End of the World with Australis Cruise

Breakfast. In the morning city tour in Buenos Aires. This tour gives you the emotion of a multiple Buenos Aires. We will visit the most characteristic places of the “Paris of America”. The Obelisk, Colon Theatre, Recoleta Cemetery, May square (surrounded by the cathedral, the Cabildo, and the pink house where the president works) are some of the highlights that we will include in the tour. We will also visit La Boca neighborhood which was seat of immigrants – mainly Italians – and now home of some artists; San Telmo, traditional neighborhood where Tango performances can be seen in many bars and restaurants; the elegant Recoleta, and the most modern: Puerto Madero.
At night we suggest Tango show with dinner at one of the traditional tango houses of Buenos Aires.
Overnight at Buenos Aires. B

Transfer to the airport. Flight to Calafate (FTE). Arrival and transfer to the bus station. Bus to Chalten (210km). Arrival and transfer to the hotel.
Overnight at Chalten. B

Day at leisure. We suggest self-guide trekking to Laguna de los 3 or Torre Lake. Most of these treks do not demand any previous experience in mountaineering activities. It is possible to visit lookout points with stunning panoramic views using little time and effort. It is not necessary to contract a guide to do the trails that are described in this section, but it is possible you wish to rely on their services to keep your mind at ease or to help you discover the place best known secrets.
Overnight at Chalten. B

Day at leisure for personal activities. We recommend doing another self-guide trekking. In the afternoon transfer to bus station for public bus to Calafate. Arrival and transfer to the hotel.
Overnight at Calafate. B

In the morning transfer to Perito Moreno Glacier. We will drive 80km next to Argentino Lake until we reach Los Glaciares National park. It is incredible how different it is the vegetation next to Andes. We will drive following Brazo Rico (arm of Argentino Lake) till we arrive to the whisper turn, there we will find the amazing Perito Moreno Glacier.
We will park in the footbridge area where we will admire the Perito Moreno Glacier and witness the fall of ice blocks from a close distance.
Every viewpoint offers a new perspective. From the entrance of the footbridge area, there is a distance of 400 meters to the lowest balcony, the closest to the front of the glacier. The intermediate balcony is the best place to appreciate the northern area of the glacier with a good sight of the Canal de los Témpanos and towards the left of this viewpoint is the second balcony, right opposite the glacier.
During the tour we will navigate for 1 hour in front of the glacier to have a different point of view of this natural spectacle.
Overnight at Calafate. B

Day at leisure, we suggest Full day Navigation River of Ice or visiting Estancia Cristina. There are more glaciers apart of Perito Moreno, and these tours allow travelers to see them.
Overnight at Calafate. B

Early in the morning pick up from tour to Torres del Paine National Park (250km aprox). This tour gives the chance of having a panoramic view of the different sectors of the national park. The idea is that the following day (in is at leisure) to take a complete tour of one area.
Overnight at Torre del Paine B

Day at leisure. we suggest doing one of the optional tours in Torres del Paine.
Overnight at Torre del Paine. B

Morning at leisure. In the afternoon transfer to Puerto Natales.
Overnight at Puerto Natales. B

Transfer to the bus station for public bus to Punta Arenas. Arrival and transfer to Australis office for check in. Board cruise ship at 6:00 pm. After a welcome cocktail reception offered by the Captain and his crew the ship will depart for “the uttermost part of the earth”. Our trip takes us through the Strait of Magellan and Beagle Channel to explore one of the most breathtaking wilderness regions in the world: Southern Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. B, L, D.

At dawn, we will be navigating through Almirantazgo Sound, arriving at Ainsworth Bay, within Alberto De Agostini National Park. From the distance we will see Marinelli Glacier descending from Darwin Mountain Range, and appreciate how the land comes back to life after ice retreat. We will also take a walk to discover a beaver dam in the stunning sub-polar Magellan forest. On the beach, we might enjoy the view of Southern Elephant Seals, although sighting cannot be guaranteed due to colony’s unpredictable location.
Later, we will be sailing to Tuckers Islets, and after lunch, onboard Zodiac boats, we will be sailing to get close to a colony of Magellan Penguins (endemic to the Southern Hemisphere) and Cormorants. In September and April this excursion is replaced by a short walk to a nearby glacier at Brookes Bay.
B, L, D

We will be navigating along the Northwest arm of the Beagle Channel to reach Pia Fjord, where disembarking is scheduled. We will take a short hike to a panoramic viewpoint from which we can appreciate the spectacular Pia Glacier whose main tongue extends from the mountain tops down to the sea. After this unforgettable experience, our sailing will continue along the Beagle Channel through the majestic “Glacier Alley”.

We will be sailing through Murray Channel and Nassau Bay to reach Cape Horn National Park, where disembarking is schedule (weather permitting). The mythical 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 for sailboats between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, and it is known as the “End of the Earth”. The park was declared a World Biosphere Reserve in 2005.
In the afternoon, we will go ashore at historical Wulaia Bay, originally the site of one of the region’s largest Yamana aboriginal settlement. Charles Darwin landed there in 1833, during his voyage on the HMS Beagle. This area is also renowned for the mesmerizing beauty of its vegetation and geography. We will walk through a Magellan forest of lengas, coigües, canelos, ferns, and other endemic vegetation to reach a panoramic viewpoint.
B, L, D

Arrival in Ushuaia, Argentina’s most important city in Tierra del Fuego, and the southernmost city in the world. Disembarking is scheduled at 8:00 a.m. transfer to the hotel.
In the afternoon tour to Tierra del Fuego National Park. On this Half day trip, we will visit the only National Park of the Island. It is located 12km to the west of Ushuaia City, near the Chilean border.
In the National Park, we will watch the local flora made of lengas, cherry tree, ñires, and different species of shrubs and flowers. The fauna comprises local and introduced species such as red wolves, beavers, rabbits and many bird species (more than 90 species). Ensenada Bay, Roca Lake and Lapataia Lake are the touristic places that we will visit. We will also do a short walk along the shore of the lake where we will see beavers and reach Lapataia Bay located at the end of the National Route N 3:3063 km distance from Buenos Aires city.
During the tour we will visit the train station of the End of the World Train. It is possible to combine the trip in the train with the tour to the National Park.
B

Day fee, suggested full day Navigation All Glaciers. Another extraordinary excursion recomended in El Calafate is the navigation to the northern arm of the Lake Argentino. In this excursion we will watch the amazing Upsala glacier, that is the biggest glaciar of the south area of the National Park. Also we will se the Spegazzini Glacier that has the higgest wall of the park, 135 meters and the Onellis Glacier. Plenty of icebergs will be moving around the catamaran during the whole tour. B

Transfer to Ezeiza International Airport.