Orion, Best of Chilean Patagonia ex Santiago Roundtrip – 08 Mar 2021

7 Night Cruise sailing from Ushuaia to Puerto Natales. Hotel stays pre-cruise in Santiago and post-cruise in Torres del Paine & Puerto Natales.

Optimize your Chilean Patagonia experience with a land and sea expedition. Spend three days at the superb Tierra Patagonia Hotel or Explora Patagonia to savor the grandeur of Torres del Paine’s sunrises and sunsets, its iconic landscapes, and profusion of wildlife. Then explore the fjords, glaciers, and panoramic vistas of Patagonia’s coast and waterways that are only accessible by expedition ship. Venturing out on Zodiac forays, kayaking pristine fjords, or hiking virgin trails, you’ll breathe the rarified air of a near-mythic region. Enjoy special access to Argentina’s Isla de Los Estados (Staten Island)—a seldom-seen island covered in wind-sculpted flora, with wildlife that includes South American fur seals and Magellanic penguins. Discover the vast parklands of Karukinka, and check viewing legendary Cape Horn off your life list as well.

Day by Day Itinerary:

DAY 1: Santiago, Chile
We check in to the Hotel Santiago by Mandarin (or similar), centrally located in Santiago, and have the morning to relax. Santiago is nearly surrounded by the Andes, which form an inspiring backdrop to our afternoon guided overview of this vibrant city. We explore the Plaza de Armas, the main square, and nearby Presidential Palace, enjoying wonderful views from the many hills that dot the city. In the early evening, we gather for an informal reception and a drink at the hotel. (Day 1: L)

DAY 2: Ushuaia, Argentina/Embark
Today we fly by private charter flight to Ushuaia, Argentina. Our flight will bring us over Patagonia before landing in Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. If the weather is fine, you’ll have a chance to view the spectacular mountains rising out of the Beagle Channel as you enjoy lunch on a catamaran cruise. Then, you’ll embark National Geographic Orion and set sail. (B,L,D)

DAY 3-4: Isla de Los Estados (Staten Island), Argentina
We have been given special permission to visit extraordinary Staten Island, and our 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 we’ll find a great deal of interest here. Our exact schedule will remain flexible to take best advantage of conditions. We’ll see southern rockhopper and Magellanic penguins, many other water birds, and fur seals and sea lions. We’ll also look for otters on our landings ashore, and we’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, perhaps along with 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. Read Eric Guth’s account from our inaugural 2015 visit at www.expeditions.com/si_first. (B,L,D)

DAY 5: Cape Horn
Today we visit Cape Horn, near the southernmost tip of the South American continent, named in 1616 for the Dutch town of Hoorn. These waters are famously difficult to navigate, and over the centuries have been the graveyard of many ships-which before the opening of the Panama Canal had to round the Cape to sail between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Of course, we’ll use our modern equipment to explore safely. Weather permitting, we’ll take our Zodiacs ashore and walk to the top of the hill for panoramic views and to see the memorial placed there in 1992, showing an albatross in silhouette. (B,L,D)

DAY 6: The Chilean Fjords, Beagle Channel & Exploring
We sail the Beagle Channel, exploring more stunning wilderness of glaciers and fjords by Zodiac, kayak, and on foot. Take Zodiacs out to explore these protected waters and rugged shores, the blue and white of ice contrasting with greens of the forest highlighted by splashes of late-season flowering plants. Look for the Andean condors, albatrosses, grebes, petrels, fulmars, shearwaters and many other birds that inhabit this otherworldly realm. (B,L,D)

DAY 7: Tierra del Fuego, Chile: Karukinka Natural Park
Tierra del Fuego is one of Patagonia’s crown jewels. We 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. We’re 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. We may explore Jackson Bay, backed by a skyline of rugged mountains and look or wildlife including black-browed albatross that nest on one of the nearby small islands. We 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. (B,L,D)

DAY 8: Exploring the Chilean Fjords & Kirke or White Narrows/Puerto Natales
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. We’ll 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. Our Captain and local pilots guide us through Kirke or White Narrows, accessible only to a small ship as National Geographic Orion—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 we make our way to Puerto Natales. (B,L,D)

DAY 9-11: Torres del Paine National Park
We disembark in Puerto Natales and drive to Torres del Paine National Park, stopping at Milodón Cave, where the remains of an extinct giant sloth were discovered. Illuminating displays show the history of human habitation and wildlife of the region.

We continue to monumental Torres del Paine, a UNESCO Biosphere reserve and a place of superlatives. The landscape is big, wide and sprawling, with razor-backed ridges, Andean condors, guanacos, foxes and rheas. Regardless of where you are, the Paine massif draws your eye with its jagged peaks, including the famous “Horns” and the three towers for which the park is named. These granite mountains are topped with a thick layer of dark slate. Chileans themselves dream of visiting this magnificent park, and it holds a special place in their hearts as a symbol of wildness. We spend three nights at the outstanding Explora Patagonia, located in the heart of the park, next to the Salto Chico waterfall and overlooking Lake Pehoé and the central mountain range. During our days here, we’ll discover one of the most spectacular and wildlife-rich areas in the Americas, covering 450,000 acres of glaciers, forests and grasslands, rivers and colorful lakes and lagoons. You’ll be able to choose among a variety of excursions each day, ranging from a challenging hike to the base of the towers, to a shorter walk among guanaco herds to the edge of a lake, to a scenic drive to a waterfall and the “Blue Lagoon”, with views of the towers. Or ride horseback if you wish, in this most inspiring of landscapes. You’ll leave here with the feeling you’ve really experienced an adventure. (B,L,D)

DAY 12: Torres del Paine/Puerto Natales
We spend a final morning exploring Torres del Paine. We then drive to the outpost of Puerto Natales and check in to our fine hotel, the Singular, located on Última Esperanza (Last Hope) Sound. The sound got its name when 16th-century explorers tried and failed to find a route to the Pacific here. This afternoon, we will enjoy a short exploration of the town, including a visit to the small but excellent Municipal Historical Museum, with exhibits on the region’s Native Americans and on its settler past. We have dinner at our hotel. (B,L,D)

DAY 13: Santiago, Chile/Home
Drive from Puerto Natales to Punta Arenas, take a flight to Santiago and connect to your flight home.