Exploring The Chilean Fjords

HIGHLIGHTS

• Explore the magic of the Chilean fjords with a sea kayak adventure. Lead by experienced, State-Certified kayak guides, you will skim the water’s surface amid the ice. Full professional equipment is provided, including tamdem kayak, carbon paddle, full-body drysuit, lifejacket, AIS beacon. For more information about your kayak tour, please go to the section ‘PONANT activities’ and to book your kayak tour, contact your cruise advisor.
• Outings and shore visits in zodiac inflatables with a team of experienced naturalist guides.
• Observe glaciers, channels and fjords, and navigate along narrow passages.
• If weather conditions allow it, disembark at Cape Horn and admire its albatross sculpture created by the Chilean artist José Balcells Eyquem.
• Tortel, a picturesque village with wooden pontoons and footbridges.
• Sail along the Strait of Magellan.
• Depending on opportunities, observe Magellanic penguins, guanacos, caracaras, dolphins, humpback whales, fur seals, sea lions, alpacas, condors and cormorants.
• Landscapes: fjords dominated by the snow-capped peaks of the Andes, iridescent glaciers and mountain lakes with crystal-clear water.
• For your comfort, your cruise package includes an overnight in Buenos Aires the day before embarkation and the flights to/from Ushuaia (for details, see the ‘Included in your cruise’ tab).  

ITINERARY

28 FEBRUARY 2024 - USHUAIA

Embarkation 28/02/2024 from 16:00 to 17:00
Departure 28/02/2024 at 18:00

Capital of Argentina's Tierra del Fuego province, Ushuaia is considered the gateway to the White Continent and the South Pole. Nicknamed “El fin del mundo” by the Argentinian people, this city at the end of the world nestles in the shelter of mountains surrounded by fertile plains that the wildlife seem to have chosen as the ultimate sanctuary. With its exceptional site, where the Andes plunge straight into the sea, Ushuaia is one of the most fascinating places on earth, its very name evocative of journeys to the unlikely and the inaccessible…

29 FEBRUARY 2024  1 MARCH 2024 - AT SEA

Arrival 29/02/2024
Departure 01/03/2024

During your journey at sea, make the most of the many services and activities on board. Treat yourself to a moment of relaxation in the spa or stay in shape in the fitness centre. Depending on the season, let yourself be tempted by the swimming pool or a spot of sunbathing. This journey without a port of call will also be an opportunity to enjoy the conferences or shows proposed on board, depending on the activities offered, or to do some shopping in the boutique or to meet the PONANT photographers in their dedicated space. As for lovers of the open sea, they will be able to visit the ship’s upper deck to admire the spectacle of the waves and perhaps be lucky enough to observe marine species. A truly enchanted interlude, combining comfort, rest and entertainment.

2 MARCH 2024 - TORTEL

Arrival 02/03/2024
Departure 02/03/2024

A picturesque, colourful fishing village, Tortel boasts a splendid location in the heart of southern Patagonia, halfway between Puerto Montt and Cape Horn. From the little streets made up of small walkways, you’ll love the grand panorama of rounded mountains, dense forest, the clear waters of the Pacific. If you walk out onto one the many wooden pontoons, you can admire the views as you stand suspended a few metres above the water. The village is scattered with sculptures made by local artists, an excellent introduction to this friendly community

3 MARCH 2024 - ENGLISH PASSAGE

Arrival 03/03/2024
Departure 03/03/2024

Between green hills rising from the water and snow-capped peaks, the English Passage is one of the main Patagonian channels. Situated off the south-western coast of Chile, at the end of the Messier Channel, this narrow waterway with a width of just 180 metres offers a unique sailing experience due to its exceptional dimensions and its magnificent natural setting.

3 MARCH 2024 - PIE XI GLACIER

Arrival 03/03/2024
Departure 03/03/2024

The Brüggen Glacier, a coastal glacier in southern Chile also known as Pio XI, is astonishing for its almost surreal dimensions. With a surface area exceeding 1,200 km2, it is the largest of the glaciers making up the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. This gigantic ice field is the third largest ice mass in the world. Straddling the southern Andes Mountains, its breathtaking natural setting inspires sheer wonder and awe.

4 MARCH 2024 - EL BRUJO GLACIER

Arrival 04/03/2024
Departure 04/03/2024

At the heart of Bernardo O’Higgings National Park, the largest protected area in Chile, discover El Brujo Glacier. Located at the end of the Asia Fjord, this huge wall of ice sculpted by the wind is fascinating and impressive. This magical, natural and grandiose décor that changes as the light plays upon it will be an unforgettable sight.

4 MARCH 2024 - SKUA GLACIER (SAILING)

Arrival 04/03/2024
Departure 04/03/2024

In the heart of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, where the National Parks of Bernardo O’Higgins, Torres del Paine and Las Glaciares meet, discover the Skua Glacier, also known as the Amalia Glacier. Nested on the Andes, this three-kilometre-wide tidewater glacier will offer you sumptuous landscapes in infinite shades of blue: a magical show during which the impressive cracking of the ice can be heard at times.

5 MARCH 2024 - ESTERO LAS MONTANAS

Arrival 05/03/2024
Departure 05/03/2024

Also called Fjord of the Mountains or Channel of the Mountains, the Estero Las Montañas fjord offers enchanting landscapes. Situated in large part in the Alacalufes National Reserve, this former glacial valley now flooded with water seems to stretch on for ever inland. Surrounded by tall mountains with lush slopes and edged with numerous glaciers tinged in various shades of blue, it will be a highlight of your cruise.

6 MARCH 2024 - SAILING IN THE STRAIT OF MAGELLAN

Arrival 06/03/2024
Departure 06/03/2024

This mythical strait situated in the south of Chile and separating South America from Tierra del Fuego, awakens our imagination, stirring up a longing for adventure. For the first time, follow in the footsteps of the famous Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, known for having organised the first circumnavigation of the globe in the 16th century. Aboard your ship, cruise along the 600 km separating the Atlantic Ocean from the Pacific and, before arriving in Ushuaia, discover the sea route which was long nicknamed “Strait of All Saints” because Magellan’s ships first entered it on All Saints’ Day. A fascinating adventure.

7 MARCH 2024 - AINSWORTH BAY

Arrival 07/03/2024
Departure 07/03/2024

In Ainsworth Bay, in Alberto de Agostini National Park, you will be able to admire one of the most impressive panoramas in Patagonia. Dominated by the Cordillera Darwin Icefield, and notably the Marinelli Glacier, whose walls of ice reach 40 metres in height, this particularly wild and remote place is one of the longest fjords in the region. The subpolar old-growth forests that run along the water are home to numerous natural wonders such as magnificent peat bogs, vertiginous waterfalls and small brooks. This place is also home to exceptional wildlife including elephant seals, Magellanic penguins and numerous bird species.

8 MARCH 2024 - AGUILA GLACIER

Arrival 08/03/2024
Departure 08/03/2024

Deep inside the Agostini fjord looms the Aguila glacier. This immense expanse of ice is to be found in the heart of the Cordillera Darwin, a Chilean mountain range, within the Tierra del Fuego region. To reach it, admire the dazzling setting of the snow-capped mountains, separated by the canals of the Patagonia rainforest.

8 MARCH 2024 - AGOSTINI GLACIER

Arrival 08/03/2024
Departure 08/03/2024

In the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, the Agostini Glacier sits at the back of the eponymous fjord, framed by the Cordillera Darwin. Named after the Italian missionary and explorer Alberto Maria De Agostini, this imposing blue-tinged glacier offers a stunning view over the fjord.

9 MARCH 2024 - GARIBALDI GLACIER

Arrival 09/03/2024
Departure 09/03/2024

Cruise along the narrow arm of Garibaldi Fjord and marvel at its stunning landscapes: thick green vegetation adorns steep mountains, rivalling the beauty of surrounding ice and snow. Further on, Garibaldi Glacier unveils itself: a towering ice titan looming at the end of the fjord that shares its name. Don't be surprised if sea lions and numerous birds accompany you on your enchanting journey into the heart of one of Chile's most beautiful glaciers.  

10 MARCH 2024 - SAILING AROUND CAPE HORN

Arrival 10/03/2024
Departure 10/03/2024

It’s at the meeting point between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans that you enter Chilean Patagonia where you head for the Tierra del Fuego archipelago and its famous Cape Horn. From the top of its impressive 425-metre high cliff, South America’s southernmost tip has, for many centuries, seen merchant ships from the world over passing by. Because of its legendary storms and rough seas, getting round this cape has gone down in history as a challenge for all seafarers.

11 MARCH 2024 - PUERTO WILLIAMS

Arrival 11/03/2024
Departure 11/03/2024

Located on Navarino Island a few kilometres from the Argentinian border, the city of Puerto Williams is, according to Chileans, the southernmost city in the world. It is first and foremost, a charming fishing port whose calm and isolation will delight you. You can stroll around a few little streets and admire the dark silhouette of the Patagonian Andes, surmounted by eternally white peaks. The Martin Gusinde museum of anthropology gives an aperçu of the living conditions of the ancient indigenous people, the Yámanas, while the surrounding areas propose hiking paths across wild, unspoiled nature.

12 MARCH 2024 - USHUAIA

Arrival 12/03/2024 early morning
Disembarkation 12/03/2024 at 07:00

Capital of Argentina's Tierra del Fuego province, Ushuaia is considered the gateway to the White Continent and the South Pole. Nicknamed “El fin del mundo” by the Argentinian people, this city at the end of the world nestles in the shelter of mountains surrounded by fertile plains that the wildlife seem to have chosen as the ultimate sanctuary. With its exceptional site, where the Andes plunge straight into the sea, Ushuaia is one of the most fascinating places on earth, its very name evocative of journeys to the unlikely and the inaccessible…

WHAT'S INCLUDED