VIA AUSTRALIS is the new Expedition Cruise ship in Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego and Cabo de Hornos

Mare Australis and Via Australis are an Expedition Cruiseship that sails through the Strait of Magellan and the Beagle Channel and explores one of the wildest and most beautiful regions of the world: Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, at the southernmost tip of the South American continent. Offering an alternative of 3 or 4 -night cruises, from October to April.

ITINERARY 3 NIGHTS/4 DAYS - PCR014

Trip: PUNTA ARENAS-USHUAIA ROUTE

Day 1 Wednesday PUNTA ARENAS

• Check in from 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. at Magallanes 990, Punta Arenas. 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., embark the Expedition Cruise Ship Mare Australis. The Captain and crew will give a welcome cocktail reception on board. Immediately afterward, the ship will set sail for “the uttermost part of the earth.” Through the mythical Strait of Magellan, we will travel to Southern Patagonia, including Tierra de Fuego. This is the beginning of a Great Adventure!

Day 2 Thursday AINSWORTH BAY – TUCKER ISLET

• During the dawn’s early light, our ship will continue navigating through Almirantazgo Inlet, until arriving near Marinelli Glacier in Ainsworth Bay, where we will enjoy a walk to discover a beaver dam in the midst of a marvelous Magellanic forest. On the beach we will observe a colony of Elephant Seals. Continuing the voyage, we will visit Tucker Islet where we will view from the Zodiac boats, colonies of Magellanic Penguins and Cormorants.

Day 3 Friday GARIBALDI GLACIER – PIA GLACIER – GLACIER ALLEY

• We will disembark in Garibaldi Glacier Bay to begin an adventure excursion through a Magellanic forest. Later, we will navigate the northwest arm of the Beagle Channel to enter Pia Fjord, and go ashore near the glacier of the same name. We will take an excursion to a look-out point that is ideal for viewing the mountain range where the glacier originates, and its flow all the way to the sea.

Day 4 Saturday USHUAIA

• Arrival to Ushuaia, the most important Argentine city in Tierra de Fuego, and the southernmost city in the world. We will disembark at 8:00 a.m., enabling you to visit the city and national parks, and continue your trip through Patagonia.

ITINERARY 4 NIGHTS/5 DAYS - PCR015

Trip: USHUAIA-PUNTA ARENAS ROUTE

Day 1 Saturday USHUAIA

• Check in at San Martín 245, Ushuaia, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m., embark the Expedition Cruise Ship Via Australis. The Captain and crew will give a welcome cocktail reception on board. Immediately afterward, the ship will set sail for “the uttermost part of the earth.” Through the mythical Strait of Magellan, we will travel to Southern Patagonia, including Tierra de Fuego. This is the beginning of a Great Adventure!

Day 2 Sunday CAPE HORN – WULAIA BAY

• We will sail through the Beagle and Murray Channels to disembark in Cape Horn National Park. Cape Horn, a sheer, almost 425-meter-high promontory, where the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean merge, was discovered in 1616 by the Dutch commercial expedition organized by Isaac Le Maire. The Cape owes its name to the Port of Hoorn, the expedition’s departure point. In the afternoon we will disembark in historical Wulaia Bay, once the site of one of the region’s largest native settlements. This area is also renowned for the spectacular beauty of its vegetation and geography. We will walk through a Magellanic forest filled with Lengas, Coigües, Canelos, ferns and other species to reach a look-out point.

Day 3 Monday PIA GLACIER

• We will navigate the northwest arm of the Beagle Channel to enter Pia Fjord and disembark to observe the glacier of the same name, which is part of the Darwin Mountain Range.

Day 4 Tuesday CHICO INLET – AGUILA GLACIER

• We will disembark in Chico Inlet for a zodiac boat approach to Piloto and Nena glaciers, providing us with a closer look at these awe-inspiring masses of ancient ice. Then we will head to Aguila Glacier Bay where we will disembark for a walk on a smooth lakeshore leading to the glacier. From the beach, a second group can walk through the area’s Magellanic forest to later arrive at the lake, and reach the glacier.

Day 5 Wednesday MAGDALENA ISLAND – PUNTA ARENAS

• Early in the morning, we will disembark on Magdalena Island, the home of an immense colony of more than 120,000 Magellanic Penguins that we will be able to observe during our walk to the Lighthouse that guides different ships on their way through the Strait of Magellan. After our visit, we will return to Punta Arenas, where we will disembark at 11:30 a.m., concluding our adventure.

2006 – 2007 VIA AUSTRALIS DEPARTURES DATES