GTCA- 586 – PATAGONIA CRUISE ABOARD THE STELLA AUSTRALIS

DISCOVER PATAGONIA
USHUAIA – PUNTA ARENAS
Four Days / Three Nights

Departures every Wednesday
Starting October 4/2017 thru April 4/ 2018

HIGHLIGHTS

The expedition cruise ship M/V Stella Australis takes you on an amazing journey to the “uttermost end of the earth.” Our adventure cruises sail between Ushuaia (Argentina) and Punta Arenas (Chile), where you’ll discover the splendor and beauty of Patagonia’s unique wildlife and landscapes.

As you visit Patagonia you’ll learn about others who have explored the same waters — Ferdinand Magellan and Sir Francis Drake, Captain FitzRoy and Charles Darwin. All the while on the lookout for whales, dolphins, penguins, condors, elephant seals and the other creatures who call this remote part of the world their home.

ITINERARY

DAY 1: Ushuaia / Cruceros Australis

Check in at 160 Juan Manuel de Rosas Street in downtown Ushuaia between 10:00AM and 5:00PM on the day of your cruise departure. For the 2017-2018 Season: Board the M/V Stella Australis at 18:00 (6 PM).

After a welcoming toast and introduction of captain and crew, the ship departs for one of the most remote corners of planet Earth. During the night we traverse the Beagle Channel and cross from Argentina into Chilean territorial waters. The lights of Ushuaia disappear as we turn into the narrow Murray Channel between Navarino and Hoste islands.

DAY 2: Cruceros Austalis

Cape Horn – Wulaia Bay
Around the break of dawn, Stella Australis crosses Nassau Bay and enters the remote archipelago that comprises Cape Horn National Park. Weather and sea conditions permitting, we shall go ashore on the windswept island that harbors legendary Cape Horn (Cabo de Hornos). Discovered in 1616 by a Dutch maritime expedition — and named after the town of Hoorn in West Friesland — 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. The Chilean navy maintains a permanent lighthouse on the island, staffed by a lightkeeper and his family, as well as the tiny Stella Maris Chapel and modern Cape Horn Monument (currently awaiting repair after being damaged by fierce winds).

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 HMS Beagle. This area is also renowned for its mesmerizing beauty and dramatic geography. After a visit to the Australis-sponsored museum in the old radio station — which is especially strong on the Yámana people and European missionaries in the area — passengers have a choice of three hikes (of increasing degrees of difficulty) that ascend the heavily wooded mountain behind the bay. On all of these you stroll through an enchanted Magellanic forest of lengas, coigües, canelos and ferns to reach panoramic viewpoints overlooking the bay.

DAY 3: Cruceros Austalis

Agostini Sound – Águila Glacier
After nightfall we reenter the Beagle Channel and sail westward along the southern edge of Tierra del Fuego into a watery wonderland protected within the confines of Alberto de Agostini National Park. Rounding the Brecknock Peninsula as the western extreme of Tierra del Fuego, Stella Australis is briefly exposed to the open Pacific. We then navigate a zigzag route through the Cockburn Channel, Magdalena Channel and Keats Fjord to reach scenic De Agostini Sound.

Named after an Italian Salesian priest who worked among the region’s indigenous people during the first half of the 20th century, De Agostini Sound is flanked by numerous glaciers and sheer saw-toothed peaks reminiscent of Torres del Paine. Our shore excursion this morning is Águila (“Eagle”) Glacier, which hovers above a placid glacial lagoon surrounded by primeval forest. After a Zodiac landing on the beach, passengers hike around the edge of the lagoon to a spot near the base of the frozen facade. Condors can sometimes be seen winging high above, but there is always abundant bird life around the lagoon. This landing provides the perfect opportunity to experience the beauty of Patagonia’s sub-Antarctic rainforest and to see how the power of nature has molded the spectacular landscape.

DAY 4: Magdalena Island – Punta Arenas

After an overnight cruise through Magdalena Channel and back into the Strait of Magellan, we anchor off Magdalena Island, which lies about halfway between Tierra del Fuego and the Chilean mainland. 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. After a short cruise south along the strait, disembarkation at Punta Arenas is scheduled for around 11:30 AM.
*Camera extension poles are prohibited on Magdalena Island

RATES PER PERSON BASED ON DOUBLE OCCUPANCY
DISCOVER PATAGONIA
USHUAIA – PUNTA ARENAS
Four Days / Three Nights
Departures every Wednesday
Starting October 4/2017 thru April 4/ 2018

PRE-CRUISE LAND SERVICES AND TOURS
AVAILABLE FOR ARGENTINA

GTTS-PRE-CRUISE PROGRAM “A’
BUENOS AIRES – USHUAIA

Three Days / Two Nights

ITINERARY

DAY 1: Arrival in Buenos Aires (D)

Private transfer from airport to hotel. In the afternoon enjoy a half day private city tour and in the evening a dinner and tango show at the fabulous Café de los Angelitos.
Overnight accommodations – Hotel Loi Suites Recoleta Buenos Aires – Studio Junior Room

DAY 2: Buenos Aires / Ushuaia (B)

Private transfer from hotel to airport in Buenos Aires for your flight to Ushuaia. Private transfer from airport in Ushuaia to hotel. Rest of the day at leisure.
Overnight accommodations – Los Cauquenes Ushuaia Hotel – Standard Mountain View Room

DAY 3: Hotel to Crucero Australis pier (B)

Private transfer from hotel to Australis Pier. Port entrance included.

RATES PER PERSON BASED ON SINGLE/DOUBLE OCCUPANCY

GTTS-PRE-CRUISE PROGRAM “B’
BUENOS AIRES – USHUAIA

Four Days / Three Nights

ITINERARY

DAY 1: Arrival in Buenos Aires (D)

Private transfer from airport to hotel. Rest of day at leisure to enjoy the city on your own.
Overnight accommodations – Hotel Loi Suites Recoleta Buenos Aires – Studio Junior Room

DAY 2: Buenos Aires (B/D)

Half day city tour and tango dinner show
Enjoy a city tour of the most important places in the city. In the evening join us in a special tango dinner show at the fabulous Café de los Angelitos
Overnight accommodations – Hotel Loi Suites Recoleta Buenos Aires – Studio Junior Room

DAY 3: Buenos Aires / Ushuaia (B)

Private transfer from hotel to airport in Buenos Aires for your flight to Ushuaia. Private transfer from airport in Ushuaia to hotel. Rest of the day at leisure.
Overnight accommodations – Los Cauquenes Ushuaia Hotel – Standard Mountain View Room

DAY 4: Hotel to Crucero Australis pier (B)

Private transfer from hotel to Australis Pier. Port entrance included.

RATES PER PERSON BASED ON SINGLE/DOUBLE OCCUPANCY