Australis Small Ship Patagonia Cruises

Itinerary in Brief:  Cruise On A First Class Small Ship Through Patagonia’s Waterways

• Start in Punta Arenas or Ushuaia
• 4 night or 3 night options
• 136 or 210 passengers vessels
• Top quality naturalist guides
• Extraordinary, rarely visited areas
• Penguins and amazing wildlife
• Can be combined with our land tours
• Contact us with any questions

Day by Day Itinerary

The itinerary varies with the 4 and 5 day programs and whether you start from Punta Arenas or take the vessel from the opposite direction and start in Ushuaia.  Let us know your travel schedule and we will help you find the best option that works with your itinerary.  See below for pricing for 4 and 5 day cruises during high and low season.

5 Day / 4 Night Patagonia Cruise from Punta Arenas to Ushuaia

Day 1       Board the vessel in Punta Arenas / Strait of Magellan
The Australis expedition cruise begins boarding at 6:00 p.m., with the Captain and crew giving a welcome cocktail reception on board. Immediately after, the ship will depart toward the city of Ushuaia, through the mythical Strait of Magellan, sailing through the Patagonian Channels and around Tierra del Fuego.

Day 2        Ainsworth Bay & Tuckers Islet
At dawn, you will continue navigating through Almirantazgo Sound, arriving at Ainsworth Bay, inside the Alberto De Agostini National Park. From a distance you may see the Marinelli Glacier which descends from the Darwin Mountain Range and you will learn how life begins after the retreat of the ice. You will also take a walk to discover a beaver dam in the marvelous sub polar Magellanic forest. On the beach, you may see elephant seals, although not guaranteed due to their precise location being unpredictable. Later you sail to Tuckers Islet and after lunch you board the Zodiac boats to view Magellanic Penguins (which only live in the Southern Hemisphere) and Cormorants.

Day 3         Pia Glacier & Glacier Alley
Today you will navigate along the main part of the Beagle Channel to reach Pia Fjord, and you disembark near the Pia Glacier. You will 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, you will continue sailing along the northwest arm of the Beagle Channel through the majestic “Glacier Alley.”

Day 4       Cape Horn & Wulaia Bay 
Today you sail through Murray Channel and Nassau Bay to reach Cape Horn National Park, where you will disembark (weather permitting). The mythical Cape Horn was discovered in 1616, and it is a sheer, 425-meter (1,394-foot) high rocky promontory. For many years it was an important navigation route between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, and it is known as the “End of the Earth”. The park was declared a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in June 2005. In the afternoon, you will go ashore at the 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. You will walk through a Magellanic forest of Lengas, Coihues, Canelos, ferns, and other native vegetation to reach a look-out point.

Day 5      Ushuaia
Arrival at Ushuaia, the most important city in Tierra del Fuego and the southernmost city of its size in the world. Passengers disembark at 8:00 a.m., allowing you to get an early start on visiting the city and national parks, and on continuing you trip through Patagonia.

5 Day / 4 Night Patagonia Cruise from Ushuaia to Punta Arenas

Day 1       Board the vessel in Ushuaia
The Australis expedition cruise begins boarding between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., with the Captain and crew giving a welcome cocktail reception on board. Immediately after, the ship will depart toward the city of Punta Arenas, along the Beagle Channel and Strait of Magellan, sailing through the Patagonian Channels and around Tierra del Fuego.

Day 2       Cape Horn and Wulaia Bay
After sailing through the Murray Channel and Nassaue Bay we disembark at the Cabo de Hornos (Cape Horn) National Park, weather permitting. We will visit Hornos Island to get a panoramic view of the famous and mythical Cape Horn, the place where the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans merge and the last promontory of South America.

Day 3      Pia Glacier and Garibaldi Glacier
In the morning we navigate along the northwest arm of the Beagle Channel to enter Pia Fiord where we disembark near Pia Glacier for a short walk.   In the afternoon we enter Garibaldi fiord on the southern coast of Tierra del Fuego, where you will have the choice of a hike through the forest or views of the Garibaldi Glacier from on deck.

Day 4      Piloto and Nena Glaciers / Agostini Sound / Águila Glacier
In the morning we sail through Cockburn Channel to anchor in Chico Sound and explore Alakaluf Fiord in Zodiac boats, observing the Piloto and Nena Glaciers. In the afternoon we enter Agostini Sound, where we can view glaciers descending from the mountains, some of which reach the sea. We will head to Águila Glacier where we will disembark to take an easy walk along a beach to a spot in front of the glacier.

Day 5      Magdalena Island / Punta Arenas
In the early morning you will arrive to Magdalena Island, home of a large Magellanic Penguin colony. You will be able to observe these penguins during a walk up to the lighthouse which guides ships through the Strait of Magellan. The island’s penguins migrate in April in which case if you are unable to visit them we will make a trip to Marta Island to observe a sea lion colony. Later, we will sail to Punta Arenas, disembarking at 11:30 a.m.

4 Day / 3 Night Patagonia Cruise from Ushuaia to Punta Arenas

Day 1        Board the vessel in Ushuaia
The Australis expedition cruise begins boarding between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., with the Captain and crew giving a welcome cocktail reception on board. Immediately after, the ship will depart toward the city of Punta Arenas, along the Beagle Channel and Strait of Magellan, sailing through the Patagonian Channels and around Tierra del Fuego.

Day 2       Cape Horn and Wulaia Bay
After sailing through the Murray Channel and Nassaue Bay we disembark at the Cabo de Hornos (Cape Horn) National Park, weather permitting. We will visit Hornos Island to get a panoramic view of the famous and mythical Cape Horn, the place where the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans merge and the last promontory of South America.

Day 3      Águila GlacierYou will sail through the Brecknock, Ocasión, Cockburn, and Magdalena Channels to enter the spectacular Agostini Sound, In the heart of the Darwin Cordillera, in Tierra del Fuego.  In the afternoon we will get into the Zodiac boats and head to the Águila Glacier where we will take an easy walk on the shore of a lagoon surrounded by mountains until we reach the base of the glacier.

Day 4      Magdalena Island / Punta Arenas
In the early morning you will arrive to Magdalena Island, home of a large Magellanic Penguin colony. You will be able to observe these penguins during a walk up to the lighthouse which guides ships through the Strait of Magellan. The island’s penguins migrate in April in which case if you are unable to visit them we will make a trip to Marta Island to observe a sea lion colony. Later, we will sail to Punta Arenas, disembarking at 11:30 a.m.

Rates per person in US$ (5 days / 4 nights, Punta Arenas to Ushuaia or Ushuaia to Punta Arenas):
September 2013 – April 2014

Cabin       Promotion       Low Season       High Season       Special
B                 1,346              1,683                  2,148                  2,340
A                 1,932              2,410                  2,957                  3,223
AA              2,028               2,526                 3,097                   3,375
AAA            2,124               2,644                 3,246                   3,540
AA (Sup.)    2,555              3,183                  3,867                   4,254
AAA (Sup.)   2,675             3,331                 4,054                   4,459
Single            2,487            3,104                 3,772                   4,149

Rates per person in US$ (4 days / 3 nights,  Ushuaia to Punta Arenas):
September 2013 – April 2014

Cabin       Promotion       Low Season       High Season 
B                    1,111                  1,389                  1,771
A                   1,595                1,988                   2,440
AA                 1,674               2,084                    2,554
AAA              1,753               2,181                     2,679
AA (Sup.)      2,108               2,627                    3,183
AAA (Sup.)    2,207               2,749                    3,338
Single            2,052               2,562                    3,104

Low Season
• October & some December departures, 2nd half of March and April  

High Season
• November & December  • January, February and 1st half of March

Promotional Departures
• Select September and April cruises

Special Departures
• Christmas & New Year’s