Check in to the Ritz-Carlton, Santiago (or a similar centrally located hotel) and spend the morning relaxing. Santiago is nearly surrounded by the Andes, which form an inspiring backdrop to your afternoon guided overview of this vibrant city. You explore the Plaza de Armas, the main square, and the nearby Presidential Palace, enjoying wonderful views from the many hills that dot the city.

Today you fly from Santiago to Punta Arenas, Chile’s southern gateway to Patagonia, drive to the outpost of Puerto Natales, and embark the ship. 

Be on deck to look for condors and other wildlife as the ship transits the narrow sliver of water known as the Kirke Narrows—always a challenge to navigate due to the powerful currents that flow through its pinch point. Today and in the following days, you are treated to the spectacular features of an active glaciated landscape with hanging valleys and tributary glaciers. This region is navigated by Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition, taking most of November 1520 for his ships to find a way through the channels between the continental mainland and Tierra del Fuego to the south. Your Captain and local pilots guide you through Kirke Narrows, accessible only to a small ship like the National Geographic Orion. You look to make a first stop in the extensive maze of channels and islands of the Chilean fjords, where you may go out by Zodiac and kayak.

Tierra del Fuego is one of Patagonia’s crown jewels. You visit its newest and largest protected area: Karukinka Natural Park. Established in 2004 through a gift from Goldman Sachs, Karukinka is one of the largest donations ever made for conservation. Travelers are thrilled to have special permission from the Wildlife Conservation Society to visit this private reserve, which spans 1,160 square miles and harbors endangered culpeo fox, Andean condors, albatross, grebes, petrels, fulmars, shearwaters and many other kinds of wildlife. You may explore Jackson Bay, backed by a skyline of rugged mountains and look at wildlife including black-browed albatross that nest on one of the nearby small islands. You may walk a trail to a lovely waterfall and look for elephant seals resting on not only the beach but also high in the grass meadows and even in the small river draining the valley inland. 

You explore more stunning wilderness as you see the fjords and glaciers of the region by Zodiac, kayak, and on foot. This vast area of soaring, snowcapped mountains, gigantic glaciers, thousands of verdant islands, serene lakes, and waterfalls is scarcely touched by man. You take Zodiacs out to explore these protected waters and rugged shores, where the blue and white of ice contrasts with the greens of the forest, highlighted by splashes of flowering plants. You look for Andean condors, albatrosses, grebes, petrels, fulmars, shearwaters, and many other birds that inhabit this otherworldly realm. Then, you sail the Beagle Channel and look to hike and kayak one of the wild areas in this region of beech forests, mountains, and wild rivers.

Travelers have been given special permission to visit extraordinary Staten Island, and the ship will be one of the only expedition ships ever allowed here. It’s a place of superlatives, barely touched in recent decades and visited primarily by a few scientists and those who man the tiny naval observatory. The island was named by Dutch explorers in 1615. Its mountainous, forested landscapes and rugged fjords are beautiful, and you’ll find a great deal of interest here. Your exact schedule will remain flexible to take best advantage of conditions. You’ll see southern rockhopper and Magellanic penguins, many other water birds, and fur seals and sea lions. You’ll also look for otters on the landings ashore, and you’ll see the replica of the 1884 San Juan de Salvamento “lighthouse at the end of the world,” which inspired Jules Verne’s novel by the same name, and perhaps the ruins of a penal colony. There will be chances to walk in the southern beech forests. These days are bound to stand out as a unique chance to explore a very remote place. 

Disembark in Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. Take a charter flight to Santiago and connect to your flight home.