Tierra del Fuego Expedition
Eight nights that cover the entire navigation area rather than half of it, sailed as one continuous voyage from Punta Arenas and back to it, with the same cabin throughout. The southbound half takes in Ainsworth Bay, the Tucker islets and Glacier Alley; the northbound half adds Porter, Aguila and Condor and finishes among the penguins of Magdalena Island. Cape Horn is attempted twice, from opposite directions, which is the single best reason to sail the loop.
The trip
Day by day
Day 1 · Punta Arenas
Punta Arenas and the Strait of Magellan
Boarding is early evening in Punta Arenas, and the ship is clear of the pier before dark. Dinner comes as the last lights on the Strait slide astern. Ahead lie eight nights that cover the whole navigation area instead of half of it: south through Almirantazgo Sound, out to Cape Horn, and back again along the other shore.
Overnight: M/V Ventus Australis or M/V Stella Australis (Dinner)
Day 2
Ainsworth Bay and Tuckers Islets
Morning opens on Ainsworth Bay under the Marinelli Glacier, where a Zodiac puts you on a beach of subantarctic forest and a colony of elephant seals that pays visitors no attention whatsoever. The afternoon belongs to the islets off Tucker, alive with Magellanic penguins and cormorants and watched from the water. In September and April, Brookes Glacier takes the islets' place.
Overnight: M/V Ventus Australis or M/V Stella Australis (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Day 3
Pia Glacier and Glacier Alley
The ship turns into Pia Fjord and stops in front of the glacier itself, close enough that the cracking carries across the water. A short walk on the moraine gives the whole face at once. The afternoon runs the northwest arm of the Beagle Channel, where five glaciers hang one after another off the Darwin range, sailed past rather than landed on.
Overnight: M/V Ventus Australis or M/V Stella Australis (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Day 4
Cape Horn and Wulaia Bay
An early crossing of Nassau Bay puts the ship at Cape Horn, where the Atlantic and the Pacific meet and the next land south is Antarctica. The weather, not the schedule, decides whether the Zodiacs can land. The afternoon is Wulaia Bay, green and sheltered, where Darwin's Beagle once anchored and a climb through the forest opens the whole sound below you.
Overnight: M/V Ventus Australis or M/V Stella Australis (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Day 5
Ushuaia, and about turn
The ship comes alongside in Ushuaia after breakfast and the four-night passengers step off. The day is yours in the southernmost city on the continent, the museums and the crab restaurants and the Martial glacier above the town. By early evening the ship sails again with the same cabin still yours, this time heading for Cape Horn from the other side.
Overnight: M/V Ventus Australis or M/V Stella Australis (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Day 6
Cape Horn again, and Wulaia Bay
The second run at Cape Horn is the one that often lands: two chances at a headland that grants very few is most of the reason to sail both halves. The afternoon returns to Wulaia Bay from the opposite direction, and the anchorage that looked sheltered on the way south reads differently with the light behind it.
Overnight: M/V Ventus Australis or M/V Stella Australis (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Day 7
Pia Glacier and Porter Glacier
Pia Fjord again in the morning, and glaciers do not repeat themselves: the front will have calved, the ice will sit differently, the water will carry new bergs out toward the ship. The afternoon adds Porter Glacier, which the southbound route never sees, running its ice down to the waterline.
Overnight: M/V Ventus Australis or M/V Stella Australis (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Day 8
Aguila Glacier and Condor Glacier
A Zodiac landing on the beach below Aguila, then a walk through native forest to the foot of the glacier, near enough to feel the cold coming off it. Later the ship works into Condor Fjord, where the birds it is named for ride the updraft off the cliffs and the Zodiacs run the ice along the waterline.
Overnight: M/V Ventus Australis or M/V Stella Australis (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Day 9 · Punta Arenas
Magdalena Island and Punta Arenas
The last morning lands on Magdalena Island in the middle of the Strait of Magellan, where a marked path runs up to the lighthouse through a colony of Magellanic penguins tens of thousands strong. The ship is alongside in Punta Arenas, where the loop began, by half past twelve. In September and April the island is closed and Marta Island, with its sea lions, stands in.
Meals: Breakfast
End of the adventure. Until the next one, bon voyage!
On the ground
Where you stay
- M/V Ventus Australis or M/V Stella Australis (8 nights)
The price shown is for a Cabin B on the lower deck. Cabins on the upper decks and the two larger Superior cabins are available on request; tell us which you want and we will price it for your sailing.
The package
What's included
- 8 nights accommodation
- Meals: 8 breakfasts, 7 lunches and 8 dinners
- All meals on board, and an open bar with no exclusions
- Every shore excursion by Zodiac, with the expedition team
- The cabin for the whole voyage, at double occupancy
Not included
- Flights in and out of Punta Arenas (PUQ)
- Transfers to and from the ship in Punta Arenas and Ushuaia
- Government port fees, taxes and national park fees, US$185 per person
- Gratuities, which the ship suggests at US$25 per person per night
- Travel insurance, which the ship checks at boarding on the Argentine legs
- Anything charged to your cabin, including the onboard store
Pricing
What moves the price
The sailing date moves this price most: the operator runs three seasons, and the opening and closing weeks of the season cost roughly half what midsummer does. Cabin category and single occupancy are the other two. Government port, tax and national park fees are set by the port authorities, are not in the price above, and are charged per person.
Prices shown are for 2026-2028. Inquire to check rates for future years.
Check my dates
Tell us when you want to travel and who is coming, and a trip specialist replies personally to confirm your dates and put the plan in writing.