Travel to Argentina, Chile, Patagonia: In the Wake of Magellan: Patagonia by Land & Sea

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In the Wake of Magellan: Patagonia by Land & Sea

			DAYS: 14 GRADE: I define PRICE: From $6550 per person (Includes Local Air) HIGHLIGHTS: Santiago Torres del Paine Tierra Del Fuego Chilean fjords aboard the MV Mare Australis Perito Moreno Glacier Buenos Aires and Iguazu Falls add-on. ACCOMMODATIONS: Hotels/Lodges Yacht/Ship MEALS: As noted  [B-Breakfast, L-Lunch,   D-Dinner] Prices, Departure Dates and Included Services Send to a Friend Print this Itinerary

Immerse yourself in the wilds of Patagonia by land and sea. Arriving in Santiago, Chile and departing from Buenos Aires, Argentina, our circumnavigation of Patagonia combines a 5-day voyage with overland explorations led by naturalist guides in Torres del Paine, Tierra del Fuego and Los Glaciares National Parks. Voyage through the Straits of Magellan and Beagle Channel aboard the 129 passenger M/V Mare Australis.  Glide through fjords, inlets, glaciers and islands between Punta Arenas, Chile and the Argentine city of Ushuaia, in Tierra del Fuego. The comfortable, informal expedition ship offers evening lectures in which you relive the incredible history of exploration, discover the ancient lands of the Yamanas, Onas, Alacalufes and Tehuelches.  Daily excursions into the field permit close-up observation of icebergs and glaciers, penguins, elephant seals and many other species of wildlife. Optional add-ons are available in the Chilean Lakes District or Iguazu Falls.

Read an article from the San Francisco Chronicle on Torres del Paine National Park

The M/V Mare Australis navigates across the Strait of Magellan.

DAY 1 :  SANTIAGO
Early morning airport reception and transfer to the Plaza San Francisco, an elegant and well-appointed hotel in the heart of Santiago. 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 Plaza San Francisco.

DAY 2 :  PUNTA ARENAS - SENO OTWAY PENGUIN RESERVE
Morning transfer for our early flight to Punta Arenas on the Straits of Magellan and the frigid Antarctic waters of Tierra del Fuego (Weight limit on this flight is 20 kilos). Late afternoon visit to the nesting colony of Magellanic Penguins at Seno Otway (October through March). The reserve is supported by the World Wildlife Fund and staffed by renowned scientists from all over the world. There are well-marked trails and blinds for visitors to gain a close-up observations of these quirky creatures nesting and caring for their young in their natural habitat. Return to Punta Arenas to overnight at Hotel Cabo de Hornos or similar. [B]

DAY 3 :  MILODON CAVE AND TORRES DEL PAINE
Free morning to explore the southernmost city in Chile and largest Chilean settlement in Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. Consider visiting one of the museums depicting settlement of this harsh region. Transfer (5 hrs) to Torres del Paine National Park, watching for guanaco, ostrich, black-necked swan, flamingo and condor along the way.  Visit the enormous Milodn Cave that once sheltered a giant prehistoric sloth.  Overnight at Hosteria Las Torres or similar. [BLD]

Note: The order of activities in the Park is contingent upon weather conditions and may be changed at the guides discretion.

	Easy going walks lead to a view of Cuernos del Paine or "horns".

DAY 4 :  TORRES DEL PAINE NATIONAL PARK
Drive across Torres del Paine National Park admiring the impressive Paine Grande and Los Cuernos en route to the shores of Lago Pehoeiconic images of this dramatic region. Enjoy a short hike to the rushing waters of the Salto Grande waterfall and continue hiking over the leisurely Nordenskjold trail until reaching the Mirador Cuernos and its spectacular vistas over the entire massif.  After returning to Lago Pehoe, we drive south to the shores of Lago Grey and enjoy a picnic lunch.  After lunch, we board our catamaran and sail (1 1/2 hrs round trip) across the lake to the imposing walls of the Grey Glacier.  The glacier is located at the south end of the Southern Patagonian Ice Fieldthe worlds third largest extension of continental ice after the Antarctica and Greenland spanning 350 km in length.  Weather permitting we will enjoy a walk on the beach of Lago Grey where we have the opportunity to admire large bergs of the glacier resting on the shoreline. Drive back to Hosteria Las Torres or similar for dinner and overnight. [BLD]

DAY 5 :  TORRES DEL PAINE
Today we will have the opportunity to observe the Parks endemic wildlife including guanaco, Patagonian fox, nandus (Patagonean rhea), and diverse bird life such as the majestic condor whose wing span can measure up to 9 feet. We will enjoy walks (2-hours) over flat terrain across the "Ruta de la Fauna" at Lago Sarmiento and the other small lakes in the vicinitymany of which are home to Chilean flamingo and guanaco (Llama Guanacoe) herds. The guanaco is native to South America and they are found in the altiplano of Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Chile and Argentina. In Chile and Argentina they are more numerous in Patagonian regions, including Torres del Paine National Park and Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego. The route also affords panoramic views of the Paine massif and frequent sightings of puma tracks. The puma (Chilean cougar) hides along the shores of Lago Sarmiento where natural shelters form in the calcium-carbonate soil that surrounds the lake. Dinner and overnight at Hosteria Grey (or similar), a small, cozy lodge nestled in the forest facing the lake with a spectacular view of the glacier in the distance. [BLD]

DAY 6 :  GREY GLACIER
Enjoy an easy-going morning at the hosteria with a splendid view over the lake and massive icebergs broken off the giant glacier at the headwaters. Walk through beech forests and over flat glacial deposits forming the Grey Peninsula to a spectacular lookout point over the lake. In the later morning, our vehicle takes us through the park then south to Punta Arenas on the shores of the famous Last Hope Sound. At the pier, check-in with the ship's staff of the M/V Mare Australis. After being shown to your cabin, 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 (Fire Island) and Patagonia. Welcome aboard dinner. [BLD]

DAY 7 :  AINSWORTH BAY MARINELLI & BROOKES GLACIERS
With the first light of dawn, navigation will continue through Almirantazgo Fjord. Disembark in Ainsworth Bay near Marinelli Glacier, where we take a walk to get an upclose look at an elephant seal colony, and enjoy the solitude of the Magellan Forests. During the afternoon, journey to Brookes Glacier Bay, a glacier-shrouded inlet where we hike near Brookes Glacier.[BLD]

Wildlife encounters with Magellanic Penguins aboard the Australis.

DAY 8 :  PIA GLACIER - GLACIER ALLEY
Early morning finds us navigating the Beagle Channel, entering Pia Bay. After disembarking near Pia Glacier, an exhilarating hike takes us 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, we set sail again along the northwest arm of the Beagle Channel through majestic Glacier Alley: Spain, Romanche, Germany, Italy, France and Holland glaciers.[BLD]

DAY 9 :  CAPE HORN - PUERTO WILLIAMS
Today, we 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 expeditions departure point.  In the afternoon we make port at Puerto Williams, the southernmost town in the world. Here you may take optional tours to the Martin Gusinde museum, or a breathtaking flight over the impressive Cape Horn. The Captain invites us for our Farewell Dinner as we prepare to sail for Ushuaia in Argentina.[BLD]

DAY 10 :  USHUAIA
Leave Puerto Williams at 4.00 a.m., slowly sailing across the Beagle Channel toward the island of Tierra del Fuego. We reach Ushuaia, the most important settlement on the island, at dawn. Disembarkation begins at 08:00. Leaving directly from the pier, begin an 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, we observe cormorants and sea lions, albatross and petrels then hike an old trail to Laguna Verde, where the vehicle awaits back to Ushuaia. Overnight at the Hotel Los Fuegos or similar.[BL]

DAY 11 :  EL CALAFATE
Free morning to shop and explore 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. Transfer to the airport and fly to El Calafate. (If flights to El Calafate are not available, then fly to Rio Gallegos. Drive 3-4 hours across the steppe to the town of Calafate near Lago Argentino). Overnight at the El Galpon Del Glaciar, Alta Vista or similar. [BD]

Note: Airport tax of $18 must be paid by passenger in Ushuaia airport.

	Perito Moreno from one of the many easily accessible viewpoints.

DAY 12 :  MORENO GLACIER WALK
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. We 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! 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 El Galpon Del Glaciar, Alta Vista or similar. [BLD]

DAY 13 :  BUENOS AIRES
Transfer to El Calafate airport for late afternoon or evening fight to Buenos Aires. Transfer in and overnight at the Hotel Elevage or similar. [B]

Note: Airport tax of $18 must be paid by passenger in El Calafate airport.

DAY 14 :  DEPARTURE
Airport transfer for your return flight home. [B]

Questions? Ask Our Program Directors.

. C o n t a c t Breanne Stovall 1(800)345-4453