Glacier Cruises

Cruises in the Northern Chilean Fjords sail from Puerto Montt close to the Chilean Lake District, making their way down along Chile’s crinkled coastline toward the Northern Patagonian Ice Field. This remnant of the ice sheet that used to cover almost the entirety of Patagonia now feeds 28 giant glaciers within the confines of San Rafael National Park.

The most spectacular of these is San Rafael itself, whose mighty tongue towers 60m high into its own icy lagoon (and 230m below the water’s surface). San Rafael is also considered to be the glacier closest to the Equator in the world, even if the local temperatures are anything but tropical.

The Northern Fjords cruise offers more than just epic glaciers. Along its route it makes several stops on the island of Chiloé for walks in temperate rainforest and visits to its villages with World Heritage-listed wooden churches, plus excursions to remote hot springs only accessible by boat.

As well as culture, the cruise offers the chance to see magellanic penguins and possibly even blue whales as the ship sails through the Corcovado Gulf, a Marine Protected Area that is an important feeding and breeding ground for the largest animal on the planet.

​​The Southern Chilean Fjords are where the Southern Patagonian Ice Field meets the sea, with nearly 50 immense glaciers calving out of the mountains and into the icy waters. Cruises here depart from and return to Puerto Natales, making them easy to combine with a hiking trip to Torres del Paine. 

Cruises here weave in and out of the many fjords that pierce the coastline to visit more than a dozen glaciers that are only accessible by ship. Of these, some of the most beautiful are the Amalia, El Brujo, Guillard and Herman glaciers. The variety of shapes, sizes and colours of the glaciers makes visiting each one a singular experience. In some locations, the cruise offers trips in small boats to get close to the face of the glaciers from the water. In other places, such as at the Alsina and Bernal glaciers, you have the opportunity to do short hikes through unspoil forests to scenic viewpoints and maybe even feel the crunch of ice underfoot. Wildlife to look out for on this cruise includes the chance to elephant seals as well as dolphins and a rich variety of birdlife.

Tierra del Fuego, the great island that hangs off the bottom of South America, is also home to many glaciers. Its Darwin Range of mountains (named after the great naturalist who visited the region in the 1830s) is partially covered by an enormous ice field, and has many brilliant glaciers descending from it into the sea.

Cruises here sail in either direction between Ushuaia and Punta Arenas. They sail through Glacier Alley in the famous Beagle Channel as well as including a trip to the legendary Cape Horn.

Among the other highlights of cruising there is the chance to visit the massive Pia Glacier for zodiac cruises and hiking, as well as the the lagoon of the Aguíla Glacier and Cóndor Glacier (don’t forget to look up to try to spot one of the iconic birds of prey). Magellanic penguins are also on the watch-list, with the opportunity to visit a remote breeding colony.

Patagonia’s glacier cruising season runs from October through to the start of April, with itineraries of between 4–5 nights on board. Sister ships Skorpios II and Skorpios III operate the routes through the Northern and Southern Chilean Fjords from Puerto Montt and Puerto Natales respectively. The ships Ventus Australis and Stella Australis operate the Tierra del Fuego cruises between Ushuaia (Argentina) and Punta Arenas (Chile).

The Skorpios ships accommodate around 100 passengers, while the Australis ships carry up to 210 passengers. All ships have comfortable en suite cabins in a selection of classes. 

There are daily excursions to remote locations by small boat or zodiac. Activities include the opportunity to take short hikes at the glaciers as well as cruise by boat. Expert guides aboard give talks about the glaciers, wildlife and culture and history, either in English or in Spanish with headsets giving an English translation.

Cruises in the Chilean fjords attract a lot of domestic tourists, and as such are a great way to experience the local culture – whether through the food served on board to evening activities (including music and a Chilean take on bingo!) or meeting fellow travellers.

Tierra del Fuego cruises tend to have a more international flavour and can perhaps be regarded as more akin to an Antarctic cruise.