Patagonia Cruises

One of the most popular Patagonia cruises is exploring the island of Tierra del Fuego between Ushuaia (Argentina) and Punta Arenas (Chile). The biggest attraction here is the chance to visit the almost legendary Cape Horn – a place that once struck fear into every sailor's heart.

Cape Horn cruises offer so much more than visiting this isolated speck at the bottom of the world however. Vast glaciers are a major highlight, including the breath-taking Pia Glacier that feeds down from the mountains into an icy lagoon. Here and elsewhere on the cruise there are opportunities for zodiac cruises among bobbing ice, or landings for hiking through forests to dramatic viewpoints.

As well as cruising through Glacier Alley in the Beagle Channel to follow the route of Charles Darwin's famous voyage of discovery, ships visit other historic sites such as Wulaia Bay with its fascinating museum on the region's original Yamana inhabitants.

Tierra del Fuego also offers plenty of opportunities for wildlife watching. Places like the Tucker Islets and Magdalena Island are home to colonies of Magellanic penguins, along with plenty of other birdlife and sightings of dolphins, South American fur seals and Southern elephant seals.

Chile’s immensely long and mountainous coastline offers two excellent cruising locations: the Northern and Southern Fjords.

Exploring the Northern Fjords gives a brilliant mix of landscapes, culture and wildlife. The ship explores the last outposts of the Northern Patagonian Ice Field as it tumbles down into the sea, with its most spectacular terminus being the mind-bogglingly huge San Rafael Glacier, whose surroundings have been designated a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve.

Closer to the cruise’s home port of Puerto Montt, the ship calls in at several points along the island of Chiloé as well as the Llanquihue, Chonos and Aysen archipelagos. In Chiloé there is the opportunity to hike through temperate rainforest, visit traditional fishing villages and historic wooden churches. On the mainland of Chile, remote landings include bathing in the thermal springs at Quitralco.

The birdwatching on this cruise is superb, from seabirds along the coast to hummingbirds in the forests – and not forgetting Magellanic penguins in the Queilen Channel off Chiloé. With luck, there is even the possibility of seeing blue whales in the Corcovado Gulf when they visit between December and April.

The Southern Chilean Fjords offer a craggier and even icier contrast to their northern counterparts. This is the cruise to pick if you’re a true glacier aficionado, but even if you’re new to the ice the parade of glaciers on display is never less than jaw-dropping.

The glaciers here are the product of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. This is one of the fastest moving ice fields in the world thanks to the high annual snowfall in the Andes, which means that cruises here experience the amazing sight of glaciers calving into the sea to create immense icebergs.

As as well as viewing this phenomenon from a safe distance either on the ship or in small boats, the cruises here give daily opportunities to make landings at remote spots for nature hikes to touch the very face of the glaciers.

Wildlife to look out for on this cruise includes the chance to elephant seals as well as dolphins and a rich variety of birdlife.

Cruises in the Southern Chilean Fjords start and finish in Puerto Natales.

Patagona’s cruising season runs from the start of October through to the end of March. Departures are sometimes available at the end of September or beginning of March, but the weather tends to be sharper with some attractions not on offer (for example, Magellanic penguins will be at sea during these dates instead of in their colonies).

If seeing wildlife is a particular focus for you, see our Wildlife Cruises page for a more detailed breakdown of some of the species you can see while on the different itineraries, as well as shorter whale-watching trips.

All the cruise itineraries are five days/four nights, with the exception of the Northern Chilean Fjords route, which is six days/five nights on board. All meals, drinks and excursions are included in the price of the cruises.

The majority of guests on Cape Horn cruises tend to be international travellers, and guides speak English as well as Spanish. Guests on the Fjords cruises are more of a mix of domestic and international tourists, giving passengers a fantastic slice of Chilean culture along with the scenery. Guides may speak English as well as Spanish, but English audio translations during activities means you’ll never miss out.

Four purpose-built cruise ships operate in Patagonia: two each on the Cape Horn route, and two in the Chilean Fjords. All are small enough to penetrate deep into fjords but with high quality service and plenty of space to offer a fine home for several nights at sea.

Sister ships Ventus Australis and Stella Australis sail in either direction between Ushuaia and Punta Arenas to Cape Horn and the Beagle Channel. Both carry a maximum of 210 passengers in five classes of cabin. 

Skorpios II and Skorpios III operate the routes through the Northern and Southern Chilean Fjords from Puerto Montt and Puerto Natales respectively. Skorpios II carries 106 passengers, while Skorpios III carries just 90. 

With cruise itineraries coming in at just four or five nights, there are plenty of opportunities to build out your voyage as part of a larger Patagonia voyage.

For those sailing to Cape Horn, there are plenty of remote treks to do in Tierra del Fuego, but the cruise termini of Ushuaia and Punta Arenas also connect well to the wider region. From Ushuaia there are direct flights to El Calafate, the gateway to Los Glaciares National Park, as well as to Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires.

Punta Arenas can also be reached easily overland from Puerto Natales, the port for cruises in the Southern Chilean Fjords. For those wanting to explore Torres del Paine National Park, Puerto Natales is a major entry point. As well as flights to the Chilean capital Santiago, Punta Arenas is also connected by air to Puerto Montt, the port for Northern Chilean Fjords cruises as well as the main airport to reach the Chilean Lake District. Coyhaique (Balmaceda) in Aysen also has flights to and from Punta Arenas.