Patagonia & Chilean Fjords (A21)

A 9-day wilderness experience in Southern Chile and the Patagonia Ice Field.


Chilean Fjords
© A21

Visit the San Rafael Glacier, Puerto Eden, Madre de Dios Island, the Strait of Magellan and Tierra del Fuego, and the Beagle Channel.

Duration: 9 days
Starts: Ushuaia, Argentina
Ends: Puerto Montt, Chile
Language: English speaking voyage

This itinerary is also available in reverse beginning in Ushuaia and ending in Puerto Montt.


Included
Optional


On this wilderness expedition, visit Puerto Cisnes, the San Rafael Bay and Glacier, the Gulf of Penas, the isolated village of Puerto Eden, the Strait of Magellan and Tierra del Fuego, and the Beagle Channel.

Itinerary

© A21
© A21
© A21

Day 1: Puerto Montt, Embarkation
Your journey begins in Puerto Montt, Chile, with boarding between 3 and 4 PM (15:00 – 16:00 hr.)

Day 2: Puerto Cisnes
We head south to the village of Puerto Cisnes, in the remote region of Aysén, for an afternoon visit. We visit the seaport and explore the area, with its many fjords, islands, and channels. We hope to visit Magdalena Island, where we have a good chance of seeing penguins, cormorants, sea lions, and river otters.

Days 3: San Rafael
The expedition continues with a full day of activities planned at San Rafael Bay. Declared a Biosphere Reserve, the park is the main entry point to Chile’s Northern Icefields. San Rafael Glacier is the main attraction, but we will also enjoy exploring the surrounding fjords, channels, islands, and coves.

Day 4: Gulf of Penas
We cross the Gulf of Penas, enjoying beautiful views of the surrounding mountain ranges. As we continue to sail southward, the expedition team tells you about the indigenous inhabitants of these southern lands, the early Spanish colonizers, and famous explorers such as Charles Darwin, Fitz Roy, and Alberto de Agostini. You also learn about the region’s biodiversity with presentations on the local marine life and flora.

Day 5: Puerto Eden
We sail the dramatic, 18 mt-wide English Narrows on our way to the famous fishing village of Puerto Eden, one of Chile’s most isolated settlements. The village sits on the eastern side of Wellington Island and is only accessible by sea. Puerto Eden has no roads. Instead, a network of wooden boardwalks connects the houses and establishments. Rich evergreens cover the landscape steeped in indigenous traditions and culture, being home to the Kawéskar people.

Day 6: Madre de Dios Island
We continue sailing south towards Madre de Dios Island, several natural caves that create a unique landscape evocatively named Marble Glaciers. In one of those caves, skeletons of whales 2600 to 3500 years old have been discovered. Many caves near the coast were used in the past as burial sites by the Kawéskar people. The whole region is an ideal place for exploration.part of an uninhabited archipelago west of the Trinidad Channel and Concepción Channel.

Day 7: Strait of Magellan and Tierra del Fuego
While cruising along the Strait of Magellan, we explore the waters of the fiords that branch out from Tierra del Fuego, a region named after the fires that burned in local native settlements when the first European explorers arrived. We follow the remote coast around the Francisco Coloane Marine Park, a protected area in the southern hemisphere where whales feed. If you are lucky, you may be able to witness Humpback or Sei whales breaching in the distance. You may also see dolphins, sea lions, seals, penguins, albatrosses, and petrels.

Day 8: Beagle Channel
We continue along the Beagle Channel, a striking narrow passage, partly belonging to Chile and partly to Argentina. We sail along Glacier Alley, a 240 km (150 mi) stretch within the Channel in Southern Chile, home to a family of five glaciers: the Holanda, Italia, Francia, Alemania, and Romanche glaciers. We hope to explore the Garibaldi Fjord where we will be surrounded by hanging and tidewater glaciers; nearby waterfalls are so close they can almost be touched. Spectacular ice formations are sprawled along the sea, forming part of the Southern Patagonian Ice field and the snow-dusted Darwin Range. It is a perfect time to enjoy the graceful view and, if possible, get a glimpse of sea lions and steamer ducks. The Beagle Channel, with the Strait of Magellan to the north and the Drake Passage to the south, is one of the three navigable passages in South America connecting the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. On our way to Ushuaia, Argentina, the largest settlement on the channel, we will make a brief nighttime technical stop in Port Williams to comply with Chilean customs and immigration requirements.

Itinerary

Day 1: Puerto Montt, Embarkation
Your journey begins in Puerto Montt, Chile, with boarding between 3 and 4 PM (15:00 – 16:00 hr.)

Day 2: Puerto Cisnes
We head south to the village of Puerto Cisnes, in the remote region of Aysén, for an afternoon visit. We visit the seaport and explore the area, with its many fjords, islands, and channels. We hope to visit Magdalena Island, where we have a good chance of seeing penguins, cormorants, sea lions, and river otters.

Days 3: San Rafael
The expedition continues with a full day of activities planned at San Rafael Bay. Declared a Biosphere Reserve, the park is the main entry point to Chile’s Northern Icefields. San Rafael Glacier is the main attraction, but we will also enjoy exploring the surrounding fjords, channels, islands, and coves.

Day 4: Gulf of Penas
We cross the Gulf of Penas, enjoying beautiful views of the surrounding mountain ranges. As we continue to sail southward, the expedition team tells you about the indigenous inhabitants of these southern lands, the early Spanish colonizers, and famous explorers such as Charles Darwin, Fitz Roy, and Alberto de Agostini. You also learn about the region’s biodiversity with presentations on the local marine life and flora.

Day 5: Puerto Eden
We sail the dramatic, 18 mt-wide English Narrows on our way to the famous fishing village of Puerto Eden, one of Chile’s most isolated settlements. The village sits on the eastern side of Wellington Island and is only accessible by sea. Puerto Eden has no roads. Instead, a network of wooden boardwalks connects the houses and establishments. Rich evergreens cover the landscape steeped in indigenous traditions and culture, being home to the Kawéskar people.

Day 6: Madre de Dios Island
We continue sailing south towards Madre de Dios Island, several natural caves that create a unique landscape evocatively named Marble Glaciers. In one of those caves, skeletons of whales 2600 to 3500 years old have been discovered. Many caves near the coast were used in the past as burial sites by the Kawéskar people. The whole region is an ideal place for exploration.part of an uninhabited archipelago west of the Trinidad Channel and Concepción Channel.

Day 7: Strait of Magellan and Tierra del Fuego
While cruising along the Strait of Magellan, we explore the waters of the fiords that branch out from Tierra del Fuego, a region named after the fires that burned in local native settlements when the first European explorers arrived. We follow the remote coast around the Francisco Coloane Marine Park, a protected area in the southern hemisphere where whales feed. If you are lucky, you may be able to witness Humpback or Sei whales breaching in the distance. You may also see dolphins, sea lions, seals, penguins, albatrosses, and petrels.

Day 8: Beagle Channel
We continue along the Beagle Channel, a striking narrow passage, partly belonging to Chile and partly to Argentina. We sail along Glacier Alley, a 240 km (150 mi) stretch within the Channel in Southern Chile, home to a family of five glaciers: the Holanda, Italia, Francia, Alemania, and Romanche glaciers. We hope to explore the Garibaldi Fjord where we will be surrounded by hanging and tidewater glaciers; nearby waterfalls are so close they can almost be touched. Spectacular ice formations are sprawled along the sea, forming part of the Southern Patagonian Ice field and the snow-dusted Darwin Range. It is a perfect time to enjoy the graceful view and, if possible, get a glimpse of sea lions and steamer ducks. The Beagle Channel, with the Strait of Magellan to the north and the Drake Passage to the south, is one of the three navigable passages in South America connecting the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. On our way to Ushuaia, Argentina, the largest settlement on the channel, we will make a brief nighttime technical stop in Port Williams to comply with Chilean customs and immigration requirements.


© A21
© A21
© A21


INCLUSIONS

Comprehensive pre- and post-voyage information material.
Special access to Explorers House for guests in Punta Arenas.
Ship cruise as indicated in the itinerary corresponding to each expedition.
Daily buffet breakfast, à la carte lunch and dinner, as well as wine, beer, juice, soft drinks, coffee, tea, chocolate, cappuccino, water, and snacks on board the ship.
Loan of waterproof boots for landings, landing fees, contingency plan, and IAATO passenger fee.
All guided shore excursions, as well as lectures and entertainment on board.

EXCLUSIONS

Any item not specified in the Inclusions


Dates & Rates


Ship: Magellan Explorer | Date: 13 Sept 2024 - 21 Sept 2024 (2470)
Triple Suite
$5,995
Porthole
$6,495
Veranda Cabins
$6,995
Deluxe Veranda
$7,495
Penthouse Suite
$8,995
Suite
$8,595
Single
$8,995
Ship: Magellan Explorer | Date: 31 Mar 2025 - 08 Apr 2025 (2471)
Triple Suite
$5,995
Porthole
$6,495
Veranda Cabins
$6,995
Deluxe Veranda
$7,495
Penthouse Suite
$8,995
Suite
$8,995
Single
$8,995

* The prices are per person in US Dollars, unless expressly specified in a different currency. In that case, payment will be in US dollars at the exchange rate of the day.
** All prices will be re-confirmed by email at the time of booking.
NOTE: Embracing the unexpected is part of the legacy—and excitement—of expedition travel. When traveling in extremely remote regions, your expedition staff must allow the sea, the ice and the weather to guide route and itinerary details. This itinerary is a tentative outline of what you’ll experience on this voyage; please be aware that no specific itinerary can be guaranteed.

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