Stella Australis Cruise / Ushuaia - Punta Arenas
4 Days / 3 Nights - Per person on a double basis - Code AUS007
We will visit Horn Island, to get a panoramic view of the famous and mythical Cape Horn, the place where the Pacific and Atlantic oceans meet, and last promontory of South America. Cape Horn, an island featuring cliffs of almost 425 meters high, was discovered on January 30, 1616 by a Dutch commercial expedition organized by Isaac LeMaire and under the command of Captain Wilhem Schouten. The Cape owes its name to the Port of Horn from where the expedition departed on June 14, 1615.
Day 1 – Ushuaia
Check in at San Martín 245, Ushuaia, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Stella Australis Cruise ship boarding from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Captain and crew give a welcome cocktail reception on board. Immediately afterward, the ship departs for “the uttermost part of the earth.” Our excursion will take us through 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! Adventure!
Day 2 - Cape Horn - Wulaia Bay
We sail through Beagle and Murray channels to reach and disembark in Cape Horn National Park (weather permitting). Cape Horn, on Hornos Island, is a sheer, 425-meter (1,394-foot) high rocky promontory. This mythical place is known as the “End of the Earth”; a visit is a singular privilege. 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 aboriginal settlements. This area is also renowned for the mesmerizing beauty of its vegetation and geography. We walk through a Magellanic forest of Lengas, Coigües, Canelos, ferns and other native vegetation to reach a lookout point.
Day 3 - Gunther Plüschow Glacier
In the afternoon, we view awe-inspiring Gunther Plüschow Glacier, named after the region’s pioneering German aviator. Then we sail to Chico Sound, where we disembark in Zodiacs to observe majestic Piloto and Nena glaciers.
Day 4 - Magdalena Island - Punta Arenas
Early in the morning, we go ashore on Magdalena Island, the home of an immense colony of more than 120,000 Magellanic Penguins that we can watch during our walk to a lighthouse, which guides ships on their way through the Strait of Magellan. The island’s penguins migrate in April; as a replacement we visit Marta Island, to observe a sea lion colony. After our visit, we sail to Punta Arenas, disembarking at 11:30 a.m.