Cruising to The End of The Earth- Patagonia

Today we will head back to the airport for a morning flight to Punta Arenas. Here we will be met by our guide and taken to the Australis cruise ship office. We will head to the Arturo Prat Port in Punta Arenas to board the cruise ship at 6 PM. After a welcome toast and introduction from the boat captain and crew, the ship will depart for one of the most remote corners of the planet. Through the night, we will cross the Magellan Straight to enter a labyrinth of channels that define the extreme South 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. 

By sunrise, we will be sailing up The Seno Almirantazgo, a spectacular offshoot of the Magellan Strait that stretches nearly halfway across Tierra del Fuego. The snowcapped peaks of Karukinka Natural Park is found on the north side, while the south shore is defined by deep fjords and the bays of The Alberto de Agostini National Park. We will go ashore at Ainsworth Bay, home to many bird species and a colony of southern elephant seals. You can choose between two guided excursions: - one is along the edge of a stream and beaver habitat to a waterfall, with a moss-covered rock face, tucked deep inside a pristine forest; the other is a more strenuous hike along the crest of a glacial moraine. Both offer spectacular views of The Marinelli Glacier and The Darwin Mountains. We will continue, sailing west to the Tucker Islets. After lunch, we board a smaller boat for a close-up view of the Magellan penguins that inhabit the tiny islands. More than 4,000 penguins use Tucker as a nesting ground. Many other bird species are also found in the area including king cormorants, oystercatchers, Chilean skuas, kelp geese, dolphin gulls, eagles and even the occasional Andean condor. 

Overnight, we will sail around the western end of Tierra del Fuego via the very narrow Gabrial Channel, Magdalena Channel and Cockburn Channel. After rounding the Brecknock Peninsula, we will enter the Beagle Channel once more. By morning we are entering The Pia Fjord and we will set out on a tour of the Pia Glacier. This magnificent glacier will come into sight very quickly, extending from the mountain peaks down to the sea. We can also choose a more difficult walk up the lateral moraine of the old Pia Glacier. No one knows for certain how this mass of snow and ice got its name, but one theory says it was named after the Princess Maria Pia of Savoy (1847-1911). Returning to the ship, we continue east along the Beagle Channel through The Glacier Alley. Living up to its name, the passage features a number of impressive glaciers flowing down from the Darwin Mountains and Darwin Ice Sheet onto the north shore.

During the morning, we will head across Nassau Bay into the remote archipelago that includes Cape Horn National Park. Weather and sea conditions permitting, we will go ashore onto the windswept island that harbours the legendary Cape Horn. Discovered in 1616 by a Dutch maritime expedition, Cape Horn is a sheer 425-metre (1,394-foot) high rocky outcrop overlooking the turbulent waters of the Drake Passage. For many years it was the only navigation route between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, 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. In the afternoon 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. 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

Today, we sail into Argentinian waters and dock in Ushuaia, the world's southernmost city.  This marks the end of this incredible Patagonian tour to the end of the world. We will take you to the airport for your ongoing flight to your next exciting destination!