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Australis Glacier Cruise & Patagonia Hiking, take in different perspectives on Patagonia's Glaciers

Touring Patagonia during the southern hemisphere's summer can provide some awesome blue sky days

Duration: 14 days
2+ Travelers: $4,395 per person
This most picturesque of Patagonia tours combines a four-day voyage aboard the Chilean cruise ship, Via Australis or Stella Australis, passing idyllic scenery of fjords, glaciers and forests through the Strait of Magellan from Chile to Argentina. The ship stops along the way for Patagonia hiking and boating excursions to observe fascinating wildlife in their natural habitat, including penguins, elephant seals and an array of sea birds. You'll visit two of Argentina's national parks, Tierra del Fuego and Los Glaciares and witness the Perito Moreno Glacier, renowned for its vivid turquoise hue and the skyscraper size blocks of ice that frequently fall from its face. Hiking in the wilds of Patagonia is a life-altering experience, a walk back in time, offering a new definition of solitude.
This Patagonia cruise and tour can also be arranged on a private departure basis. Please so we may explain details and costs.

Australis Glacier Cruise & Patagonia Hiking Itinerary

• Day 1 (Tue): ARRIVE PUNTA ARENAS - AUSTRALIS View Via Australis picture gallery and deckplans Arrive into Punta Arenas via Santiago. From the Punta Arenas airport, you'll travel on your own to reach Punta Arenas Australis headquarters. You'll check-in aboard the Via Australis or Stella Australis Expedition cruise ship to start your great Patagonia adventure vacation, beginning with a welcome from the captain and crew and cocktails with your glacier cruise companions. The glacier cruise ship will then depart for the city of Ushuaia, through the mythical Strait of Magellan. (B,D)
  View Optional Pre-Itinerary Tour Extensions
• Day 2 (Wed): AINSWORTH BAY-MARINELLI GLACIER-TUCKER ISLET View Via Australis picture gallery and deckplans At dawn, the ship will navigate through the Almirantazgo Fjord. You will disembark in Ainsworth Bay near Marinelli Glacier to cruise up and observe an elephant seal colony up-close, and view the Magellan Forests. During the afternoon, you'll motor into Tucker Islet aboard zodiac boats to see a small colony of Magellanic penguins along with other bird species such as skuas and cormorants and most likely dolphins and sea lions. (B,L,D)
• Day 3 (Thu): PIA GLACIER – GLACIER ALLEY View Via Australis picture gallery and deckplans 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 northwest arm of the Beagle Channel through majestic “Glacier Alley”. (B,L,D)
• Day 4 (Fri): CAPE HORN – WULAIA BAY View Via Australis picture gallery and deckplans
  
  

  “End of the Earth”
  the last territory before Antarctica

  We sail through the Beagle and Murray channels to reach Cape Horn National Park, where we will disembark (weather permitting). Cape Horn, is a sheer, 425-meter (1,394-foot) high rocky promontory, and in the past it was the only entrance to the Pacific Ocean. This place is known as the “End of the Earth”, and it’s the last territory before Antarctica. 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 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. (B,L,D)
• Day 5 (Sat): USHUAIA - TIERRA DEL FUEGO NATIONAL PARK View Ushuaia accommodations picture gallery Early in the morning you'll arrive in Ushuaia, southernmost city in the world. You'll disembark and be transferred to your hotel. After getting settled, you'll take your first Patagonia trek in nearby Tierra del Fuego National Park. You'll get to explore the park's highlights before returning to your hotel for a free evening to enjoy the fine seafood of Ushuaia before a restful night's sleep. (B)
• Day 6 (Sun): CERRO CORTEZ HIKE View Ushuaia accommodations picture gallery After breakfast at the hotel, you'll set out on today's Patagonia hiking adventure, a moderate to difficult all-day guided trek to the top of Cerro Cortez. A 4 x 4 will take you through a quarry to reach the trailhead. The steep trail ascends through a sub-Antarctic beech forest, crossing peat bogs. Past the tree line, you'll have sweeping views of the area that get even better when you reach the crest for breathtaking views in all directions. Here you'll see the Martial range, the Andorra and Rio Chico valleys, Ushuaia and its landmark, Mt Olivia. Towards the sea are Isla Navarino in Chile Patagonia and the legendary Murray Pass that leads to Cape Horn. Lunch will be enjoyed in one of the most picturesque settings of the park before descending back to the quarry where the Land Rover will be waiting to return you to Ushuaia. Overnight at your comfortable Ushuaia hotel. (B,L)
  Patagonia Hiking Details: 6.1 mi; 2000 ft elevation gain; 5-7 hrs
• Day 7 (Mon): HARBERTON RANCH - THE HISTORY OF THE PIONEERS View Ushuaia accommodations picture gallery You'll spend another unforgettable day of Patagonia tours in the southern tip of the continent, Tierra del Fuego, learning about its fascinating history. Your first destination is Estancia Harberton, a ranch belonging to the descendants of the first British missionaries to reach Patagonia, Rev. Thomas and Mary Bridges. It was managed for many years by Natalie Goodall, a well-respected naturalist in the area. After reaching the estancia, you'll take a small boat to Gable Island (the largest island in the Beagle Channel) for lunch. After hiking on the island, you'll visit the penguin rookery at Martillo Island, where Magellanic penguins are found along with a few Gentoo penguins. This unique location is near where the Atlantic and Pacific oceans meet, which attracts a rich variety of sub-aquatic life. Bird watchers will see such species as petrels, skuas, cormorants, sea gulls and albatross. This Southern Patagonia tour ends back at Harberton before returning to Ushuaia for a free evening and another overnight at your hotel. (B, L)
• Day 8 (Tue): USHUAIA - EL CALAFATE - EL CHALTEN View El Chalten accommodations picture gallery
  
  

  Enjoy dramatic views of the mammoth mountain face and some other important peaks from your hotel

  Depending on the flight schedule you’ll have time for some on your own sightseeing in Ushuaia, with a visit to the fascinating End of the World Museum or the Presidium, before your transfer to the airport for your flight to El Calafate for your next adventure. When you arrive in El Calafate, you'll travel to El Chalten, a small remote town at the foot of Mt. Fitz Roy, and be taken to your hotel with dramatic views of the mammoth granite walls of the mountain and other important peaks. After getting settled, you may enjoy a short or long hike in preparation for the rest of your Patagonia hiking. The hour-long hike to Piedras Blancas Glacier goes through a beech forest where you may hear Magellanic woodpeckers at work. Reaching the gateway to the Continental Icecap, you'll view the Marconi Glacier. If you care to make a longer more rigorous hike, you may choose the five-hour trek of Cerro Polo which offers a panoramic view of Poincenot, Fitz Roy, Cerro Torre and the Continental Icecap. (B)
• Day 9 (Wed): MT FITZ ROY View El Chalten accommodations picture gallery The destination of today's challenging all-day hike is Mt. Fitz Roy base camp and Laguna de los Tres. Named after Robert Fitzroy, the captain of Darwin's ship, the Beagle, the peak is still called Chalten, meaning "God of Smoke" by the indigenous Tehuelche people who mistook the mountain mists for volcanic eruptions. The Patagonia hike begins after breakfast. You'll hike north to the base of Mt. Fitz Roy where three glaciers drain into Laguna de los Tres. You'll be rewarded with breathtaking views of Lake Viedma and the vast Patagonian steppe. At the end of the day you'll be returned to your hotel. (B,L,D)
  Patagonia Hiking Details: Start to Laguna Capri - 2.6 Miles, Altitude gain: 1200 ft / Laguna Capri to Laguna de los Tres - 2.7 miles, Altitude gain: 1800 ft
• Day 10 (Thu): CERRO TORRE HIKE View El Chalten accommodations picture gallery Today's classic Patagonia hiking is to the base of 10,259-ft Mt. Torre, famous for its beauty and the fact that of the many expeditions that attempt to reach the summit each year, few succeed. On this full-day of trekking Patagonia, you'll take a slightly descending trail into a forest leading to a lookout facing Cerro Torre and the Adelas Range. Where the trail ends on the shores of Laguna Torre you'll enjoy beautiful views of Mt. Torre and the Torre Glacier surrounded by the Egger and Standhard spires and the Adelas Range. A van will return you to El Chalten for a final night at your hotel. (B,L,D)
  Patagonia Hiking Details: Cerro Torre - 11 miles round trip, Altitude gain: 1,000 ft
• Day 11 (Fri): EL CHALTEN- EL CALAFATE View El Calafate accommodations picture gallery After breakfast, you may wish to relax or get in some more hiking in the area including a short trek from town to overlook Mt. Torre. In the afternoon, you'll drive in a private van to El Calafate and have the rest of the afternoon to get acquainted with this charming city on your own. Overnight at a local hotel in El Calafate. (B)
• Day 12 (Sat): PERITO MORENO GLACIER HIKE View El Calafate accommodations picture gallery Today you'll at last witness what attracts visitors on Patagonia tours from around the world, the Perito Moreno Glacier. You'll board a boat on Lake Argentino to travel to the glacier's massive wall of blue ice, passing floating icebergs along the way. After disembarking on a beach, you'll walk along an ancient beech forest that meets the glacier. After about an hour of Patagonia hiking, you'll take a short glacier hike with a local guide and equipment provided, in some most extraordinary surroundings. With luck, you may witness an ice wall calving into the lake. In the afternoon, you'll enjoy a memorable picnic lunch, listening to the ever-shifting ice of the glacier. At the end of the day's Patagonia tour, you'll return to your hotel for another comfortable night's stay. (B,L)
  Blue Ice Upgrade - $100 Per Person: This extension to traditional Patagonia tours is for hikers in good physical condition who wish to spend a full day hiking deep into the Perito Moreno Glacier with plenty of time for photographing this extraordinary place. The terrain is uneven with loose pebbles and requires crampons. You'll be accompanied by a local glacier guide and receive advance training in safety techniques.
  (Because this is a very demanding seven-hour ice hike, it is advisable only for participants between eighteen and forty-five years old.)
  Click here to see the Blue Ice Glacier Hike picture gallery
• Day 13 (Sun): EL CALAFATE - BUENOS AIRES View Buenos Aires accommodations picture gallery You'll be transferred from your hotel to the airport to fly to Buenos Aires. On arrival in the exciting capital, you'll be transferred to a hotel for the night. (B)
• Day 14 (Mon): BUENOS AIRES You'll be transferred to the Buenos Aires International Airport for your flight home from your Patagonia tours. If time allows and you wish to extend your stay in the bustling capital city, we would be happy to make arrangements. (B)
  View Optional Post-Itinerary Tour Extensions
• Key: (B)reakfast (L)unch (D)inner
• More information about Traveling in Patagonia

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2010-2011 SCHEDULED TRIP DATES

Tuesday Departures
2 person minimum / 8 maximum

Oct 05-18
10/19-11/01
Nov 02-15
16-29 6 spaces left
Dec 11/30-12/13 6 spaces left
14-27 6 spaces left
Jan 12/28-01/10
11-24
Feb 01/25-02/07 4 spaces left
08-21
Mar 02/22-03/07
08-21

Private Departures can be arranged. Please regarding private departure costs.

INCLUSIONS / EXCLUSIONS

Included in tour cost

Professional, English-speaking local guides

All hotel accommodations (twin shared basis including continental breakfast)

Meals as indicated

All transfers in private van

Entrance fees for all scheduled tours, national parks, archaeological sites and boats

Southern Explorations pre departure services

Excluded in tour cost

International round-trip airfare to Santiago / from Buenos Aires

$325 Airfare (Santiago - Punta Arenas), subject to change

$330 Airfare (Ushuaia/El Calafate - El Calfate/Buenos Aires), subject to change

Lunches and dinners in the cities (unless otherwise noted)

Hiking boots and other personal gear

Personal expenses (tips and gratuities, alcoholic beverages, medical or travel insurance, laundry, airport taxes, etc.).

PHYSICAL RATING

Moderate - Difficult

CHILE / ARG ACCOMMODATION

Australis Glacier Cruise & Patagonia Hiking:

4 nights cruise aboard Via Australis or Stella Australis
9 nights hotel

SINGLE SUPPLEMENT

Additional $

Single Supplement is the additional cost of a single traveler not sharing a room in double occupancy. We will match you with another same gender traveler unless you request single accommodations.

Prices based on 3% cash discount