5-Star Argentina, Falklands & Chilean Fjords and Glaciers

Fleeing the economic devastation of England’s Industrial Revolution, Welsh settlers immigrated to Argentina in search of cheap land. Led by Viscount Madryn, one group of settlers sailed for Patagonia, founding the small city of Puerto Madryn in 1865. Life in Patagonia, however, was not easy. There were lonely prairies, brutally cold winters, and unrelenting winds. Still the Welsh survived, and today visitors can still see their legacy in Puerto Madryn and its surrounding communities.

Puerto Madryn is your gateway to one of South America’s largest breeding grounds for birds and mammals – Tombo National Reserve.

Note: Temperatures fluctuate widely in Patagonia. Dress in warm layers, wear sturdy walking shoes or hiking boots and bring a waterproof jacket, hat and bottled water.

Roads outside Puerto Madryn are bumpy and dusty. Transportation are equipped for these conditions but do not offer customary tour amenities.

Stanley is the capital of the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), a remote South Atlantic archipelago. The Historic Dockyard Museum has galleries devoted to maritime exploration, natural history, the 1982 Falklands War and Antarctic heritage. By the waterfront, a whalebone arch stands near the entrance of Christ Church Cathedral, which was built in the late 1800s. Magellanic penguins gather at nearby Gypsy Cove.

Cape Horn is a rocky headland on Hornos Island, in southern Chile’s Tierra del Fuego archipelago. It’s surrounded by wild seas off the southern tip of South America where the Pacific and Atlantic oceans meet. The albatross-shaped Cape Horn Monument commemorates the lives of thousands of seafarers who perished attempting to sail around the cape. A secluded lighthouse and the tiny Stella-Maris Chapel are nearby.

Magellan called it Tierra del Fuego, “the Land of Fire,” having seen flames rising from the darkened islands. For over three centuries, the name struck fear in the hearts of mariners. Howling headwinds, mountainous seas and rocky coastlines spelled a sudden end to many voyages. Today, Ushuaia, a former Argentine penal colony, serves as your gateway to this wilderness where snow-capped mountains plummet to the icy waters of the Beagle Channel.

In the late 19th century, Reverend Thomas Bridges spent years working with local tribes, compiling a dictionary of their Yaghan tongue. The work outlived the Yaghan: by the beginning of the 20th century, they had succumbed to disease.

Welcome to one of the most spectacular and interesting parts of the world! The Beagle Channel was named after the HMS Beagle, the ship that carried the English naturalist, Charles Darwin, on a five-year voyage around the tip of Southern America.

Watch for Mount Olivia and Mount Escarpado, just a few of the surrounding snow-capped peaks, and the rugged seal haul-outs and bird rookeries. The South American sea lion, which lives and breeds in the Beagle Channel, and the large, black-and-white Imperial Cormorant, will captivate you with their lively antics.

The channel separates the larger main island of Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego from various smaller islands including the islands of Picton, Lennox and Nueva; Navarino; Hoste; Londonderry; and Stewart. The channel’s eastern area forms part of the border between Chile and Argentina and the western area is entirely within Chile.

Punta Arenas is a city near the tip of Chile’s southernmost Patagonia region. Located on the Strait of Magellan, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, it’s often used as base for excursions to the surrounding wilderness and Antarctica. The Plaza Muñoz Gamero has a memorial to explorer Ferdinand Magellan, and the Museo Nao Victoria features a replica of one of his galleons.

Puerto Montt is your gateway to Chile’s magnificent Lake District. Here, snow-capped volcanoes gaze down on alpine valleys nestled among low hills. Glaciers carved out this terrain, leaving the jewel-like lakes in their wake. The Lake District was a magnet for German immigrants, and their legacy can be seen today in the manicured rose gardens of Puerto Varas, in Chile’s “German Villages” like Frutillar and in Puerto Montt’s gabled homes with elaborate balconies.

Despite a population of more than 130,000, Puerto Montt retains the feel of a small town. For a simple introduction to the city, walk along its waterfront road lined with tempting artisan’s stalls and small cafés.

Note: Puerto Montt is an anchorage port. Transportation from the ship to shore will be via the ship’s tender service.

You sail into Santiago port, your final destination.

You will diembark after breakfast and will be transferred to the airport to catch your flight home to Dublin.

Option to extend your stay in Chile or Argentina available – call for details