Sail fjords at the end of the world

Day 1 Puerto Varas / Punta Arenas - (Mare Australis Cruise)

Meeting services and transfer to the pier to board the Mare Australis your home for the next 7 days. This evening begins a great adventure sailing south through the fabled Strait of Magellan towards Tierra del Fuego, Fire Island and Patagonia. Here you'll discover a scenic paradise of forests, awesome glaciers and snow capped summits making our way through the picturesque fjords and channels, rich with flora and fauna. (L)

Day 2 Brookes Glacier and Tucker Islet

During the cruise, there are daily onshore visits lasting about two hours. These tours are led by the Mare Australis naturalists are walks through the native forest and visits to glaciers accompanied by naturist chat about the flora and fauna you will be seeing. A whisky with millenary ice (from a glacier) or a cup of hot chocolate will be served on the beach before returning to the ship. This morning navigation through Almirantazgo Cove up to Marinelli Glacier. We will board zodiacs for an unforgettable excursion to take a walk to see beaver dams and the Magellan Forest. You will also see a sea lion colony up close. Continue to the Brookes Glacier, while enjoying vintage whiskey chilled with ice from the 20,000-year old Millennia Glacier. Then we visit a small Magellanic penguin colony at Tucker Islet, also spotting dolphins swimming in these tranquil waters.
Tonight, enjoy a recap of today's adventures followed by dinner. (B,L,D)

Day 3 Serrano Glacier

Early morning navigation past Serrano Glacier and then into Agostini fjord for vistas of D'Agostini Glacier with disembarkation at Condor Glacier for short walk in the wilderness and zodiac ride along the shores. From our landing-place we walk towards an observation point to view the magnificence of the glacier and listen to the thundering sounds caused by the splitting and falling-off of large masses of ice, a wonder of nature that has been going on for thousands of years. In the afternoon we continue sailing through the Magdalena Channel until we reach Brenock Channel.
Lunch, social hour and a recap of the day's activities followed by dinner. (B,L,D)

Day 4 Puerto Williams

Morning navigation in Garibaldi Bay with views of impressive Garibaldi Glacier and the impressive snow fields of the Darwin Range and cruising past colony of sea lions with eco-walk along the beach and to nearby forest, one of the wildest and thickest forests of Patagonia, as our guides tell us about its flora, fauna and geography. Cruising the northwest arm of the Beagle Channel; you should get your cameras and binoculars ready for the first sights of the majestic "Avenue of the Glaciers" with its six imposing glaciers. Late afternoon we set sail for Puerto Williams, capital of the Chilean Antarctica Region.
Tonight, the Captain invites you for a Mid-cruise dinner, saying farewell to passengers disembarking in Ushuaia. (B,L,D)

Day 5 Puerto Williams / Ushuaia

Leave Puerto Williams, slowly sailing across the Beagle Channel to reach Ushuaia at Tierra del Fuego . Enjoy a free day to visit the city or choose from an optional tours menu including Tierra del Fuego National Park and Fagnano and Escondidi Lakes. (B,L,D)

Day 6 Cape Horn / Wulaia Bay

Navigation through the Beagle Channel and Murray Channnel to disembark in the Cabo de Hornos ( Cape Horn ) National Park. Cape Horn is a natural sea wall of almost 425 meters (1300 feet) high that was discovered on January 30, 1616 by a commercial expedition from the Netherlands organized by Isaac Le Maire and under the command of Captain Willem Schouten. Cape Horn owes its name to the Port of Hoorn from which the expedition had originated on June 14, 1615. We will visit Horn Island, to get a panoramic view of the famous and mythical Cape Horn, the place where the Pacific and Atlantic oceans meet, and last promontory of South America .
This afternoon we disembark in Walaia Bay, one of the most important indigenous sites of the region. (B,L,D)

Day 7 Pia Glacier

We will sail back across the main branch of the Beagle Channel to disembark at Pia Glacier situated along the north-west arm of the Beagle Channel. We will take a short walk to an observation point that offering excellent vantage point to view the mountain range where we will hear the thunderous sounds of large masses of ice cracking and dropping into the bay. This afternoon we navigate through O'Brian and Ballenero Channels, Bahía Desolada, Paso Aguirre and Brecknock Channel.
This evening our Farewell Dinner and Grand Farewell Party. (B,L,D)

Day 8 Magdalena Island - Punta Arenas

Following Breakfast, we disembark in Magdalena Island, a natural reserve of Magellan penguins, cormorants, and other birds which peacefully coexist with sea-lions. Here we will discover a "rookery" of more than 120 thousand penguins that come back year after year to nest in the same burrows built by them. Between October and March they occupy almost the entire island, and are a unique sight. We will take a walk to San Isidro Lighthouse, which used to guide the explorer sailors on their way across the Strait of Magellan. After our visit we will return to Punta Arenas where we dock at 11.00 AM and start disembarkation formalities.
Transfer from the pier to the airport. (B)