punta Arenas. Upon arrival, you’ll be met by a local transfer agent to begin your journey to Puerto Natales, watching for guanaco, ostrich, black-necked swan, flamingo and condor along the way. Located on the shores of La Ultima Esperanza (Last Hope) Sound, Puerto Natales is ideally located for travelers who want to sample Torres del Paine National Park and soak up the beauty of southern Patagonia on easy day hikes, but value a high degree of comfort and prefer not to endure the long overland journey into the heart of the park. Your home for the next three nights is the elegant Singular Patagonia Lodge, where you can choose among an assortment of guided excursions into Torres del Paine National Park and exploring the surrounding mountains, rivers and pampas. Overnight at the Singular Patagonia Lodge. [BD]

Accomodations: The Singular Patagonia

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Days 3 - 4: Torres Del Paine National Park & Environs

A team of expert guides host expeditions that show you the real Patagonia, far beyond just Torres del Paine. Venture through hidden fjords to access remote mountains and hanging glaciers, visit authentic ranches, horseback ride across the pampas and kayak quiet rivers through dense beech forests. Challenge yourself with a long day-hike up to the glacial lake at the base of the Towers in Torres del Paine National Park or explore the park by vehicle with short stops for photographs and easy hikes to scenic outlooks. Guests can choose different guided activities each day but also always have the leisure to take the mountain bikes and pedal into the nearby town on their own. The hotel has a complete spa offering a variety of treatments and the heated pool, indoor and outdoor, is the perfect end after a day of incredible expeditions. At the restaurant you'll find a blend of native and international cuisine for a unique dining experience and the bar offers a great place to mingle with other guests, discuss the day's adventures and plan for the next one over a happy hour cocktail to glass of South America's finest wines. Overnight at the Singular Patagonia Lodge. [BLD]

Accomodations: The Singular Patagonia

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5: Punta Arenas

After breakfast in the morning, your vehicle takes you south to Punta Arenas. Upon arrival into this port city in the mid-afternoon, you'll be taken to the local office to register for your cruise to Ushuaia aboard the M/V Stella Australis or the M/V Via Australis. Check-in is between 1:00 PM and 5:00 PM, with embarkation commencing at 6:00 PM. The Captain and crew will welcome you aboard with a cocktail party when you get to meet your fellow shipmates. Shortly after, the ship will sail to the ends of the world, through fabled Strait of Magellan towards Tierra del Fuego (Land of Fire) and Patagonia. Welcome aboard dinner.

Accomodations: M/V Stella Australis and M/V Via Australis

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6: Ainsworth Bay & Tuckers Islets

With the first light of dawn, navigation will continue through Almirantazgo Fjord. Disembark in scenic Ainsworth Bay near Marinelli Glacier in Alberto De Agostini National Park. Here you will take a walk to get an up-close look at an elephant seal colony (depending on the animal’s location) and enjoy the solitude of the Magellan Forests. Enjoy the splendid views of the surrounding Darwin Mountain Range. After lunch, board Zodiac boats to observe a colony of Magellanic penguins (found only in the Southern Hemisphere) and look for cormorants in search of fish. In September & April, outside of the penguins breeding season, you travel instead go to Brookes Bay to visit a different glacier.

Accomodations: M/V Stella Australis and M/V Via Australis

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 7: Pia Glacier/Glacier Alley

Early morning finds us navigating the Beagle Channel, entering Pia Bay. After disembarking near Pia Glacier, an exhilarating hike takes you to a lookout point that is ideal for viewing the mountain range where the glacier originates and its flow all the way to the sea. This afternoon, set sail again along the northwest arm of the Beagle Channel through majestic “Glacier Alley”: home of the the Spain, Romanche, Germany, Italy, France and Holland glaciers. Overnight onboard.

Accomodations: M/V Stella Australis and M/V Via Australis

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 8: Cape Horn/Wulaia Bay

Sail through the Beagle and Murray Channels to disembark in Cape Horn National Park. Cape Horn, a sheer, almost 425-meter-high promontory where the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean merge, was discovered in 1616 by the Dutch commercial expedition organized by Isaac Le Maire. The Cape owes its name to the Port of Hoorn, the expedition’s departure point. In the afternoon, will disembark at historic Wulaia Bay, once the site of the largest Yamana aboriginal settlements. Charles Darwin landed here in 1833 and you'll walk through the beautiful native vegetation to a lookout point. This evening, the Captain invites us to our Farewell Dinner as we prepare to sail for Ushuaia, Argentina. Overnight onboard.

*Note that the landing at Cape Horn National Park is weather permitting only.

Accomodations: M/V Stella Australis and M/V Via Australis

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 9: Ushuaia

Leave Puerto Williams at 4.00 a.m., slowly sailing across the Beagle Channel toward the island of Tierra del Fuego and reach Ushuaia, the most important settlement on the island, at dawn. Disembarkation begins at 08:00. Passengers leaving the ship at this port must comply with entry documents into Argentina. After disembarking from the ship, meet your guide and leave directly from the pier to begin a small-group exploration of Tierra del Fuego National Park. Hiking through these beech forests, watch for Magellanic woodpeckers, Austral Parakeets, Black-Chested Buzzard Eagles and the Andean Condor. Climb aboard an 18-person zodiac boat for lunch and an afternoon walk on Isla Redonda. Motoring back in Lapataia Bay, observe cormorants, albatross and petrels then hike an old trail to Laguna Verde, where the vehicle awaits for transport back to Ushuaia. Overnight at the Los Yamanas Hotel (a short distance outside of town) or similar.

Accomodations: Los Yamanas

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 10: El Calafate

Free morning to shop and explore Ushuaia on your own. We recommend you visit the small "End of the World Museum" where you can review the history of exploration and development of the region at your leisure. Afternoon transfer to the airport and fly to El Calafate. Airport reception and transfer for overnight at Estancia Alta Vista, part of a working Patagonian ranch where the hosts, Federico and Tamara, welcome guests with genuine warmth and hospitality. Located about 20 minutes outside of El Calafate, the estancia offers excellent opportunities to hike or ride horses. Rooms have fixed twin beds and wines, beers and spirits are an additional cost.

Accomodations: Hosteria Alta Vista

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 11: Perito Moreno Glacier

Drive to a spectacular lookout of Perito Moreno Glacier in Los Glaciares National Park. Permanently advancing along its 3-mile-front, columns of ice over 20 stories high peel off the face and crash into Lago Argentino creating massive icebergs. Cross Lago Argentino by catamaran along the front wall of the glacier to the edge of the Patagonian Ice Cap to hike beech forest and up onto the ice pack! Don crampons to explore the crevasses, caves and tunnels of this active glacier. Watch for Andean condor and Buff-necked Ibis. Enjoy a picnic lunch by the lateral moraine of the glacier and return to the Perito Moreno lookout for hiking and photographing. Overnight at the Alta Vista.

Note: The Moreno glacier walk is a local group excursion of up to 20 persons operated by a local park concession for ages 12-65. Ask about our Big Ice Exploration, an alternative, longer, 3-hour hike with a smaller group that ventures deeper into the depths of the glacier! Age restrictions apply.

Accomodations: Hosteria Alta Vista

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 12: Buenos Aires

Morning at your leisure to enjoy the estancia life. Time permitting, you can hike the trails through the property or go for a horseback ride accompanied by the estancia’s gauchos. Transfer to El Calafate airport for late afternoon or evening fight to Buenos Aires. You’ll be met at the airport and escorted into the city for overnight at the Hotel Madero.

Accomodations: Hotel Madero

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 13: Departure

Explore Buenos Aires on our Four Balconies of Buenos Aires half-day city tour. A local guide uses four parks and plazas to introduce you to the city, its history, its style, and the peculiar psychology of Porteo residents. You visit historical sites such as the Barrio Norte with its splendid old homes; San Telmo where the artist and musicians live and work; La Boca, a neighborhood of brightly painted Italian family homes and restaurants; and the Avenida 9 de Julio with its towering obelisk as much a symbol to Buenos Aires as the Eiffel Tower is to Paris. Your hotel room is available as a day-room until the early evening, when you transfer to the international airport in time for your evening departure.

Meals Included: Breakfast