South American Cruise

Included Shore Excursion – Bluff Cove Lagoon Penguin Safari

Don’t miss this exciting excursion as we set off over paved roads for a short drive before switching to Land Rover 4×4 for an off road adventure to a privately owned wildlife haven. On arrival at the Bluff Cove Penguin Rookery, rangers will brief us on the area and what you can expect. Stroll through the penguin colony, which features a scenic lagoon and a white, sandy beach that is occasionally patrolled by sea lions. Along the beach you can see over 1,000 pairs of nesting Gentoo Penguins, Magellanic and Jackass penguins and a small breeding colony of King Penguins. Upland geese, ruddy-headed geese, Magellanic oystercatchers, Falkland’s flightless steamer ducks and other birds make their homes close by. Diddle-dee (a local plant) grows in abundance and is favoured by the locals and made into jam for the “cream teas” served at the beachside Sea Cabbage Café. During your visit, pop in for a cup of tea, coffee or hot chocolate or some home baked treats including scones and the Diddle-dee jam. Enjoy the warmth of the Peat Stove while listening to live music. The Bluff Cove museum depicts life in the Falklands and tells the story of the farm, the sugar wreck, the 1982 war between Britain and Argentina, and the fabulous lagoon wildlife. Watch live demonstrations of spinning and felting with local wool used to make the Bluff Cove Tweed. Enjoy free time to take photographs, stroll along the beach, look around the museum and enjoy treats in the café. We return to the minibus by Land Rover 4×4 and head back to Stanley.

Approx. 3 hours

NOTE THIS EXCURSION IS WEATHER DEPENDENT

Included Shore Excursion – Punta Arenas City Tour

Discover the city of Punta Arenas, capital of the Region of Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica, founded in 1848 and located on the shores of the Strait of Magellan. We will visit its main streets and avenues; the Cerro Mirador from where we will obtain a panoramic view of the city overlooking the Port, the Strait of Magellan, and Tierra del Fuego Island. We will continue our tour towards the Plaza de Armas and Municipal Cemetery before returning to the pier.

Approx. 3.5 hours

Included Shore Excursion – Tierra del Fuego National Park

Our tour starts in Ushuaia with a thirty-minute drive we to the end of a very famous road, the Pan-Americana Highway. At this spot, we are three thousand kilometres from Buenos Aires and eleven thousand from Alaska! Tierra del Fuego National Park is huge at 63,000 hectares and offers glorious mountain chains, rivers, hard wood forests, acid peat bogs and rocky sea coast. The combination of very different landscapes in a relatively small area is quite unique. A paradise for bird watchers, it is the home of Condors, Rayaditos, giant Black Carpenter birds, Southern Parrots, Thrushes, Fishing Martins, Flightless Steamer duck and forest birds. Huge beaver dams cut the small rivers and let the waters rise into lakes which house a large variety of peat bog plants and tender orchids.

Approx. 4 hours

Included Shore Excursion – Puerto Montt, Puerto Varas & Petrohue

Passing through the centre of the city with its typical square and the cathedral known as the region’s oldest building, we stop at an observation point for a beautiful view of the city, Tenglo Island and the Tenglo Channel. Leaving Puerto Montt, we drive along the edge of the shores of Lago Llanquihue, Chile’s second largest lake head towards Puerto Varas, the City of Roses. Reflections of the eternally snow-covered volcanoes Osorno and Calbuco are mirrored in the clear waters of the lake.

The costanera (coastal road) leads to Puerto Varas’ main square with its gardens and historical monument. Travel north to Petrohue Waterfalls and the famous vacation retreat area. The impressive coned peak of the Osorno volcano rises out of the landscape to greet you. Enjoy the bewildering volcanic rock waterfall before returning to Puerto Montt.

Approx. 7 hours