Expedition Chilean Fjords: Sublime Natural Labyrinth

Valparaíso's dramatic topography—45 cerros, or hills, overlooking the ocean—requires the use of winding pathways and wooden ascensores (funiculars) to get up many of the grades. The slopes are covered by candy-color houses—there are almost no apartments in the city—most of which have exteriors of corrugated metal peeled from shipping containers decades ago. Valparaíso has served as Santiago's port for centuries. Before the Panama Canal opened, Valparaíso was the busiest port in South America. Harsh realities—changing trade routes, industrial decline—have diminished its importance, but it remains Chile's principal port. Most shops, banks, restaurants, bars, and other businesses cluster along the handful of streets called El Plan (the flat area) that are closest to the shoreline. Porteños (which means "the residents of the port") live in the surrounding hills in an undulating array of colorful abodes. At the top of any of the dozens of stairways, the paseos (promenades) have spectacular views; many are named after prominent Yugoslavian, Basque, and German immigrants. Neighborhoods are named for the hills they cover. With the jumble of power lines overhead and the hundreds of buses that slow down—but never completely stop—to pick up agile riders, it's hard to forget you're in a city. Still, walking is the best way to experience Valparaíso. Be careful where you step, though—locals aren't very conscientious about curbing their dogs.

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.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.Equally stunning: the Isla de Chiloe, where the 43,000 ha (106,255 ac) national park invites you to go on excursions* to explore the nature. 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.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.

Strewn through the coast of Chile, these beautiful fjords are world renowned for being one of the most awe-inspiring places on earth. Snow-capped volcanoes nestle majestically alongside rolling valleys of ice and frosty glaciers. Rugged beauty, breathtaking scenery not to mention diverse and profuse wildlife abounds – expect to watch whales from the deck, see playful Magellan Penguins and perhaps even spot the rare Andean Condor. Affectionately named “The End of the World” by the Spaniards who discovered the region in eighteenth century in a quest to Christianise South America, these extraordinary waterways not only encompass a medley of jagged mountains and iceberg strewn bays, but feature a kaleidoscopic spectrum of unexpected colour that offers photographic opportunities like no other destination.

Very few continents have such spectacular nature, such fascinating flora and fauna: your small and manoeuvrable ship can demonstrate its advantages as an expedition ship in the narrow waterways of Chile’s southern 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 demonstration 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.

Strewn through the coast of Chile, these beautiful fjords are world renowned for being one of the most awe-inspiring places on earth. Snow-capped volcanoes nestle majestically alongside rolling valleys of ice and frosty glaciers. Rugged beauty, breathtaking scenery not to mention diverse and profuse wildlife abounds – expect to watch whales from the deck, see playful Magellan Penguins and perhaps even spot the rare Andean Condor. Affectionately named “The End of the World” by the Spaniards who discovered the region in eighteenth century in a quest to Christianise South America, these extraordinary waterways not only encompass a medley of jagged mountains and iceberg strewn bays, but feature a kaleidoscopic spectrum of unexpected colour that offers photographic opportunities like no other destination.

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*. For example, it offers fascinating insights into the habitat of the Magellanic penguins*, which populate Isla Magdalena by the thousands. With a little luck, your bird watching will be crowned by the appearance of the condor, the Chilean national bird.

Punta Arenas was founded as a penal colony by Chile in 1848. Nestled amid spectacular mountain vistas on the eastern shores of the Brunswick Peninsula, it played host to mariners crossing the continent by ship. Europeans followed, searching for newly discovered gold and establishing vast swaths of sheep farms locally and throughout the surrounding region. Over time, Punta Arenas became one of Chile’s most important ports as, before the opening of the Panama Canal, it laid on the northernmost transcontinental shipping route.

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.

At 55 degrees latitude south, Ushuaia (pronounced oo-swy-ah) is closer to the South Pole than to Argentina's northern border with Bolivia. It is the capital and tourism base for Tierra del Fuego, the island at the southernmost tip of Argentina.Although its stark physical beauty is striking, Tierra del Fuego's historical allure is based more on its mythical past than on rugged reality. The island was inhabited for 6,000 years by Yámana, Haush, Selk'nam, and Alakaluf Indians. But in 1902 Argentina, eager to populate Patagonia to bolster its territorial claims, moved to initiate an Ushuaian penal colony, establishing the permanent settlement of its most southern territories and, by implication, everything in between.When the prison closed in 1947, Ushuaia had a population of about 3,000, made up mainly of former inmates and prison staff. Today the Indians of Darwin's "missing link" theory are long gone—wiped out by diseases brought by settlers and by indifference to their plight—and the 60,000 residents of Ushuaia are hitching their star to tourism.The city rightly (if perhaps too loudly) promotes itself as the southernmost city in the world (Puerto Williams, a few miles south on the Chilean side of the Beagle Channel, is a small town). You can make your way to the tourism office to get your clichéd, but oh-so-necessary, "Southernmost City in the World" passport stamp. Ushuaia feels like a frontier boomtown, at heart still a rugged, weather-beaten fishing village, but exhibiting the frayed edges of a city that quadrupled in size in the '70s and '80s and just keeps growing. Unpaved portions of Ruta 3, the last stretch of the Pan-American Highway, which connects Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, are finally being paved. The summer months (December through March) draw more than 120,000 visitors, and dozens of cruise ships. The city is trying to extend those visits with events like March's Marathon at the End of the World and by increasing the gamut of winter activities buoyed by the excellent snow conditions.A terrific trail winds through the town up to the Martial Glacier, where a ski lift can help cut down a steep kilometer of your journey. The chaotic and contradictory urban landscape includes a handful of luxury hotels amid the concrete of public housing projects. Scores of "sled houses" (wooden shacks) sit precariously on upright piers, ready for speedy displacement to a different site. But there are also many small, picturesque homes with tiny, carefully tended gardens. Many of the newer homes are built in a Swiss-chalet style, reinforcing the idea that this is a town into which tourism has breathed new life. At the same time, the weather-worn pastel colors that dominate the town's landscape remind you that Ushuaia was once just a tiny fishing village, snuggled at the end of the Earth.As you stand on the banks of the Canal Beagle (Beagle Channel) near Ushuaia, the spirit of the farthest corner of the world takes hold. What stands out is the light: at sundown the landscape is cast in a subdued, sensual tone; everything feels closer, softer, and more human in dimension despite the vastness of the setting. The snowcapped mountains reflect the setting sun back onto a stream rolling into the channel, as nearby peaks echo their image—on a windless day—in the still waters.Above the city rise the last mountains of the Andean Cordillera, and just south and west of Ushuaia they finally vanish into the often-stormy sea. Snow whitens the peaks well into summer. Nature is the principal attraction here, with trekking, fishing, horseback riding, wildlife spotting, and sailing among the most rewarding activities, especially in the Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego (Tierra del Fuego National Park).