Patagonia Fjords - Northbound

• Day 1 - Ushuaia; Embarkation Day

  At 55 degrees latitude south, Ushuaia (pronounced oo-swy-ah) is closer to the South Pole than to Argentina's northern border with Bolivia. It is the capital and tourism base for Tierra del Fuego, the island at the southernmost tip of Argentina.Although its stark physical beauty is striking, Tierra del Fuego's historical allure is based more on its mythical past than on rugged reality. The island was inhabited for 6,000 years by Yámana, Haush, Selk'nam, and Alakaluf Indians. But in 1902 Argentina, eager to populate Patagonia to bolster its territorial claims, moved to initiate an Ushuaian penal colony, establishing the permanent settlement of its most southern territories and, by implication, everything in between.

• Day 2 - Garibaldi Fjord & Glacier

  The approach to the Garibaldi Glacier is through one of Chile’s newest and largest national parks: Parque Nacional Alberto de Agostini (more than 9,000 square kilometers or 5,600 square miles). It is not only a national park, but has been declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve because of its swaths of distinct ecosystems and its special landscapes. The Garibaldi Fjord itself is a narrow passage strewn with floating ice in shades of sapphire blue and teal green. Ribbons of waterfalls snake down the steep mountainsides. At the head of this picturesque fjord is the splendor of the retreating Garibaldi Glacier.

• Day 3 - Albero de Agostini National Park / Ainsworth Bay

  Alberto de Agostini National Park was created in 1965 and takes its name from an Italian explorer, photographer, writer and missionary of the Salesians of Don Bosco order that lived and explored Patagonia as a missionary around 1930. De Agostini was known for his discoveries, photographs and maps of the region. The park is located in the Region of Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica, the southernmost, largest, and second least populated region of Chile. The park covers 5,637 square miles and touches Magallanes, Tierra del Fuego and Antarctica provinces. It is the third largest protected area of the country.

• Day 4 - Punta Arenas

  Impenetrable forests, impassable mountains, and endless fields of ice define Chilean Patagonia, and meant that the region went largely unexplored until the beginning of the 20th century. Located in the southernmost part of the country, this area is still sparsely inhabited, though you will find a few populated places—like the colorful provincial city of Punta Arenas, which looks like it's about to be swept into the Strait of Magellan. Some unique wildlife, particularly colonies of elephant seals and penguins, call this breathtaking topography home.

• Day 5 - Montanas Fjord

  Montanas Fjords & Bernal Glacier are located in the Region of Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica, inside the Alacalufes Chilean National Reserve. Created in 1969, the reserve is filled in every corner by the sea and crowned by snowdrifts - a beautiful place where the impressive scenery of Patagonia can be observed. The five fjords stretch 66 km from north to south and they are flanked by two mountain ranges, the Cordillera Sarmiento – a subrange of the Andes - to the west and the Cordillera Riesco to the east. Until very recently Sarmiento was a forgotten land, it has quickly become renowned because of the incredible features the reserve offers.

• Day 6 - Puerto Natales

  With a population of roughly 18,000, Puerto Natales is the capital of the Ultima Esperanza Province. Founded in 1911, it quickly developed into a major residential center and shipping port for the area’s products. Nestled on a gently-sloping point amid spectacular scenery, the town overlooks the Ultima Esperanza Gulf and has a nice view of the Balmaceda Mountain. It provides services for the region’s intense livestock activity. Many of its inhabitants work at the Argentinian coal mines in Rio Turbio and return home over the weekend. A growing number of tourists are using the town as a jumping-off point for visiting the spectacular Torres del Paine and Balmaceda National Parks, and the nearby fjords.

• Day 7 - Cruise Chilean Fjords

  Winding through the vast expanses of the Chilean Fjords will reveal mountains looming on both sides, waterfalls, and the marvel of hardy flora clinging to barren rocks. Seals and dolphins patrol the length of these uninhabited fjords as they have done for millennia. Small fishing-boats come out of Punta Arenas luring fish and trapping for king crab, while terns dip and glide coaxing their own small fish out of the deep, dark fjord waters amongst tiny islands thick with vegetation.

• Day 8 - Cruising Pio XI Glacier / Cruise English Narrows

  The Pio XI Glacier is classified as a tidewater glacier, which means the river of ice starts in the high mountains and then courses downhill all the way to sea level where it slowly melts into the salty ocean bit-by-bit. The Pio XI Glacier is an offshoot of the South Patagonian Ice Field and approaching from the sea, the ice sprawls out in front of the ship in a wide band that reflects a remarkable shade of brilliant blue.

• Day 9 - Tortel

  Tortel is a commune located in Southern Patagonia, a spectacular wilderness region of rugged mountains, glaciers, rivers and forests of infinite beauty. The uneven geography of Tortel shapes a unique landscape, characterized by an archipelagic area with numerous islands and channels. Tortel is known as the “footbridge city” for the unique beauty of its wooden walkways that connect the piers and houses of this quaint place through bridges and stairs, built from cypress wood, that run for four and a half miles around the cove and that respect the rich vegetation that grows under them. Even though it is the sixth largest commune in Chile, it has the lowest population of all with roughly 531 people.

• Day 10/14 - At Sea

  While we're at sea, enjoy wine tastings, designer boutiques, language and dance classes. Take in a matinee movie, check the market or your e-mail in the Internet Point, slip away with a novel from the library to a sunny chaise or with a movie to your suite. Or just take in the sun pool side. The choice is yours.

• Day 11 - Castro

  Bright, wooden huts teeter on stilts over Castro's estuary waterfront, inviting you into a patchwork of colour that’s sure to brighten any day. These traditional palafitos give the warmest of welcomes, as you prepare to experience Chile at its most vibrant. Castro has faced something of a tumultuous past, having been hit by a by a succession of earthquakes and fires - the most recent a devastating earthquake in 1960. But this city is incredibly resilient, and today the capital of Chiloe Island makes for a fantastic base for exploring the archipelago that surrounds it.

• Day 12 - Puerto Montt

  For most of its history, windy Puerto Montt was the end of the line for just about everyone traveling in the Lake District. Now the Carretera Austral carries on southward, but for all intents and purposes Puerto Montt remains the region's last significant outpost, a provincial city that is the hub of local fishing, textile, and tourist activity.Today the city center is full of malls, condos, and office towers—it's the fastest-growing city in Chile—but away from downtown, Puerto Montt consists mainly of low clapboard houses perched above its bay, the Seno de Reloncaví. If it's a sunny day, head east to Playa Pelluco or one of the city's other beaches.

• Day 13 - Niebla

  Niebla is a small village on the banks of the Rio Valdivia where Chile’s Corral Bay meets the Pacific Ocean. Today Niebla is a beach resort, but in 1671 it was a defensive fortress built by the order of the Viceroy of Peru to prevent attacks against the town of Valdivia by pirates and corsairs. Niebla is well-known for its lively markets, the remains of the colonial fortress declared a National Monument in 1950 and restored in 1992, and a museum dedicated to its history. Nearby is the charming river port city of Valdivia, where cultural influences from the native Mapuche, Spanish settlers, and German immigrants have blended.

• Day 15 - Valparaiso; Disembarkation Day

  Valparaíso's dramatic topography—45 cerros, or hills, overlooking the ocean—requires the use of winding pathways and wooden ascensores (funiculars) to get up many of the grades. The slopes are covered by candy-color houses—there are almost no apartments in the city—most of which have exteriors of corrugated metal peeled from shipping containers decades ago. Valparaíso has served as Santiago's port for centuries. Before the Panama Canal opened, Valparaíso was the busiest port in South America. Harsh realities—changing trade routes, industrial decline—have diminished its importance, but it remains Chile's principal port.

Please consider that our voyages are expeditionary in nature. This means, that there are no concrete itineraries, your Captain and Expedition Leader will utilise their vast experience to chart the best course for your expedition depending on the climatic and environmental conditions. Mentioned highlights and wildlife cannot be guaranteed.