From Chile to the Antarctic Peninsula

Capital of the Magallanes Region and of the Chilean Antarctic, this handsome port city charms you with its history and traditions. Once inhabited by several indigenous tribes, Punta Arenas has maintained an architectural style that remains true to its heritage. Discover the city's countless treasures, starting with the statue of Magellan at the center of the Plaza Armas, as well as the iconic Palacio Sara Braun. The city's public cemetery, adorned with beautiful gardens, is another must-see during your stopover in this austral capital. Conclude your visit by a stop at the Mirador Cerro la Cruz, a lookout point offering a spectacular panorama of the city's colorful houses.

This mythical strait situated in the south of Chile and separating South America from Tierra del Fuego awakens your 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 organized 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.

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.  

The northwest arm of Beagle Channel offers a prime opportunity to learn about geology, glaciology, and nature's splendor. This place is known as Glacier Alley and with good reason: an endless chain of majestic glaciers line the waters, leaving awed observers reluctant to look away, lest they miss out. España, Romanche, Alemania, Italia, Francia, Holanda: it's hard to decide which of these ice giants is the most spectacular. Their wild might is sure to impress you.

Together with Cape Horn and the Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel is one of the few shipping routes connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Measuring approximately 240 km long, it marks the border between Chile and Argentina and owes its name to the HMS Beagle, a British ship which carried out hydrographic missions in South America in the 19th century. As you cruise along Beagle Channel, be sure to take in the beauty of the surrounding landscapes, set against a backdrop of sumptuous snow-capped Andean peaks. Darwin traveled this same route during one of his trips around the world.

If there is one place, one sea, one waterway dreaded by tourists, researchers, and hardened seafarers alike, it is undoubtedly the Drake Passage. Situated at the latitude of the infamous Furious Fifties winds, between Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands, it is the shortest route to Antarctica. Seasoned navigators tell you that you must earn your visit to the White Continent! As a convergence zone where cold currents rising up from the South Pole meet warmer equatorial water masses, Drake Passage harbors a very diverse marine fauna. Don't forget to look to the sky to catch a glimpse of elegant albatross and Cape petrels, playfully floating about in the wind around your ship.

Amidst the eerie stillness of the Weddell Sea, wend your way through a veritable labyrinth of majestic table icebergs. Sweeping ice platforms sculpt a landscape unlike any other, populated by fur seals, penguins, wandering albatross, and other imposing seabirds. The Weddell seal, king of this realm, welcomes you to his territory with a haunting cry that pierces the surrounding silence. Recognize him by his dark gray coat and spotted belly. Weddell seals have the impressive distinction of being able to stay underwater for more than an hour.

On the small island of Goudier, visit Port Lockroy, discovered by the French explorer Jean - Baptiste Charcot in 1903. Initially serving as a relief and repair base for whalers, Port Lockroy later became a research station. Visit the small Museum that retraces the life of the base in the 1950s. Since 1996, it has been open to the public during the short southern summer and is used for carrying out research on gentoo penguins. Nowadays, this base is the most visited site on the White Continent and, thanks to its little store and post office, it is the only place to offer you the opportunity to write to your friends and family and share this unique moment.

Neko Bay is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful sites in the Antarctic Peninsula. It was discovered by the Belgian explorer Adrien De Gerlache during his 1897 - 99 Antarctic expedition. Mountains, snow, ice, and unspoiled nature combine to offer a unique landscape. Wildlife is as abundant as it is exceptional: sea birds such as gulls, Cape petrels, and cormorants, as well as marine mammals like seals, orcas, and whales. Excursions aboard your Zodiac® allow you to sail close to blue - tinged icebergs or disembark near colonies of penguins, observe leopard seals basking on the shore, or watch the Antarctic terns flying overhead.

One of the very first reporters of adventures in the polar region was the talented photographer Paul Pleneau, who accompanied the explorer Jean - Baptiste Charcot during his expeditions in Antarctica. Today, the bay that bears his name deploys an entire army of icy giants. Some of the icebergs even have surreal shapes and the color of the ice shifts between countless shades of blue and white. An excursion in a Zodiac® takes you to meet the marine mammals that have taken up residence in the heart of the Bay. On land, the ice sheets are scattered with red algae in parts, and colonies of gentoo penguins set up nesting places here and there across the Island. 

Paradise Bay, named for its stunning beauty, is a wide bay and natural harbor on the West Antarctic Peninsula. The name was first applied by whalers operating in the vicinity and was in use by 1920. Glaciated mountains and ice cliffs surround and protect the harbor, and together with the icebergs, they help to make for a breathtaking panorama. When the glaciers aren't calving, the waters in the bay are quite calm, as is true in the spectacular Lemaire Channel, and they reflect the mountains and ice cliffs beautifully.

Between 1897 and 1899, Belgian explorer Adrien de Gerlache led an Antarctic expedition aboard the Belgica. There, he discovered a quiet, protected bay which he named in honor of the Dutch queen, Wilhelmina of Orange-Nassau. In this enchanting place, towering mountains reflect off of still waters, offering up a magnificent and colorful feast for the eyes. Yet another source of wonder: humpback whales, majestic and frequent visitors to the bay, feed in the surrounding waters amidst a stunning seascape of ice floes and icebergs.

Nestled at the heart of the South Shetland Islands, Deception Island is easy to recognize for its horseshoe shape. This island was once an active volcano whose crater collapsed some 10,000 years ago. This produced a caldera which was then flooded by the sea creating a natural port. Entrance to the port is via a narrow channel called Neptune’s Bellows. For a long time this was an important whaling station and the intensity of this activity has left traces that have withstood the passage of time. On the black sand of the volcanic beaches lie the ruins of abandoned huts, and the place is teeming today with extraordinary wildlife. Excursions aboard the Zodiac® dinghies allows you to set foot on this expanse of land where more than 100,000 pairs of chinstrap penguins, elephant seals, and fur seals live side by side.

Half Moon Island is one of the most beautiful sites in the South Shetlands. Sharp craggy slabs of rock covered in brilliant orange, yellow, and black lichens provide nesting sites for chinstrap penguins that have some of the best views around. A large, active chinstrap penguin colony (over 3,000 breeding pairs) is the main attraction, and there is an Antarctic cormorant colony on the southern tip of the island. Antarctic terns, kelp gulls, snowy sheathbills, and usually a few Weddell seals are also usually found on shore. Nesting skuas make themselves known to those who cross over into their territory. Later in the season, Antarctic fur seals and southern elephant seals haul out and rest on the beaches.

Arrive in Ushuaia and disembark after breakfast. Continue your journey to Buenos Aires.