The Dazzling Diversity Of Patagonian Chile And Argentina

Met on arrival in Santiago and transfer to your hotel. Afternoon guided exploration of the historical and modern sights of Santiago. This will include La Moneda, a walk through the pedestrian streets of Huerfanos and Ahumada, the Plaza de Armas, and Santa Lucia Hill where the Spanish founded Santiago in 1541. Continue on to the cultural and artistic neighbourhood of Bellavista, explore San Cristobal Hill, and finish in elegant Providencia before returning to the hotel in the late afternoon.

Transfer to Santiago Airport and fly to Punta Arenas, Chile’s southernmost city. Met on arrival and transfer north to your hotel overlooking Sarmiento Lake and the eastern sector of Torres del Paine National Park. The National Park is home to 26 species of mammals including guanaco, puma, endangered South Andean deer (the huemul), Chile’s national symbol), two species of fox, and the Patagonian skunk. Bird species number 118 and include wading birds such as the Chilean flamingo which lives in the numerous lakes and lagoons across the park, 15 species of birds of prey including the Andean condor, and South America’s largest bird, the flightless rhea, which lives on the Patagonian steppe.

Enjoy two half days or one full day of shared excursions exploring Torres del Paine National Park and some less visited areas outside the National Park. These could include a hike to the Cuernos viewpoint, French Valley or the Base of the Towers; horse riding or vehicle-based excursions to some of the principal sites of interest within the National Park; or a visit to Estancia Cerro Guido outside the Park.

Enjoy two half days or one full day of shared excursions exploring the area.

Transfer to Punta Arenas and board the Stella Australis for a four-night cruise to Ushuaia, Argentina. During the night the ship crosses the Strait of Magellan and enters the labyrinth of channels on the southern extreme of Patagonia.

Awake in Admiralty Sound, an offshoot of the Strait of Magellan that stretches nearly halfway across Tierra del Fuego. The snow-capped peaks of Karukinka Natural Park stretch along the north side of the sound, while to the south are the deep fjords and broad bays of Alberto Agostini National Park. Go ashore at Ainsworth Bay and either walk to a waterfall inside pristine sub-polar forest, or have a more strenuous hike along the crest of a glacial moraine. Both afford excellent views of Marinelli Glacier and the Darwin Mountains.

Leave Ainsworth Bay and sail west along the sound to the Tucker Islets. In the afternoon explore the islets by Zodiac too see a Magellanic penguin colony (October to March) numbering more than 4,000 and a wealth of other bird life.

In the morning board the Zodiacs for a shore excursion to Pia Glacier. Disembark for either a short hike to gain a panoramic view of the spectacular glacier, or a longer and more difficult walk up a lateral moraine of the old Pia Glacier.

Back on board the ship continue east along the Beagle Channel through Glacier Alley. Here there are a number of impressive tidewater glaciers flowing down from the Darwin Mountains and Darwin Ice Sheet.

During the early morning navigate the narrow Murray Channel between Navarino and Hoste Islands and drop anchor at historic Wulaia Bay. Originally the site of one of the region’s largest Yámana aboriginal settlements, the bay was described by Charles Darwin and sketched by Captain FitzRoy in the 1830s during their voyages on the HMS Beagle. Visit the local museum then choose one of three hikes of increasing difficulty that ascend the wooded mountain behind the bay to reach a panoramic viewpoint.

In the afternoon cruise across Nassau Bay into the remote archipelago that includes Cape Horn National Park. Weather and sea conditions permitting, go ashore on the windswept island that harbours legendary Cape Horn. The park was declared a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2005, and the Chilean navy maintains a permanent lighthouse on the island staffed by a light keeper and his family, as well as the tiny Stella Maris Chapel and modern Cape Horn Monument.

Check out of your cabin and disembark after breakfast to visit Tierra del Fuego National Park. A variety of scenic walks can be enjoyed along the bays and rivers, or through dense native forests with abundant birdlife. Optional return to Ushuaia on the End of the World Train – the world’s southernmost functioning steam railway.

After a relaxed morning transfer to Ushuaia Airport and fly to El Calafate. Met on arrival and transfer to hotel.

Full day exploring the magnificent Perito Moreno glacier in Los Glaciares National Park. The excursion will begin with informative walks around the side of the glacier and later an exhilarating mini ice-trek on the glacier itself for a new perspective on this mighty force of nature. There will also be a boat trip along the vast wall of the glacier at a safe distance for the chance to see massive blocks of ice break off (calve) with loud cracks and crash into the lake to form icebergs.

In the morning transfer to El Calafate airport and fly to Buenos Aires. Met on arrival and transfer to hotel. In the evening enjoy a traditional tango show with dinner included.

After breakfast explore Buenos Aires accompanied by a guide. The tour will include visits to the blue-collar neighborhood of La Boca where tango originated, San Telmo where the city was first founded, the Plaza de Mayo, Casa Rosada, the Metropolitan Cathedral and Recoleta with its French architecture and 19th century cemetery where Eva Peron is buried. The afternoon is at leisure to relax or explore on your own.

Transfer to Buenos Aires International Airport for flight home.