Chile Patagonia & Fjords Cruise & Walk 9D8N (Fjords, Cape Horn & Torres Del Paine), Fully Guided

TWO HIKING OPTIONS:
Level 1, Approx. 6 km (4 miles), Elevation gain: 61 m (200 ft)
Level 2, Approx. 8 km (5 miles), Elevation gain: 61 m (200 ft)

On the day the trip begins, meet your tour leaders at 8 am at the Tolkien Patagonia Tourism office in Ushuaia. Please, ensure you arrive dressed in your hiking clothes and come with your luggage and a daypack containing your rain gear and anything else you may want for the day's hike (your luggage will be transported to our ship, and you won't have access to it until later this evening.)

After meeting your tour leaders in Ushuaia, we take a shuttle to the visitor's centre in Tierra del Fuego National Park. Situated in a rocky archipelago at the southernmost tip of the Americas, this park is Argentina's first protected coastal park. Leaving the visitor centre, we hit the Senda Costera (Coastal Path), an eight-kilometre (five-mile) trail with enchanting views of the Beagle Channel. At secluded Lapataia Bay, watch out for some of the abundant birdlife, including geese, ducks, and plovers that have made a home here. Then, soak in the charming panoramas over the water at Ensenada Bay, where the End of the World Post Office is located. You can even stamp your passports as a souvenir.

After the hike, we head back to Ushuaia to have lunch and explore downtown and the waterfront. If it's open, you may want to visit the Museo Fin del Mundo (End of the World Museum), where you can gain insight into the area's ancient history, including information about the first Antarctic expeditions. You could also engage in some last-minute shopping in town.

We meet in the afternoon and make our way to Ushuaia's port, where our Australis ship awaits. A state-of-the-art magnificent vessel built to succinctly glide through the narrow channels and remote bays of the Patagonia. Get comfortable in your stateroom and explore our floating hotel before joining the rest of the group for a toast as our ship sets sail through the stunning Beagle Channel into Chilean waters. Tonight, we enjoy our inaugural meal on board. (Cruise Ushuaia to Cape Horn)

THREE HIKING OPTIONS:
Level 1, Approx. 2 km (1 mile),  Elevation gain: 91 m (300 ft)
Level 1, Approx. 5 km (3 miles),  Elevation gain: 274 m (900 ft)
Level 2, Approx. 5 km (3 miles), Elevation gain: 366 m (1200 ft)

We embark on a voyage from Nassau Bay to the land and marine Cape Horn National Park—two islands separated by the narrow Murray Channel and identified as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The park shares its name with Cape Horn, a 400-metre-high (1300-foot-high) rugged cliff peering at the rough waters of the Drake Passage. If we cooperate with the weather and sea, our Zodiacs transport us to windswept Horn Island for exploration and picturesque vistas.

Following that, we sail through the Murray Channel between Navarino and Hoste Islands. Meet up with your tour leaders to witness the art of preparing and drinking yerba matè (a native tea and cultural ritual) before dropping the hook at historic Wulaia Bay. This bay used to be home to one of the region's largest groups of Yámana people and was visited by Charles Darwin aboard the HMS Beagle in 1833. As we hike around the bay, we walk past berry bushes and forests of lenga and birch, watching out for birds, including cormorants, eagles, oystercatchers, and sparrows. Getting to the route's summit, take in serene views of the neighbouring fjords and mountains. Visit the island's small museum to learn more about the Yámana's history. (Please note the yerba maté tasting may move to the following day, depending on the timing of our activities today.)

At night, we convene in the ship's dining room for dinner, where the chefs fuse their passion for Chilean cuisine with continental favourites. (Cruise Wulaia Bay to Pía Glacier)

Level 1, Approx. 2 km (1 mile), Elevation gain: 122 m (400 ft)

We enter Pia Fjord this morning after sailing through constricted channels overnight, around the Brecknock Peninsula, and into the Beagle Channel. Boarding our Zodiacs, we crunch through the ice-covered waters of Santiago! We may even witness the splash of enormous ice chunks calving off the glacier. Getting to land, carefully make your way over some slippery rocks as we hike to a spectacular panorama of the glacier stretching from mountaintops to the sea. Soak in the brilliant landscape, including green moss and trees, yellow lichen, black rock, and the glacier's blue, white, and grey. You can head back down or take a longer route, hiking a lateral glacier hill and learning about its movements and growth.

Getting back on board, we cruise along the Beagle Channel and through a long fjord decorated with steep mountains and striped with waterfalls. Dropping the hook near the impressive Garibaldi Glacier, considered one of Chile's most charming, our trusted Zodiacs take us to shore for a hike through the secluded Magellanic forest. The walk is steep, muddy, and on a rugged abandoned trail. However, if you are up for it, you'll be greeted by a glacial waterfall and breathtaking views of the glacier plunging into the fjord. If not, you can choose to stay on board as the ship goes in to take a closer look at Garibaldi's blue walls.

Later, have a relaxing time onboard, maybe with a warm drink, before meeting for dinner in the evening. (Overnight Cruise through Canal Ballenero & Canal Magdalena)

Level 1, Approx. 3 km (2 miles), Elevation gain: 30 m (100 ft))

Early in the morning, our captain guides our ship into Agostini Sound, a part of Alberto de Agostini National Park. It is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve home to delightful inhabitants such as elephant seals, beavers, and the endangered river otter. In the heart of the Darwin Mountain Range, you are free to capture gorgeous vistas of glaciers descending the mountains. At a serene lagoon formed by the waters of Águila Glacier, we go ashore for a stroll around the lagoon and up the glacier and its blue cracks hugging the mountain.

After eating lunch, we're back in our Zodiacs for a close encounter with the secluded and striking Cóndor Glacier. As we get closer, be on the lookout for Andean condors above. Tonight, we enjoy our final meal in the ship's dining room and raise a glass to our next adventures. (Cruise Cóndor Glacier to Magdalena Island)

Level 1, Approx. 2 km (1 mile), Elevation gain: 30 m (100 ft)

For our final Zodiac adventure, at dawn, we make our way to Magdalena Island in the Strait of Magellan (it isn't inhabited by humans but thousands of Magellanic penguins.) Walking across the island's rugged terrain, we learn more about these social birds' hunting and breeding behaviours. At the 1902-lighthouse-turned-museum, soak in panoramas of the Strait and discover facts about the island's ecosystem.

Following that, we cruise south to Punta Arenas, where we go ashore and bid farewell to our ship's captain and crew. Once we're back on land, we get in a shuttle and head to a historical working estancia (ranch), where we learn about Chile's rich history of sheep farming culture and savour an authentic Chilean Asado (barbeque) lunch.

Afterward, we keep going north to the quaint Hotel Las Torres, a former cattle farm at the foot of the mountains in Torres del Paine National Park, and our home for the next two nights. Enjoy dinner at your leisure at the hotel, where the chef creates cuisines using ingredients sourced from the organic garden we visited earlier.

TWO HIKING OPTIONS:
Level 1, Approx. 6 km (4 miles), Elevation gain: 122 m (400 ft)
Level 2, Approx. 8 km (5 miles), Elevation gain: 213 m (700 ft)

After eating breakfast, a shuttle takes us to another unfrequented trail in Torres del Paine (Torres is Spanish for "towers," and Paine is a Tehuelche word for "blue"). In this area overflowing with wildlife, we are sure to come across herds of guanaco, whose adults can stand five to six feet tall. If we're lucky, we could spy on locals such as foxes, puma (the guanaco's only predator), and various bird species. After a cautious climb, we're greeted with heart-stopping views of the Paine massif. Going up another ridge, we stop to see paintings underneath a rugged overhanging cliff believed to be made by the Tehuelche people about 6,000 years ago.

Following our hike, we shuttle back to the hotel for lunch. Afterward, you can choose to go horseback riding or hike to Laguna Inge, walking along a section of the famed "W" trek. There is also the option of relaxing at the hotel or its spa.

We meet before dinner to prepare an interesting twist on the classic South American drink, the pisco sour. This is done during a mixology presentation where the bartender specializes in inventing drinks using ingredients from their organic garden. Afterward, we enjoy a traditional Asado dinner.

Level 1, Approx. 6 km (4 miles), Elevation gain: 91 m (300 ft)

To start the day, we shuttle into the heart of Torres del Paine National Park to catch the picturesque morning scenery. Climb along Salto Grande, a powerful waterfall with thundering powder blue waters spilling 15 metres (50 feet) down a constricted opening. Continuing along our steep and rocky trail decorated with rocks and lush vegetation, the famed snow-capped peaks and cuernos (horns) make their appearance.

After eating lunch, we head south to magnificent Singular Patagonia, a former sheep processing plant immersed in history and allure, set on Última Esperanza (Last Hope) Sound. Use the rest of the afternoon to settle into our lovely hotel and unwind at the 28-square-metre (3000-square-foot) eco-spa.

Enjoy dinner at your leisure in the hotel's award-winning restaurant. Later in the evening, be treated to an empanada cooking presentation. Then, learn about and taste famed Chilean wines together with our empanadas.

THREE HIKING OPTIONS:
Level 1, Approx. 5 km (3 miles),  Elevation gain: 91 m (300 ft)
Level 2, Approx. 10 km (6 miles), Elevation gain: 122 m (400 ft)
Level 3, Approx. 14 km (9 miles), Elevation gain: 213 m (700 ft)

We savour a delightful breakfast and take a boat ride through Última Esperanza fjord to an exclusive 5,600-acre ranch, Estancia Última Esperanza. The ranch owners are conversationalists and dedicated to preserving the land and managing environmental impact. The jaw-dropping property has kilometres of hiking trails and rich cultural history. We begin our exciting day at the ranch with a hike through the ranch and to a nearby sheep farm set on Antonio Varas Peninsula. Our path back hugs the coast with exceptional views of the fjord.

After eating lunch, we meet up with the ranch's expert gaucho guides for a picturesque horseback ride through Patagonian pampas and the forest. If you prefer to skip horseback riding, you can enjoy an afternoon hike or return to the hotel. Back at the Singular, enjoy a relaxing time at the hotel lounging or getting a spa treatment before we reconvene at the restaurant for a farewell dinner and toast our Patagonian adventure.

After an early breakfast, you can join a guided tour of our hotel's museum to learn about its industrial machines and the history of this private building. The tour encompasses visits to the boilers, engine room, and the old pier outside, which used to receive hundreds of vessels. Say goodbye to your tour leaders before boarding the shuttle for a ride to the Punta Arenas Airport or Hotel Cabo de Hornos in downtown Punta Arenas.

Note: This itinerary is provided as an example only – prevailing conditions and local arrangements may cause variation.