Mare Australis II
Code: CRUAT09
Duration: 5 Days / 4 NightsUshuaia - Punta Arenas
Day 1 – Wednesday - Punta ArenasCheck in at San Martín 245, Ushuaia, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Cruise ship boarding from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The Captain and crew give a welcome cocktail reception on board. Immediately afterwards, the ship departs for “the uttermost part of the earth.” Our excursion will take us through the Beagle Channel and the Strait of Magellan to explore one of the most captivating wilderness regions in the world: Southern Patagonia, and Tierra del Fuego. We have just embarked on a Great Adventure!
Day 2 – Thursday - Cape Horn / Wulaia Bay
We sail through the Beagle and Murray channels to reach Cape Horn National Park, where we will disembark (weather permitting). Cape Horn, is a sheer, 425-meter (1,394-foot) high rocky promontory, and in the past it was the only entrance to the Pacific Ocean. This place is known as the “End of the Earth”, and it’s the last territory before Antarctica. The park was declared a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in June 2005. In the afternoon, we go ashore in historic Wulaia Bay, once the site of one of the region’s largest Yamana aboriginal settlements. Charles Darwin landed here on January 23rd, 1833, during the voyage of the HMS Beagle. This area is also renowned for the mesmerizing beauty of its vegetation and geography. We will walk through a Magellanic forest of Lengas, Coihues, Canelos, ferns, and other native vegetation to reach a look-out point.
Day 3 – Friday - Piloto and Nena Glaciers
In the morning we sail through the desolate Brecknock and Ocasión channels, to reach Cockburn Channel in the afternoon. After lunch, we arrive at Chico Sound and disembark in Zodiac boats to explore Alakaluf Fjord, and to see its beautiful waterfalls and observe the Piloto and Nena glaciers from the sea. We will learn about the formation of glaciers and their influence in the abrupt geography of the region’s channels.
Day 4 – Saturday - Isla Magdalena / Punta Arenas
Early in the morning, we go ashore on Magdalena Island (weather permitting). Located in the Strait of Magellan, it was an essential source of supplies for navigators and explorers in the past. The island is inhabited by an immense colony of Magellanic Penguins which can be sighted during our walk to a lighthouse, which guides ships on their way through the strait. In September and April this excursion is replaced by a Zodiac boat ride at Isla Marta to observe sea lions. After our visit, we sail to Punta Arenas, disembarking at 11:30 a.m.
