Patagonia: Chilean Fjords and Staten Island

Overview

Discover the fjords, glaciers, and panoramic vistas that make Chilean Patagonia one of the most lauded nature destinations on Earth. Venture by Zodiac and kayak to explore Chile’s deeply indented coastline. Glide into fjords and inlets beneath walls of blue ice, hike on shore with naturalists, and watch for elephant seals, Magellanic penguins, and Andean condors. Explore the seldom-seen natural splendors of Karukinka Natural Park and Isla de los Estados (Staten Island), enjoying special access to nature reserves filled with stunning landscapes.

This itinerary is accurate for Northbound voyages. The itinerary is reversed for Southbound voyages.

Arrive in Santiago and transfer from the airport to the Ritz-Carlton, Santiago (or similar) before our guided overview of this vibrant city backed by the inspiring Andes. Discover sites like the Plaza de Armas and get a feel for the mix of old and new that makes this city so great. In the early evening, gather for an informal welcome reception and a drink at the hotel.

Join the recommended flight from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia; transfers to the airport and luggage assistance are provided. If the weather is fine, you will have a chance to view the spectacular mountains rising out of the Beagle Channel while enjoying lunch on a catamaran cruise. Later, embark and set sail.

Special permission has been granted to visit extraordinary Staten Island, and the National Geographic Orion is one of the only expedition ships ever allowed here. It is a place of superlatives, barely touched in recent decades and visited primarily by a few scientists and the staff of the tiny naval observatory. The island was named by Dutch explorers in 1615. Its mountainous, forested landscapes and rugged fjords are beautiful, and there is much to discover here. The exact schedule remains flexible to take best advantage of conditions. You will search for southern rockhopper and Magellanic penguins, other waterbirds, fur seals, and sea lions. You will also look for otters on your landings ashore, and 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. There are 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.

This southernmost corner of the South American continent is also home to Cape Horn, the island at the convergence of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, famously difficult waters that, throughout the centuries, has been the graveyard of many ships from the time before the Panama Canal. Sail the Beagle Channel and look to hike and kayak one of the wild areas in this region of beech forests, mountains, and rivers. You will take Zodiacs out to explore these protected waters and rugged shores, keeping watch for the Andean condors, albatrosses, grebes, petrels, fulmars, shearwaters, and many other birds that inhabit this otherworldly realm. You will experience more stunning wilderness as you explore the fjords and glaciers of the region by Zodiac, kayak, and on foot.

Tierra del Fuego is one of Patagonia’s crown jewels. You will 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. Special permission has been granted from the Wildlife Conservation Society to visit this private reserve, which spans 1,160 square miles and harbors the endangered culpeo fox, Andean condors, albatrosses, grebes, petrels, fulmars, shearwaters, and many other kinds of wildlife. You may explore Jackson Bay, backed by a skyline of rugged mountains, and look for wildlife including black-browed albatrosses, which 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.

Today you will be treated to the spectacular features of an active glaciated landscape with hanging valleys and tributary glaciers. This region was navigated by Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition and it took most of November 1520 for his ships to find a way through the channels that lie between the continental mainland and Tierra del Fuego to the south. You look to make a first stop in the extensive maze of channels and islands of the Chilean fjords, where we may go out by Zodiac and kayak. The captain and local pilots guide you through the Kirke or White Narrows, accessible only to a small ship such as the National Geographic Orion, and always a challenge to navigate because of the powerful currents that flow through the pinch point. Be on deck to look for condors and other wildlife as you make your way to Puerto Natales.

Disembark in Puerto Natales, and drive to Punta Arenas, the southmost city in Chile. Join the recommended flights to Santiago for your flights home; once again, airport transfers and luggage assistance will be provided.