Eternal Beauty of Chilean Patagonia and Antarctica

Start your adventure in style 

Your trip starts with an overnight stay in Santiago, the energetic and cultural core of Chile. Packed with museums, beautiful architecture and restaurants, the city hits all the high notes you’d expect of a South American capital. You’ll discover a wealth of sites and attractions, and you’ll only be limited by time, not choice. If you’ve time, head to the Mercado Central fish market to sample the classic Chilean seafood stew caldillo de congrio. 

With so much on offer, if you feel you need more time to explore the capital of Chile, we recommend coming a few days early, and joining one of our optional Pre-Programmes. 

Get set for adventure 

You’ll leave Santiago early in the morning and fly to Punta Arenas, the largest city in Chilean Patagonia. This is a place of old world, romantic charm, where discovery lies around every corner, and it’s also one of the southernmost cities in the world. 

Your expedition ship MS Maud awaits you. After boarding there will be a mandatory health and safety session for everyone. Later on, you will meet some of the crew, and of course, the Expedition Team, who will be your guides, hosts and travel companions.

Be amazed by this natural wonder 

Nothing can prepare you for this wild and remote wonderland. Admire the serenity of this maze of waterways, surrounded by islands, glaciers and steep mountains.  If weather and wildlife allow, we will attempt a landing in one of the tranquil glacial valleys here. 

In a secluded corner of Glacier Alley, the enormous Pia glacier cascades out of the mountains toward the sea, creaking and cracking along the way. This colossal river of ice often calves into the ocean, so keep a lookout for enormous splashes and listen to the beguiling noises the glacier makes.

At the bottom of South America

If it’s a clear day as we pass through the Beagle Channel, you may be able to see towering Monte Darwin, part of the southernmost range of the Andes mountains. 

At the tip of South America sits legendary Cape Horn, a major milestone in the old clipper routes that connected Europe with the Far East and Oceania, a place of untold historical significance. This is where the open waters of the Atlantic and Pacific collide, creating powerful waves that are made even stronger by swirling westerly winds.  

Given the notoriety of these turbulent waters, we can’t guarantee a landing. But if fortune favours us on the day with weather stable enough to set foot on the island, you’ll be among a select few in the world with that feather in your cap!  

From Cape Horn, it’s a clear shot to Antarctica across the Drake Passage. The Passage is named after the English sea captain and privateer Sir Francis Drake who discovered it by chance in 1578 when his ship was pushed south by heavy winds, proving that there was open water below the southern tip of Chile.  

The Drake Passage is famous for its high winds, large waves and strong currents, making it perilous for the old sailing ships who dared to cross it. But even though the water in the Drake Passage is usually rough, it can also be incredibly still. This unpredictable dual persona has resulted in the passage being nicknamed ‘The Drake Shake’ or ‘The Drake Lake’. Either way, our modern MS Maud was built for these conditions and worse, so you don’t have to worry about a thing.

Enjoy an experience like no other 

Forget everything you’ve ever experienced before. No matter how high your expectations are, Antarctica will exceed them. Holding 90 percent of the world’s ice in an area twice the size of Australia, it’s massive in every sense of the word. Ice shelves are the size of countries and icebergs tower over our ship. Glaciers cascade down through the mountains towards the shore, where they finally meet the sea, sometimes in spectacular displays of calving.  

This white continent is home to an estimated 12 million penguins across seven species. But even these impressive statistics don’t do Antarctica justice. Numbers can’t capture the magnitude and magnificence of its landscapes and words fail to fully describe the sensations and emotions of seeing a colony of several thousand penguins in person. It is a special place that really must be seen to be believed.  

It will be the height of summer when we arrive in Antarctica, which means towering icebergs glistening in the Midnight Sun, and penguin colonies thronged with hatchlings. You’ll also see seals, whales and seabirds galore. Keep an eye out for skuas, shearwaters and possibly even albatrosses 

Your Expedition Team will take you on landings to get you closer to this incredible world of ice and its wildlife. We’ll spend seven days exploring the frozen continent with no fixed itinerary, attempting landings at several possible sites. Having sailed these waters for so many years, we know exactly what to do and where to go. Working with or around the weather and sea ice, we’ll make the most of each day to ensure it’s truly an authentic adventure.

Reflect and relax 

After seven unforgettable days in Antarctica, MS Maud turns back north and takes you safely back across the Drake Passage. The Expedition Team will now recap experiences of the frozen continent, as well as prepare you for our last stop in Chilean Patagonia.   

We’ll spend approximately two days crossing the Drake Passage, giving you plenty of time to relax and reflect on what you’ve seen and done. If you’re feeling invigorated after the activities and landings from last week, you can work off any excess energy in the gym. Doing so, of course, will also help you work up an appetite to tackle some more of the delicious dishes in the restaurants.

Cruising through paradise 

Fresh from our Antarctic experience, and having completed the second Drake Passage crossing, we’re welcomed by one last day in the Chilean Fjords. Admire the serenity of this maze of waterways, surrounded by islands, glaciers and steep mountains.  If the sea conditions and weather allow, your Expedition Team will attempt a landing. 

Still, the fjords can also be enjoyed out on deck while looking for wildlife like Magellanic Penguins and maybe even elephant seals along the coastline. Dolphins and – if we’re lucky – several species of whales can sometimes be spotted in the waters here.

Arrive back where we started 

We arrive back in civilisation at Punta Arenas in the morning. From here, you'll catch a flight back to Santiago de Chile, taking with you a wealth of fantastic memories from your unforgettable Antarctic adventure. 

However, if you're not ready to end your adventures just yet why not join one of our optional Post-Programmes.