Beagle Channel and Cape Horn Cruise

Q: Is there Internet connection onboard?

A: We do not have Internet or Wifi service aboard our ships.

Q: Do we always disembark at Cape Horn National Park?

A: Shore landings at Cape Horn National Park is subject to weather conditions. The disembarkation success rate for this excursion last season was 70%.

Q: Are there additional charges?

A: Yes. The cruise cost does not include visa fees, national park fees or Chile and Argentina port fees.

Total port fees per person for 2017-2018 bookings are as follows (subject to change)

– Punta Arenas to Ushuaia route: US$50
– Ushuaia to Punta Arenas route: US$50
– Punta Arenas to Ushuaia to Punta Arenas route: US$60
– Ushuaia to Punta Arenas to Ushuaia route: US$60

These fees may change at the discretion of port authorities. They are not included in the cruise rate and must be paid along with your final payment.

Q: Should we tip on board?

A: Tips are at the discretion of the passenger. But we suggest US$15 per day per passenger for the staff and crew, handed in at the reception desk on the last day of the cruise.

Q: How can I pay onboard?

A: Items from the onboard shop (such as souvenirs, books and sportswear) can be purchased with Mastercard, Visa, American Express and Diners credit cards, travellers checks, U.S. dollars, Euros, Chilean pesos or Argentinean pesos.

Q: Can you use drones or camera extension poles?

A: According to the provisions of the National Forestry Corporation (CONAF), in the Protected Wild Areas of the Magallanes Region, the use of drones or any RPAS technology is prohibited.

On Magdalena Island the use of Selfie Sticks for cameras is prohibited, since they disturb the wildlife.

Extra information

On Board Lectures

During the cruise there will be interesting lectures on the wildlife, history and geography of this legendary region given by the Mare Australis and Via Australis Expedition Group. The lectures will take place both on board (with audio-visual support) and on land.

Geography and Navigation Route

You will learn about the geographic environment where our expedition cruiseship sails and each one of the channels, fjords and glaciers making this route a unique and mysterious place at the end of the earth.

Patagonia Ice Flowers

You will enjoy a beautiful audio-visual exhibition of the different species making up the Magellan forest. You will know trees and bushes that are characteristic of the region, such as Coigüe, Lenga, Ñirre, Maitén or leña dura, Canelo, and some fruits such as Calafate, Myrtleberry, Zarzaparrilla and Chaura, as well as one of the most delicate flowers in the world, the Orchid.

Beagle Channel

You will learn about the importance of Captain Fitz Roy, who carried out the first expedition to this region, exploring the islands near the Navarino Island. In 1830, he discovered the Beagle Channel, which owes its name to the brig called “Beagle”, which took them to these remote lands. You will also discover other adventurous voyages and the colonisation south of Tierra del Fuego.

Penguins

Penguins are one of the most characteristic birds of this region. You will be amazed to know the different species inhabiting the Patagonia, their reproduction process, how they feed, why they emigrate and come back to the same place every year and many other peculiar characteristics of this seabird.

The Native People

You will learn about the ethnography and some theories on the inhabiting of the American continent and the first contacts with the aborigines: Tehuelches or Aonikenk, Onas or Selknam, Alakalufes or Kaweskar, Yaganes or Yámanas and Haush, their customs, their way of living and their mythology.

Southern Patagonia (latitudes 49° to 55°), encompassing the southern Andes of Chile and Argentina plus Tierra del Fuego, has an altogether more vertical aspect than the rest of Patagonia.

As the continent tapers towards its southern point, the Andes take on new characteristics and offer some truly impressive panoramas.

Much of southern Patagonia is characterized by virgin landscapes where man’s hand has either not been present or, because of the scale of the landscapes, goes almost unnoticed. To the west of the semi-arid Patagonian plateau, mile-high granite spires – e.g. Cerro Torre and Fitzroy in Argentina and the Torres and Cuernos del Paine in Chile – rise abruptly from the Andean foothills, while vast blue glaciers, fringed by southern beech forest, gouge out thevalleys below.

At the heart of these magnificent landscapes lies the South Patagonian Ice Field, an utterly remote icy wilderness spanning hundreds of kilometers, whose glaciers – including the Perito Moreno and Upsala – are tens of kilometres long by severalkilometers wide.

Also characteristic of the southern Patagonian Andes are its turquoise, iceberg-filled lakes. To the west lies the southern portion of the Chilean Archipelago, comprising snow-capped islands and fjords.

Across the Magellan Straits from mainland Patagonia lies Tierra del Fuego which, like the rest of Patagonia, is divided between Argentina and Chile.

The north and east of Tierra del Fuego is flat, but flanking the Beagle Channel in the south, the tail end of the Andes provide very dramatic mountain scenery.

The Lake District (latitudes 40° to 45°) or the Araucania, is a region of dramatic conical volcanoes, evergreen, high-canopy forests and, of course, lakes.

It straddles the Chile-Argentine border, and also takes in Chiloe island, in the extreme north of the Chilean Archipelago. This region stretches from Temuco in the north to Chiloe in the south.

Central Patagonia (latitudes 45 to 49) is one of South America’s best-kept secrets. The vast wilderness area can be divided in two:

• The dry band of Andean foothills and wind-blown plateau lying on the Argentine side of the Andes. This remote area is traversed north to south by a gravel highway known as the Ruta Cuarenta (Highway 40).
• The Chilean portion to the west of the Andean watershed, often referred to as the Careterra Austral (after the little-used gravel highway that crosses it from north to south).

This huge region, embracing the sparsely-inhabited southern Araucaria and Aisén Region, features temperate rainforests, snow-peaks (often extinct volcanoes), lakes and, to the west, the Chilean Archipelago: a labyrinth of fjords and mountain-islands. This, the Chilean portion of central Patagonia, boasts the northernmost of Patagonia’s many giant, sea-level glaciers.

The San Raphael Glacier, probably this region’s most famous landmark, is an immense hanging glacier whose seracs calve into an iceberg-filled lagoon.

Find out more about Patagonia with our blog about its wildlife.

For most people, Patagonia evokes a vast, windblown plateau, jagged mountains and the life of the gauchos.

The steppe that occupies much of southern South America is only one aspect of a magical region, jam-packed with amazing and contrasting landscapes.

Patagonia (latitudes 40°-55°, approximately) embraces a vast portion of southern Chile and Argentina, from the Rio Colorado in the north, to Tierra del Fuego in the south.

For convenience, we have divided the region into three zones: the Lakes District of northern Patagonian, central Patagonia and southern Patagonia.

We strongly suggest that everyone planning to travel to Patagonia visits their local doctor/travel clinic prior to departure for the latest vaccination information.

Recommended vaccinations

• Up-to-date diphtheria and polio.
• Tetanus or tetanus booster. (These three are effective for ten years.)
• ‘Havrix’ for Hepatitis A. The course of two injections protects you for ten years. Gamma globulin is cheaper butless effective.
• Typhoid vaccine is recommended by some doctors although it will not provide total protection and being careful about what you eat and drink is your best defence. It is given in two shots, four weeks apart and lasts for three years. Unless at exceptional risk, people over the age of 35 who have received four or more courses of typhoid immunisation need no more.
• A pre-exposure rabies vaccination is worth considering if you are going to be in contact with animals or morethan 24 hours away from a reliable source of vaccine. Hikers are at some risk from rural dogs, certain of which carry rabies, and those visiting coastal or rainforest areas could be exposed to rabid bats.
• Malaria is not a risk in Patagonia.

UK and USA citizens do not require a visa to enter Argentina or Chile as a tourist.

Please ensure your passport has at least six months remaining validity.

On presentation of a valid UK or USA passport you will be granted a 90-day stay in either country. Please keep any tourist card you are given safe – you need this to leave the country.

Australians have to pay a reciprocity fee to enter Argentina, and this must be obtained before travelling to Argentine.

Australians entering Chile at Santiago International airport must also pay a reciprocity fee, paying cash on arrival.

All non-UK nationals should check with their nearest Chilean/Argentine consulates for the latest visa and fee information.

All requirements are subject to change and should be confirmed before departure.

Patagonia, the very southern tip of South America, has a four-seasons-in-one day climate.

Summer (Nov-March) see temperatures reach up to 20°C, when glorious light pours over the region for up to 18 hours. This is the best time to visit, nevertheless, spring and summer is also when the central and southern Patagonian regions sometimes get buffeted by strong, westerly winds.

Summer days in national parks can also bring sunny, windless conditions, and you may well find yourself hiking in shorts and t-shirt. Afternoons can be warm with lots of sunshine. (Note: Patagonian UV rays are very strong).

It is usually cool and windy all year round but seldom does the temperature fall below freezing point. Some days start with snow and end in balmy sunshine. It is always interesting, and can range from 10°C-20°C in the summer, although the wind can make it feel chilly.

Even in summer (Dec-Mar) you should come prepared to find cold, strong winds (up to 130 km/hr) and rainfalls. The summer’s average temperature is 11ºC/52ºF (24ºC max, 2ºC min). It has been known to snow in camps in summer!

In general, the further south you go, the cooler it gets and the further west you go – towards the Andes and Pacific coast – the wetter and less predictable the weather is. The further east – towards and across the Patagonian plateau – the drier and more stable.

Winter (May-Sept) visits to these southern areas are possible, but many hotels close and not all trips are possible. Daylight hours can be very short and temperatures typically range from -2°C in the winter.

The lack of visitors can greatly improve chances of seeing wildlife in parks such as Paine. Winds tend to die down.

On the South Patagonian Ice Field (average height, 1,500 metres), the appearance of lenticular clouds – signifying changing conditions – can translate into extreme winds (up to 150 kmh) and heavy snowfall. Here, summer pre-dawn temperatures commonly reach -20°C, with wind chill lowering temperatures even more. However, on sunny, windless summer days, you might get away with wearing just a couple of thin layers.

In Peninsula Valdes, it does not rain much in the region on an annual basis, summers are usually mild, and the temperature sometimes gets very hot (touching 30ºC) and then eases off in the evening. The area does get very windy at times, especially on the peninsula, and warm and water/windproof clothing is recommended.

If you head to Ushuaia, due to its extreme southern location, temperatures may remain chilly during summer (Oct-March) the use of plenty of warm layers of clothing. Winter and Antarctic visits will require extreme clothing.