8D/7N | Ushuaia / Ushuaia | From January to April 2018
DAY 1 - USHUAIACheck and board the M/V Stella Australis at 17:30 (5:30 PM). After a welcoming toast and introduction of captain and crew,
DAY 2 - CAPE HORN & WULAIA BAYBy early morning, Stella Australis is cruising across Nassau Bay into the remote archipelago that includes Cape Horn National Park. Discovered in 1616 by a Dutch maritime expedition, Cape Horn is a sheer 425-meter (1,394-foot) high rocky promontory overlooking the turbulent waters of the Drake Passage. For many years it was the only navigation route between the Pacific and Atlantic, and was often referred to as the « End of the Earth. » The park was declared a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2005. Sailing back across Nassau Bay, we anchor at fabled Wulaia Bay, one of the few places in the archipelago where the human history is just as compelling as the natural environment. 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. This area is also renowned for its mesmerizing beauty and dramatic geography. After a visit to the Australis-sponsored museum, passengers have a choice of three hikes (of increasing degrees of difficulty) that ascend the heavily wooden mountain behind the bay.
DAY 3 - DE AGOSTINI SOUND & AGUILA GLACIERAfter nightfall we reenter the Beagle Channel and sail westward along the southern edge of Tierra del Fuego into watery
DAY 4 - MAGDALENA ISLAND & PUNTA ARENASAfter an overnight cruise through Magdalena Channel and back into the Strait of Magellan, we anchor off Magdalena Island. Crowned by a distinctive lighthouse, the island used to be an essential source of supplies for navigators and explorers and is inhabited by an immense colony of Magellanic penguins. At the break of dawn, weather permitting, we go ashore and hike a path that leads through thousands of penguins to a small museum lodged inside the vintage 1902 lighthouse. Many other bird species are also found on the island. In September and April — when the penguins dwell elsewhere — this excursion is replaced by a ride aboard Zodiacs to Marta Island to observe South American sea lions.
DAY 5 - AINSWORTH BAY & TUCKER ISLETSBy dawn Stella Australis is sailing up Admiralty Sound (Seno Almirantazgo), a spectacular offshoot of the Strait of Magellan
DAY 9 - PIA GLACIER & GLACIER ALLEYOvernight we sail around the western end of Tierra del Fuego via the very narrow Gabrial Channel, Magdalena
DAY 7 - CAPE HORN & WULAIA BAYDuring the morning we will be sailing through Murray Channel, going ashore at historical Wulaia Bay, originally the site of one of the region’s largest Yamana aboriginal settlements. This area is also renowned for the mesmerizing beauty of its vegetation and geography. We will take an enchanted walk through the Magellan Forest of lengas, coigües, canelos, ferns, and other endemic vegetation, to reach a panoramic viewpoint. In the afternoon we will go South through Nassau Bay to reach Cape Horn National Park, where, weather permitting, we shall go ashore. The legendary Cape Horn was discovered in 1616 and is a sheer 425-meter (1,394-foot) high rocky promontory. For many years it was an important navigation route
DAY 8 - USHUAIAArrival in Ushuaia, Argentina’s most important city in Tierra del Fuego, and the southernmost city in the world.
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