Australis cruise to Cape Horn

Cruise Tierra del Fuego's far reaches, crossing the Strait of Magellan and the Beagle Channel via Cape Horn.

The Strait of Magellan, Cape Horn, the Beagle Channel… even the place names down in far-flung Tierra del Fuego reverberate with adventure and history. Like explorers and maritime pioneers before you, on these 4-night cruises you can sail through the snow-smothered landscape of rock and ice at the world’s end.

Departing from Punta Arenas in Chile or Ushuaia, Argentina, the expedition vessel negotiates the sinuous network of channels and islands at the tip of South America. You’ll pass lonely lighthouses, subpolar forests and valleys carpeted in vivid blue ice sheets – scenes that are completely inaccessible by land.

There’s the chance to disembark at evocative spots along the way, including Cape Horn, where the edge of the continent finally slips into the ocean. Typical land excursions visit glaciers, southern beech forests and colonies of Magellanic penguins, while at certain times of year it’s also possible to venture out in zodiacs in search of breaching Humpback whales.