Day 1 - Tuesday - November 7, 2024 - Arrive Santiago from airport to hotel Cumbres Lastarria (Encourage you to arrive earlier to enjoy this city). When you arrive you will be met by a local representative holding a sign with your
name on it and transferred to your hotel.

Day 2 - Wednesday - November 8, 2024 - You will be picked up this morning for a full-day excursion to the Chilean coast (about a 1.5-hour drive from Santiago). Anchored by the affluent resort city Viña del Mar and the colorful, historic port of Valparaiso, the central coast is a unique and beautiful place. Valparaiso is one of the first Chilean cities founded by the Spanish and the former home of Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2003 for its architectural and cultural significance, the city is also one of Chile’s most interesting. You will learn about the history of “Valpo” and its importance in South American trade and commerce. Century-old hillside ascensores (elevators) will transport you up into the city’s steep hills, where a labyrinthine maze of streets reveals brightly colored buildings, bohemian cafes, and spectacular views of the harbor below. You will have the opportunity today to visit the National Maritime Museum where you'll have panoramic views over the entire port, and you will see Punta Angeles Lighthouse. Further up the coast, you will be able to see the Punta Concon Lighthouse.
Lunch is included today at a local restaurant. After your tour you will be transferred back to your hotel in Santiago.

Day 3 - Thursday - November 9, 2024 - You will be picked up from your hotel and transferred to the airport. Fly Santiago to Punta Arenas. Visit to Estancia Fitz Roy, with lunch upon arrival to the Punta Arenas Airport, you will be met by your private guides for a 1 hour drive through the Patagonian pampas and a short ferry ride to Estancia Fitz Roy. This estancia is a 100-year-old traditional Patagonian farm, where you will be able to tour the property and immerse yourself in the life of the traditional Patagonian sheep farmers. You will see the machinery they use, meet the farm's dogs, and watch a sheep-shearing demonstration, followed by an asado, a traditional BBQ of lamb that has been slow-grilled for hours over the fire. After lunch, you will be transferred to your hotel in Punta Arenas.

Day 4 - Friday - November 10, 2024 - You will be met at your hotel this morning by your private guides and board your private bus to drive about 2 hours along the Strait of Magellan to reach its eastern mouth. Here you will be able to see the Punta Delgada Lighthouse. You will continue 2 hours further along the strait to reach the Punta Dungenes Lighthouse. Depending on the road conditions, it may also be possible to see the nearby Cabo Posesion Lighthouse. This particular lighthouse, built by George Slight, has been retired and the Punta Dungenes Lighthouse has taken over its previous functions. A boxed lunch is included today. Depending on negotiations with the Chilean Navy, it may also be possible to visit the Navel Museum at Punta Delgada.  Please note: This is a long excursion requiring about 8 hours total in the bus.

Day 5 - Saturday - November 11, 2024 - This morning you will be met at your hotel by your private guides and board your bus to drive 1.5 hours south until "the end of the road." Here you will board your private roofed boat and cruise for 3 hours until you reach Cape Froward, where you will disembark at San Isidro Lighthouse. You will also be able to see the Bernardo O'Higgins Lighthouse in Parque del Estrecho. At the end of the day, you will be transferred back to your hotel with time permitting a stop at a local fisherman’s harbor. A boxed lunch is included today.

Day 6 - Sunday - November 12, 2024 - Free Day in Punta Arenas. You have today free to relax or explore on your own. Check-out is at 12 p.m. and you may leave your bags with hotel reception until you transfer to the pier in the afternoon.
Transfer Hotel to Pier - In the late afternoon you will be transferred from your hotel to the pier to check in for your cruise. Cruceros Australis 5 day Punta Arenas to Ushuaia Cruise *all meals and excursions included.  This is considered Day 1 of cruise - Begin Patagonia Cruise / Strait of Magellan. Today you will check in for your cruise and store your luggage at the Australis office located at Muelle Arturo Prat – O'Higgins 1385. Check-in is from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Just present your passport and you will be given your boarding pass and cruise documentation and told where to be for boarding. Your luggage will be taken aboard for you and placed in your cabin. After you have checked in for your cruise you will have some time to explore more of Punta Arenas prior to boarding. The cruise ship boarding will be between 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. (at Muelle Arturo Prat – O'Higgin 1401) and  the ship departs at 8:00 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 near Tierra del Fuego.

Day 7 - Monday - November 13, 2024 - This is Day 2 of cruise - Australis Cruise / 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 that 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 this is not guaranteed due to their precise location being unpredictable). Later you sail to Tuckers Islet, and after lunch you board the Zodiacboats to view Magellanic Penguins, which only live in the southern hemisphere, and Cormorants.

Day 8 - Tuesday - November 14, 2024 - This is Day 3 of cruise - Pia Glacier & Glacier Alley -Today you will navigate along the main part of the Beagle Channel to reach Pia Fjord, disembarking 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 9 - Wednesday - November 15, 2024 - This is Day 4 of Cruise - 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 23, 1833, during the voyage of the HMS Beagle. This area is renowned for the 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 10 - Thursday - November 16, 2024 -  This is Day 5 of cruise and end of cruise - Today we arrive at Ushuaia, Argentina’s most important city in Tierra del Fuego, and the southernmost city in the world. We will disembark at 8:30 a.m. Expedition cruise ships fill the pier departing for the Great White Continent (Antarctica) during the austral summer months.  Ushuaia is full of souvenir shops, great eateries, and museums. Please note: Australis itineraries are subject to change due to climatic conditions and other unforeseen circumstances.  This afternoon you can relax at your hotel or take the shuttle back to town to shop, visit other museums and dining options. 

 Optional Excursion: The Lighthouse at the End of the World
This afternoon you will be picked up at your hotel in Ushuaia and transferred to the airport where you will board a 7- passenger Cessna Citation II airplane. Toast with a complimentary glass of champagne as you head east towards in the inhospitable Mitre Peninsula, land of adventurers and legends, to reach the Le Maire Strait. Once you have crossed the strait, you will be able to see Isla de los Estados (Staten Island), home of the Lighthouse at the End of the World, represented in Jules Verne's novel. You will fly over fjords and over the Moat, Harberton, and Remolino estancias as well as catching a glimpse of Puerto Williams, a small Chilean town located on the large Navarino Island. You will also be able to see Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse in the Beagle Channel. 

Accommodation: Los Cauquenes (3 nights, breakfast included) Located on the outskirts of Ushuaia and built of natural wood and stone, Los Cauquenes blends seamlessly with its natural surroundings. The hotel’s 54 guest rooms feature picture windows overlooking the Beagle Channel and the snowcapped peaks of the Andes. Los Cauquenes offers a restaurant and bar, fitness center, indoor/outdoor heated pool, and spa. The hotel sits about 4 miles outside of Ushuaia, on the shore of the Beagle Channel, and is a refined and exceptional option as a base for exploring Tierra del Fuego.

Day 11 - Friday - November 17, 2024 - This morning you will be picked up from your hotel for your privately guided excursion to Tierra del Fuego National Park. Walk along the coastal trail, which provides excellent views of the surrounding mountains, forests, and bays. Explore the shore of the Beagle Channel and the Lapataia and Ensenada bays then enjoy a relaxed drive around Lapataia Bay, Archipelago Cormoranes, Rio Ovando, and Laguna Verde. After lunch, you will board your private vessel for an up-close view of Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse on a rocky archipelago in the Beagle Channel.

Day 12 - Saturday - November 18, 2024 - You will be picked up from your hotel for an excursion to explore more of the Beagle Channel. You will first transfer by vehicle to Estancia Harberton, where you will visit the main house and museum. At Harberton, board a motorboat and navigate toward Martillo Island. From the boat, you will have the chance to see penguins in their breeding lair. Continue by boat to one of the most scenic places in the area: the enormous Gable Island. Here you can enjoy a panoramic view of the Beagle Channel with the Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse in the background. Enjoy lunch, then set out to do some hiking, passing beaver dams and crossing through the forest to reach the shore of the Beagle Channel. Take a boat back to Harberton Port to meet your vehicle for transfer back to your hotel.

Farewell Dinner at Kuar Restaurant
This evening you will be picked up at your hotel for your private transfer to Kuar Restaurant, one of the best places in Ushuaia to try local delicacies like king crab and lamb. Dinner tonight includes an appetizer, entree, dessert, water, and coffee. After dinner you will be transferred back to your hotel.

Day 13 - Sunday - November 19, 2024 - Transfer Hotel to Airport. You will be picked up from your hotel and transferred to the airport. Then fly Ushuaia to Buenos Aires where you will Fly Home