Australis Cruises: Via Australis
Departs Punta Arenas: Tuesday
Arrives Ushuaia: Saturday
Departs Punta Arenas: Saturday
Arrives Ushuaia: Wednesday
Day 1: Punta Arenas
To start off your adventure you need to be on-board the Via Australis by 6pm. The Captain and crew give a welcome cocktail reception on board. Afterwards, the ship departs for “the uttermost part of the earth”. Our excursion will take us through the Strait of Magellan and Beagle Channel to explore one of the most breath-taking wilderness regions in the world: Southern Patagonia, and Tierra del Fuego. We have just embarked on a Great Adventure!
Day 2: Ainsworth Bay - Tuckers Islets
At dawn, we continue navigating through Almirantazgo Sound, arriving at Ainsworth Bay, inside the Alberto De Agostini National Park. From a distance we may see the Marinelli Glacier which descends from the Darwin Mountain Range, and we will learn how life begins after the retreat of the ice. We will also take a walk to discover a beaver dam in the marvellous sub polar Magellan forest. On the beach, we will try to see elephant seals, but we cannot guarantee this as the precise location of the colony is unpredictable.
Later, we sail to Tuckers Islets, and after lunch we board the Zodiac boats to view Magellan Penguins (which only live in the Southern Hemisphere), and Cormorants. In September and April this excursion is replaced by Brookes Bay where we land for a short walk to approach a glacier.
Day 3: Pia Glacier
We navigate along the main part of the Beagle Channel to reach Pia Fjord, where we disembark near Pia Glacier. We take a short hike to a look-out point with a spectacular view of the entire glacier tongue, stretching from high in the mountains all the way to the sea. After this unforgettable experience, we continue sailing along the arm of the Beagle Channel through majestic “Glacier Alley”.
Day 4: Cape Horn - Wulaia Bay
We sail through the Murray Channel and Nassau Bay to reach Cape Horn National Park, where we will disembark (weather permitting). The mythical Cape Horn was discovered in 1616, and it is a sheer, 425-meter (1,394-foot) high rocky promontory. For many years it was an important navigation route between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, and it is known as the “End of the Earth”. The park was declared a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in June 2005.
In the afternoon, we go ashore at 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 5: Ushuaia
Arrival at Ushuaia, Argentina’s most important city on Tierra del Fuego, and the southernmost city in the world. We disembark at 8:00 a.m.
NOTE: The excursions/day trips described in the itineraries can normally be, and are frequently, carried out. Without prejudice to the aforesaid, Transportes Marítimos Terra Australis S.A. y Transportes Marítimos Via Australis S.A. reserve the right to reschedule shorten or alter all or part of itineraries and/or excursions without previous notice, in order to safeguard the well being and safety of passengers, preserve the environment or due to the extraordinary circumstances, acts of god or force majeure. For the same reasons, the hours of departure or arrival of the vessels may be subject to change