Valparaiso - Ushuaia Expedition Chilean fjords: where unique panoramas unfold

Great adventures of discovery lie ahead of you as your small expedition ship explores Chile’s northern fjords. New facets surprise at every turn: towering mountain landscapes, unique glaciers and diverse cultural encounters.

Isla de Chiloe, where the 43,000 ha (106,255 ac.) national park invites you to go on excursions* to explore the nature, is sublime. You will land in Ancud, a truly unspoilt little place with a regional museum that is worth a visit and an old Spanish fort. The charming coastal town is known for its historical significance, scenic location and proximity to unique natural attractions. In addition to the excursions*, it is also worth taking an independent walk here. In the town of Castro, you will be enchanted by the wooden churches, which, like the colourful stilt houses, are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Immerse yourself in the mythology of the Huilliche Indigenous people with your experts.

The stunning natural phenomena surrounding the city of Puerto Montt include snow-capped mountains, volcanoes, fjords and countless lakes. Thanks to its picturesque location on the Pacific Ocean, the town is also known as the gateway to Patagonia. The region is home to false elms and kingfishers – and it contains evidence of German immigrants, such as Black Forest gateau.

Your expedition ship is perfect for cruising through the northern fjords. In the labyrinth of canals and islands, you will experience the beauty of Chile up close. The inspiration Walk offers you the ideal place for this with the best views.

The journey is also the destination on an expedition route that few other ships can take. The picturesque interior route to Caleta Tortel will take you to the city of bridges – connected by walkways made of cypress wood that are 7.5 km (4.6 mi.) high. The place emphasises the remoteness of the fjord world and shows how small humans are in the face of majestic nature.

With only a couple dozen inhabitants, Puerto Eden reveals how idyllic it is to live in a village on the shore. It is the ancestral home of the Kaweskar Indigenous tribe, who have been living as sea nomads in Patagonia for over 6,000 years. Let your experts on board sensitise you to the way people, animals and nature interact.

The excitement mounts on board as the nautically demanding manoeuvres lead to spectacular scenes as you enjoy the far-reaching views from the extensive outside decks. The Pio XI Glacier is immense, with a height of up to 75 m (246 ft) and a kilometre-long ridge. With its bizarre craggy surface, it sparkles blue and white. You will glide between icebergs great and small as you take in the impressive views from your Zodiac.

Very few continents have such spectacular nature, such fascinating flora and fauna: your small, manoeuvrable expedition ship can demonstrate its advantages in the narrow waterways of the southern Chilean fjords.

As you approach the El Brujo Glacier, 2 km (1.2 mi.) wide, the imposing wall of ice rises spectacularly before you, with your joy of nature increasing. When the Zodiacs are put to water and you get close to the glacier’s ridge, awe and amazement accompany you at every turn. Flanked by dark rocks, this wall of ice gracefully calves into the waves.

On the way to the port city of Puerto Natales, which can often only be reached by plane, you may spot dolphins, whales and seals. It is the starting point for exploring the Torres del Paine National Park* with mountains that are almost 3,000 m (9,843 ft) high. Over 100 different animal species, including rheas, flamingos and Andean condors, live between rushing waterfalls, extensive forests and shimmering aquamarine mountain lakes.

Again the captain and crew will demonstrate their great experience in expeditions. Only a small ship can master the passage through the Kirke Narrows and thus reach seldom-visited destinations via the Strait of Magellan. You will slowly navigate through the narrow passage that is approximately 100 m (328 ft) long. There are 1,300 m (4,265 ft) peaks on both sides as well as glaciers and an exceptional landscape. The captain will keep you up to date and give frequent status reports from the bridge until all the narrows and currents have been mastered with flying colours.

Join the rare visitors as your manoeuvrable ship navigates its way from the west coast of Tierra del Fuego to the Almirantazgo Fjord. When you reach the majestic 40 m (131 ft) high glacier, you will be treated to another of Chile’s natural wonders. Keep a look out for sea lions, leopard seals and dolphins

As you cruise through the southern fjords, the captain and crew will select the most fascinating routes to stunning experiences. Over thousands of years, the mountains have formed a gigantic picture book of the earth’s history – which your ship will take plenty of time to study in detail.

Follow the route taken by the first person to sail around the world and be welcomed by Punta Arenas in the middle of the famous Strait of Magellan. In Chile’s southernmost city, you will be surrounded by colonial flair and the pioneering spirit of the golden age of seafaring. Whether you visit the 19th-century palace, the rebuilt fort or the open-air museum with its replica of an old sailing ship: follow up the lectures your experts give on board about the settlement of South America with real-life locations ashore. The “city at the end of the world” is also the starting point for exciting nature activities*.

Cruising off the Garibaldi Glacier reveals the beauty of nature in all its glory. Even from a distance, you can see the ice masses that extend to the water. In bright, shimmering shades of blue and with a play of light that changes the mood by the second. Ice floes drift in the fjord and the silence of nature is broken only by the sounds of the sea lions. Look forward to thrilling experiences with the Zodiacs, depending on the local authorisations. As the expedition rubber boats approach the glacier, you will see the diverse mountain vegetation that frames the fjord and, with a bit of luck, you will be able to observe cormorants balancing on the rocks. Because ice can break off at any time and slide towards the water like an avalanche, you should keep a safe distance from the mighty ridge – but don’t let that dampen your sense of discovery.

During the passage through the Beagle Channel, Chile’s nature offers several spectacular highlights – and the famous “Glacier Allee” truly lives up to its name. The ship’s deck is your front-row seat for the gripping natural spectacles of the mighty calving ridges: five tidewater glaciers line the waterway between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. A fascinating habitat for a wide variety of flora and fauna. If nature allows, you will discover a colony of sea lions at one of the glaciers, which will initially lie quietly there and then greet you with great noise. The mysticism and deceleration that emanate from this region are intensified even further when a humpback whale comes close to the ship.