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Cruising Tierra del
Fuego aboard the Mare Australis It was a chilly rainy day with choppy seas as we boarded the zodiacs for our visit to Cape Horn, the “end of the earth”. We landed on a small rocky beach and disembarked the zodiacs and started the climb up steep stairs to reach the top hundreds of feet up. It was cold, windy, and raining. I was struck by the desolation of the place. Cape Horn was named after the seafaring city of HOORN in the Netherlands, and early Dutch seamen sailed from there all the way across the Atlantic to that tip of South America where the seas were notoriously rough. For many years it was an important navigation point from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans. It was declared a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2005. There is a ranger station and a large monument with the silhouette of an albatross on it. We were invited into the ranger station where we met the ranger and his family who live there year-round. I am struck by what a lonely existence it must be, but they all seemed happy and were glad to have our visit.
We were onboard the expedition ship Mare Australis, one of the two ships by Cruceros Australis, on a 7-day trip through Tierra del Fuego, the southernmost section of Patagonia. They offer 3 and 4- night cruises between Ushuaia, Argentina and Punta Arenas, Chile. We were doing back-to-back cruises to get the full experience. The first challenge I faced was getting to Ushuaia, the end -of-the-world southernmost city in the world. You reach there by flying through Buenos Aires, Argentina and changing airports there from the international airport to the domestic airport an hour away. You’ll want to fly a day or two early to ensure you don’t miss your ship due to travel delays. After traveling 24 hours from Tampa to Buenos Aires to Ushuaia I checked into the Hotel Los Cauquenes, a spa and resort on the outskirts of the city. The hotel was exquisite and the view from the picture window in my room was spectacular. The restaurant is casual yet gourmet. There is a complimentary shuttle bus to the city or you can take a taxi for about $6.
One of the main attractions in Ushuaia is the Maritime Museum which is housed in an old prison. There are exhibits about the prison, maritime history, and there are a couple of fine arts exhibits as well. There are also a large number of shops and restaurants in town as well as two casinos. We boarded the Mare Australis at 5:00 PM and enjoyed a welcoming cocktail party including a Tango demonstration. That night we cruised through the Beagle Channel and Strait of Magellan, enjoying the views of the fjords and snow-capped mountains. Everything here is on a grand scale. In the morning we made our landing at Cape Horn. Then after lunch we landed the Zodiacs at historic Wulaia Bay, once the site of a large Yamana aboriginal settlement. Charles Darwin landed here during the voyage of the HMS Beagle. We hiked thru a forest to a lookout point where we had a spectacular view of our surroundings.
While cruising
the ship had various lectures and demonstrations including a cocktail-making lesson
and a knot-tying demonstration. In the evenings we were entertained with films
and lectures about the local flora and fauna. The passengers
are an eclectic mix of nationalities. On board we have people from the USA,
Japan, Chile, Argentina, Germany, Switzerland and probably a few more that I
missed. On day three we
cruised the fjords on our way to the Piloto and Nena glaciers. One recent
passenger appropriately described the landscape as “Alaska on steroids”. After
lunch we made our way to the zodiacs to explore the glaciers and waterfalls from
close up. We learned about the formation of glaciers and their influence on the
geography of the region. I am struck by the grandeur of it all. On the following day early in the morning we went ashore on Magdelana Island located in the Strait of Magellan where the main attraction is the large penguin colony. They are Magellanic penguins and there are supposedly 150,000 individuals. We are asked to stay 15 feet away from the birds, but if they come within that area on their own then it’s ok. I stopped in the path and crouched down and quickly some curious penguins came right up to me and started to peck at my camera as if asking for their pictures to be taken. After our visit with the penguins we made our way to Punta Arenas where we disembarked the ship at 11:30 AM. Punta Arenas is not as impressive a city as Ushuaia but none-the-less we made our way to the town square where there was a band playing and local arts and crafts were on display.
We reboarded the ship at 5 PM and once again had a welcoming cocktail party as this is the second leg of our back-to-back cruise and some new passengers are coming on board. This time we are entertained by a folkloric dance troupe. In the morning we navigated through the Almirantazgo Sound arriving at Ainsworth Bay inside the Alberto De Agostini National Park where we have a view of the Marinelli Glacier. We hiked through the rainforest to the site of a beaver dam. Beaver are not indigenous to the area, but rather were introduced by Canadians for purposes of breeding for their fur, but the quality of the fur was not good so the beavers were free to breed uncontrolled. They are now having a deleterious effect on the eco-system, cutting down a lot of timber to build their dams.
Later we sailed to Tuckers Islets and after lunch we boarded the zodiacs to view Magellanic penguins and cormorants. The following day we navigated along the main part of the Beagle Channel to reach Pia Fjord where we disembarked near Pia Glacier. We took a short hike to a lookout point with a spectacular view of the entire glacier tongue, stretching from high in the mountains all the way to the sea. After this we continued sailing along the Beagle Channel through “Glacier Alley” where in the space of several miles are dotted over a half dozen glaciers. I took in the sights on the open top observation deck taking advantage of the spy glasses and binoculars that are there. Everything here appears on a grand scale.
On our final full day at sea we repeated the visit to Cape Horn and Wulaia Bay. It is the only repeated stop in our 7-day journey, and although we have seen it before it is always good to get outdoors and get some fresh air and exercise. In the early morning we made our way back to Ushuaia and disembarked the Mare Australis at 8 AM. Either at the beginning or the end of this trip you will probably find yourself staying over in Buenos Aires. Take time to enjoy it. It is a spectacular city with lots to do and see. I stayed in a small boutique hotel called the BoBo Hotel. It has only 7 rooms, each with its own theme. They are currently building a new addition next door so they will be up to 15 rooms. The dining room is well known for its gourmet fare and I enjoyed a great meal there.
If you have a little time you can take a 3-hour city tour conducted by Eternautas. We visited the amazing cemetery with all above-ground tombs and saw Evita’s burial place. We also saw the palace where Evita stood in the balcony to speak to the people. We also visited a neighborhood that was full of cafes and colorful buildings that was centered around Tango as a theme where you could have your picture taken with Tango costumed actors. In the evening you should take in a Tango show. I had dinner and a show at El Viejo Almacen. I learned that here Tango is more than just the dance, but rather is a cabaret show with singers and dancers and complex choreography. It was a great journey and I can’t wait to go back. I strongly recommend you do the back-to-back cruise to gain the full experience. By
Scott Linde, http://www.smallshipcruises.com
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