Patagonia and the Chilean Fjords

• Exclusive land and sea voyage to explore the breathtaking beauty of Patagonia's glaciers and the Chilean fjords.
• Created in our tradition of innovative programming and educational travel.
• Access to ports unavailable to larger vessels and included excursions during your program.
• Specially arranged full-day excursion to the sensational Tores del Paine National Park and the Milodón Caves, where the remains of an extinct giant sloth were discovered.
• Two UNESCO Biosphere Reserves — Torres del Paine and Cabo de Hornos.
• Easter Island Pre-Tour Extension and Buenos Aires and Iguazú Falls Post‑Tour Extension.

Depart your home city for Santiago, Chile.

Arrive at Santiago International Airport. Proceed through the immigration checkpoint to the baggage claim area and retrieve your luggage. After completing a customs screening, meet a Gohagan & Co. representative.

Transfer to the Hyatt Centric Las Condes, an upscale hotel with easy access to Santiago’s landmarks and attractions.

Spend your afternoon exploring the city on your own. The Gohagan Travel Hospitality Desk stands ready with itinerary and restaurant suggestions.

This evening, meet your fellow travelers for a Welcome Reception at the hotel, followed by dinner on your own.

Enjoy breakfast in the hotel before the day’s excursion.

Venture out to explore vibrant Santiago, nestled in the foothills of the snow-capped Andes Mountains. We will begin our tour in what is arguably the most colorful part of the city—the Bellavista neighborhood. Known for its bohemian artistic spirit, this barrio is the perfect place to immerse ourselves in Santiago’s amazing street art. We will take in the vivid palettes of the houses, murals and graffiti as we stroll the neighborhood that was home to Chilean poet and Nobel Laureate Pablo Neruda. La Moneda Cultural Center beckons, home to art exhibitions, cinema and craft vendors. Next, step into what’s widely regarded as one of the best museums in Latin America, the Chilean Museum of Pre-Colombian Art. This magnificent collection, which covers over 10,000 years of art and history, is unique in focusing on an Americanist, rather than nationalist, vision.

Next, traverse the Plaza de Armas, a surprisingly lush green oasis at the center of the city. Spanish conquistador Pedro de Valdiva established this square in 1541. Today’s plaza — shaded by more than a hundred palm trees, dotted with monuments and sculptures, and filled with the burble of the central fountain and the cries of street vendors and performers — is the perfect place to soak up the city’s culture. We will dine together at a local restaurant.

This afternoon, visit Santa Rita Winery. Due to the country’s unique weather patterns, topography and location—the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Atacama Desert to the north and the Andes Mountains to the east—Chile boasts ideal conditions for wine growing. Located just south of Santiago, the Maipo Valley is home to Chile’s largest commercial wine-growing region and oldest, most established wineries. Full-bodied, elegant reds flourish here, especially Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Carmenère, Chile’s national wine. En route to the 140-year-old Santa Rita Vineyard, marvel at the views of the scenic Maipo Valley. A local expert will guide you on your vineyard tour and wine tasting.

Tonight, make your own plans for dinner.

After breakfast in the hotel, transfer to the airport. Fly from Santiago to Puerto Natales, which once served as a major transit point for the sheep and coal industries of 20th-century Patagonia. Check in to Hotel Costa Australis Puerto Natales, a luxury hotel with gorgeous views of the sea and mountains.

Explore the area on your own this afternoon. We will gather at the hotel for an included dinner this evening.

Enjoy breakfast in the hotel before today’s excursion.

In 1557, Captain Juan de Ladrillero went searching for the western entrance to the Strait of Magellan. Several weeks later, despondent and desperate for food and water, he found this fjord and was able to sail in and stock up on provisions in what is now Puerto Natales. After surviving his ordeal, he named the fjord the Seno Última Esperanza—Sound of Last Hope. Today we will sail this waterway in ease and comfort, taking in sparkling vistas of mountains and waterfalls on our way to our destination: the hanging glacier Balmaceda. From here a guided walk takes us deep into the unspoiled beauty of Bernardo O'Higgins National Park—the largest national park in Chile and one of the largest in the world! Ramble through a lush forest of Magellan’s beech and Antarctic beech, looking out for cormorants, condors and eagles. At the foot of Serrano Glacier, the calm waters and floating icebergs can be mesmerizing. It is a spectacle not to be missed! Savor a delicious lunch at a Patagonian ranch before cruising back to Puerto Natales.

Tonight, make your own plans for dinner in one of the many restaurants in the area.

Savor a delicious breakfast this morning at the hotel.

Torres del Paine is South America’s most-celebrated national park, declared the Eighth Wonder of the World in 2013. This park epitomizes the wild character of Patagonia — with its jagged rock formations, raging waterfalls, stunning blue waters and glaciers spawning icebergs. Torres del Paine translates to Blue Towers, named for its iconic rocky monoliths scoured by the wind. The park is home to a wide variety of wildlife, including guanacos (relative of the llama and alpaca, but with hair instead of fur), huemuls (South Andean deer), foxes and even pumas. All kinds of birds make this majestic landscape their home, including rheas (a ratite related to the ostrich and emu) and Andean condors, which are the largest flying birds on Earth. Marvel at the incredible vistas unfolding before you during our excursion.

Next, visit Milodón Cave. In 1896 German explorer Hermann Eberhard was investigating a cave system and found the remains of a giant prehistoric sloth at least 10,000 years old. Subsequent examinations of the caves found evidence of other early inhabitants, including a saber-toothed cat, dwarf horse, prehistoric llama and humans from 6,000 B.C. The surrounding stark landscape boasts a rock outcropping called Devil’s Chair and a condor lookout.

Enjoy a hike along the gentle shores of Grey Lake, with vistas of Torres Del Paine Massif and Grey Glacier. As we savor a delicious lunch at Hotel Lago Grey, survey spectacular mountaintop views of the three-peaked Cordillera Paine and Grey Lake.

Enjoy dinner tonight on your own.

Enjoy breakfast in the hotel. We will check out and drive to Punta Arenas, stopping on the way at a ranch. In this beautiful setting, enjoy a quintessential Patagonian lunch and sheep herding demonstration by gauchos with their sheepdogs.

This afternoon, embark Stella Australis. Settle in to your suite or stateroom, familiarize yourself with the ship and participate in a safety briefing. This evening, join your fellow passengers for the Captain’s Welcome Reception and Dinner.

Tonight the ship sails for Ainsworth Bay, navigating through the Strait of Magellan and Whiteside Channel.

Arrive in Ainsworth Bay. This coastal inlet in the seldom‑visited Alberto de Agostini National Park is fed by the retreating tidewater Marinelli Glacier. Board a Zodiac for a shore landing and choose between two excursions to explore the subantarctic Magellanic forest. During a Zodiac excursion in neighboring Admiralty Sound, observe the Tucker Islets’ unusual birds — rock cormorants, dolphin gulls, Magellanic penguins and chimango caracaras.

Enjoy an unforgettable cruise through the historic Beagle Channel, named for Darwin’s ship, which explored these waters in the mid‑19th century. Make a Zodiac landing and choose between two excursions that lead you to a magnificent vantage point to watch for the tidewater Pia Glacier to calve into the fjord. A highlight of today is a mesmerizing cruise through the sublime wonderland of Glacier Alley, where swaths of blue ice flow from the towering gray mountains of the Cordillera Darwin.

Tonight, enjoy the Captain’s Dinner as the ship sails for Cape Horn.

Majestic Cape Horn, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, embodies nature’s power and demands reverence. Aboard a Zodiac craft, go ashore for an opportunity to stand at the “edge of the world” overlooking the legendary Drake Passage (weather permitting). Walk across the low‑lying, fragile tundra vegetation for unmatched panoramic views. This afternoon, anchor in the historic Wulaia Bay, a site described by Charles Darwin and illustrated by FitzRoy during his voyages on the Beagle. Choose between three excursions to discover the area and soak up amazing views of the bay.

Gather for a Farewell Reception tonight.

After breakfast, disembark in Ushuaia and fly to Buenos Aires to depart for your home city. Arrive home the next day.