How to get to Tierra del Fuego
Whether you're travelling from Buenos Aires or Los Glaciares in Argentina, or approaching from the Chilean side of the border, there are plenty of ways to get to Tierra del Fuego.
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Why take an adventure cruise around Tierra del Fuego?
- Sail to the edge of the map in a comfortable small ship, making daily excursions to secluded forests and hidden fjords and glaciers up close
- Explore some of the world’s most remote glaciers, cruising past them in small boats or hiking on shore to their icy cliffs
- Venture to windswept Cape Horn, a place steeped in nautical myth and South America’s last lonely outpost in the sea
- Visit tiny islands to see colonies of Magellanic penguins, spotting dolphins and albatrosses along the way
- Pass through the Beagle Channel and Magellan Strait, following the path of the great naturalist Charles Darwin
- Sail in either direction between Ushuaia and Punta Arenas to build your cruise into a wider Patagonia adventure
Cruising past the Cordillera Darwin mountains
Glacier cruising in Tierra del Fuego
Magellanic penguins
The Cape Horn monument
Pia Glacier hike
Looking over the Beagle Channel
What our customers think of Adventure cruises in Tierra del Fuego
Adventure cruises in Tierra del Fuego trips scored 4.5/5 from 369 reviews
The Stella Australis was wonderful, as were the crew, above and beyond expectations. The Glaciers were amazing. The scenery was breath-taking and memorising.
Travelled: January 2017
Chris and Nikki -
We particularly appreciated Chloe's suggestion to add the Australis cruise - brilliant choice.
Travelled: March 2016
Heinrich -
Review:
What to See & Do on a Tierra del Fuego adventure cruise
Glaciers
One of the highlights of adventure cruising in Tierra del Fuego is the chance to get up close to glaciers that are only reachable by sea, including an opportunity to hike around them.
At Pia Glacier, after a zodiac cruise in an ice-strewn bay, you’ll land to walk to a lookout where you can see the entire glacier as it flows from the mountains all the way to the sea. At Ainsworth Bay the ship visits a long fjord flanked by dense forest, topped with the Marinelli Glacier, which rolls down from the Darwin Ice Field into the water.
Other notable locations include Agostini Sound, which is home to Condor Glacier and Águila Glacier, where you can hike around a lagoon.
Pia Glacier
Cape Horn
Few places in the world are as steeped in nautical myth as Cape Horn, which sits in often wild seas off the southernmost tip of South America and marked the traditional crossing point for sailors between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Today it can be visited in comfort and safety.
The island is home to the Cape Horn Monument, a memorial to the mariners throughout history who died while crossing the Horn. Touching the monument automatically makes you an honorary member of the International Association of Cape Horniers.
On landing, you can also visit the world's most southerly lighthouse, maintained by the Chilean navy. Its resident keeper and family often extend invitations to tourists to see inside.
At the Cape Horn Monument
Swoop says
Arriving by ship at a hidden bay to find an immense, sparkling glacier is one thing – but making a landing in a small boat to hike to its face is another. You truly feel like you're discovering a secret magical world of ice.
Lujan Torrontegui Patagonia Assistant Sales Manager
Wildlife
Seeing Magellanic penguins is a popular highlight of adventure cruising in Tierra del Fuego, but there are plenty of other opportunities for wildlife watching.
The Beagle Channel is a great place to see Commerson’s and dusky dolphins, along with South American sea lions. Southern elephant seals can be seen at Ainsworth Bay. From January onwards, look out in Glacier Alley for humpback whales who migrate here to feed.
Black-browed albatrosses are a common sight, along with southern giant petrels and imperial cormorants – all species associated with the Southern Ocean and Antarctica.
Magellanic penguins
Swoop says
Although the adventure cruises operate in modern ships, Mother Nature calls the shots here, and excursions and itineraries are always dependent on the sea and the wind. Spare a thought for the early navigators who explored during the age of sail!
What to expect on an adventure cruise
Australis cruise ship
Cabin on an Australis ship to Cape Horn
Small ship adventure cruises around Tierra del Fuego operate from late September to early April. Departures sail one way from Ushuaia to Punta Arenas in both directions, spending five days/four nights at sea.
Two ships cover this route, the Ventus and the Stella Australis. Both carry a maximum of 210 guests, with 100 comfortable cabins in a variety of classes. The cruises are all-inclusive (including alcohol).
The experience on board is more akin to an Antarctic expedition cruise than a ‘traditional’ large ship cruise, with daily excursions by inflatable zodiac boat. When on shore, there are options for hikers of all abilities to explore the landscape and viewpoints, including the glaciers. While sailing between destinations, there are onboard educational presentations about Tierra del Fuego’s wildlife, landscapes and history presented in English by the expert guiding team.
The itineraries in each direction do differ slightly in where they visit but Cape Horn, the Beagle Channel, Glacier Alley, Pia Glacier and Wulaia Bay are always included whether you choose to sail from Punta Arenas or Ushuaia.
Tierra del Fuego adventure cruises: FAQs
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I’m not normally a cruise person – is an adventure cruise really for me?
These trips are often described as ‘cruises for people who don’t do cruises’. Based on a small ship carrying up to 210 passengers, they're the perfect way to explore some really remote areas, with plenty of opportunity to get off the ship and explore, or do cruises in small zodiac boats. They're more akin to an Antarctic expedition cruise to something you might find in the Caribbean or Mediterranean.
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How active are the cruises?
Many landings include the option to do a short hike to a viewpoint over a glacier or similar. The hikes usually include routes rated from easy to moderate, though even those rated for the most active guests can typically be done by anyone with a reasonable level of fitness. All excursions and hikes are optional.
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What will the weather be like?
Patagonia’s weather can famously encompass four seasons in a single day – a motto that Tierra del Fuego embraces with a passion.
Throughout the cruising season, temperatures average somewhere between 5–15C (41-49F). Strong winds are always a possibility, along with rain and even the occasional snow flurry. Zodiac landings require water-proof gear as you’ll be exposed to the elements, so it's wise to pack accordingly.
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Will we definitely land at Cape Horn?
The changeable weather at Cape Horn has been famous for centuries, so there is always a small chance that conditions may prevent a landing. However, in recent seasons, over 80% of visits to the Horn had successful landings there.
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Will I see penguins?
Wildlife sightings can never be guaranteed but the cruise ships call at either the Tucker Islets or Magdalena Island, which are both home to large Magellanic penguin colonies. At the Tucker Islets (visited on the Ushuaia-Punta Arenas route, visits are made by zodiac. At Magdelana Island (visited on the Punta Arenas-Ushuaia route), it's possible to land and see the penguins from the shore.
Magellanic penguins come ashore between early October and late March to breed, coinciding with the operating season for the ships. The months outside this are spent at sea.
Discover more of Tierra del Fuego
Wildlife watching in Tierra del Fuego
Tierra del Fuego's diverse landscape offers plenty of opportunity for amazing wildlife watching, from penguins, whales and sea lions to iconic species like the condor.
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Ushuaia
Ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world, squeezed between the mountains and sea, and a perfect base for hiking and glacier cruising.
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Punta Arenas
Sail from Punta Arenas to Cape Horn and Tierra del Fuego – or pull on your hiking boots and head for the splendour of Torres del Paine National Park.
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