Australis Cruise

Detailed Itinerary

Day One – Start of your Holiday in Chile

Your holiday in Chile will begin this morning as you touch down in Santiago, and we will be there to meet you and take you straight to your hotel in the upmarket Providencia area of the city. You will then have the rest of the day free to relax and enjoy one of South America’s most sophisticated capital cities.

Day Two – Punta Arenas and Otway Sound

After breakfast today we will pick you up and take you to the airport for a flight south along Chile's long Pacific coast and down into Patagonia. We will land this afternoon in Punta Arenas, the southernmost city in the country, and then we will have a short drive north to Otway Sound for a boat trip to visit the huge Magellanic Penguin colony. From here it is just a short drive to the small town of Puerto Natales, where we will stay tonight. (B)

Day Three - Torres del Paine National Park

We will spend the whole of today exploring the stunning Torres del Paine National Park, with its towering snow-capped peaks, emerald lakes and swift-running streams and waterfalls. We will have a morning boat excursion on Lake Grey, before spending the afternoon on a short hike out into the National Park to allow us to get some fantastic views of the Cuernos del Paine peaks, before retiring to our cosy hosteria for a traditional Patagonian dinner. (B/L/D)

Day Four - More time in Torres del Paine

We will have another full day in Torres del Paine today, visiting a trio of beautiful lakes: Lake Pehoé, Lake Sarmiento and Lake Nordenskjöld, as well as visiting the impressive Salto Grande waterfall. Throughout the day we will be able to enjoy more of the jaw-dropping scenery which characterises this part of Patagonia. After a full day exploring, we will be head back to to the coast and our hotel in Puerto Natales. (B/L)

Day Five - Start of the Australis Cruise

This morning we will have an early departure to Punta Arenas, where we will take you to the harbour to board your cruise ship. After embarkation you will be welcomed by the capitain and crew at a cocktail reception before we set sail into the Straits of Magellan to begin our exploration of the wonders of Tierra del Fuego. (B/D)

Day Six - Ainsworth Bay and Tucker Islet

Just after breakfast, we will arrive in Ainsworth Bay, just off the colossal Marinelli Glacier. We will take to our Zodiacs to head to shore for a closer look at the glacier, and a chance for a forest walk to see a giant beaver dam. With a bit of luck we'll also see the resident colony of elephant seals. In the afternoon we will sail on to Tucker Islet where we can again disembark to visit the huge colony of Magellanic Penguins who make their home here. (B/L/D)

Day Seven - Glacier Alley...

It might sound a little unnerving, but today is arguably the most spectacular of the whole cruise!. In the morning we will sail through the main Beagle Channel to reach Pia Bay, where we will head ashore to a lookout point which gives us great views over the huge Pia Glacier. After returning to the ship for lunch, we will sail on through the unforgettable "Glacier Alley" where - one after the other - we are rewarded with close views of some of South America's largest glaciers. It's an awe-inpiring sight and one of the real highlights of this holiday in Chile. (B/L/D)

Day Eight - Rounding Cape Horn

Weather permitting, this morning we will sail through the Murria channel and into the Cape Horn National Park. Cape Horn itself is a rocky promontory on Hornos Island which forms the last divide between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and we will disembark here so that you can visit this "end of the world" location yourself. In the afternoon we will sail on to Wulaia Bay, which was the site of Tierra del Fuego's largest aboriginal settlement. (B/L/D)

Day Nine - Arrival in Ushaia

Sadly, today marks the end of our cruise as we dock in Ushuaia - the world's most southerly city. You will have the rest of the day free to relax into things here in Argentina and perhaps to take a trip into the beautiful Tierra del Fuego National Park. (B)

Day Ten - Fly to Buenos Aires

It's time for something completely different today, as we leave behind the unspoilt natural beauty of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego for the style and sophistication of Buenos Aires. On arrival we'll meet you and take you to your hotel in the centre of town. You'll be having a full city tour tomorrow, but you’re just a few blocks from all the main sites, as well as from restaurants and cafes, so you're perfectly placed to head out and start soaking up the unique atmosphere of one of the world's great cities. (B)

Day Eleven - Tour of Buenos Aires

After a free morning to relax, we will take you for a tour of the major sights in Buenos Aires. We will visit the historic centre, including the famous Plaza de Mayo where the demonstrations by mothers of the ‘disappeared’ against the military government took place, as well as the Casa Rosada from whose balcony Evita addressed the crowds below. We will also visit the beautiful Cathedral before heading to the tango districts of San Telmo and La Boca, also home to the famous Boca Juniors football team. We will also visit the exclusive Palermo and Recoleta areas, with their leafy avenues and grand houses, superb restaurants and boutique shopping. (B)

Day Twelve - Last Day of your Holiday in Chile and Argentina

Today will be the last day of your holiday in Chile and Argentina. As most flights for the UK depart in the afternoon, you should have some free time this morning before being picked up from your hotel and taken to the airport for your international flight home. (B)

What's Included?

The standard price for this holiday in Chile and Argentina is £4650 per person, which is based on two sharing a double or twin room in our standard hotels.

That price includes all your accommodation, internal transport, transfers, tours, guides and entrance fees. It also includes all your meals in the Torres del Paine National Park and on your Australis cruise, as well as breakfast every day.

We don't have any "local payments" or sneaky charges: everything you have read about on this itinerary is included in that price. And because everything we do is tailor-made, we don't have fixed departure dates or minimum numbers for our trips. Outside of national holidays or other special events, this price is valid for the whole of 2020.

International flights

So with the exception of a few meals, everything on your holiday is included. What we don't include as standard is your international flights, because with these you have a huge range of options depending on the date you want to travel, the route you want to fly, and your preferred departure airport in the UK.

We aren't tied to any particular airline, and we will be delighted to discuss all options with you, or you can even book the flights yourself if you prefer: it's totally up to you.