The size and geography of Chilean Patagonia, the vast stretch at the southern tip of South America marked by towering peaks, glacial fjords and temperate rainforest, can be challenging to land-based exploration. Luckily, the innovative Quark Expeditions team has surmounted this challenge by creating a ship-based itinerary— with the support of two twin-engine helicopters—that enables guests to maximize their Patagonian adventure in ways no other operator can. Guests can experience the fascinating diversity of Patagonia—including its wildlife—and return at the end of each day to their comfortable suite aboard Ultramarine and all of its amenities.

Retrace Charles Darwin’s epic voyage to the ‘edge of the world’ on our 15-day Essential Patagonia: Chilean Fjords and Torres del Paine expedition, a comprehensive journey into Chile’s spectacular network of fjords and channels. Helicopter flightseeing and Zodiac cruises along this enchanting stretch of coastline provide awe-inspiring perspectives of some of the most remote and picturesque landscapes on Earth. From llama-like guanacos, Magellanic penguin colonies and other seabirds to South American sea lions and southern elephant seals, the wildlife of this region is as abundant as the majestic blue-toned tidewater glaciers. Join us in this enchanting wonderland and experience all the natural splendours of southern Patagonia.

Our technologically-advanced ship Ultramarine is designed to extend the boundaries of exploration and offer an unmatched experience, including a flightseeing tour you’ll never forget! Our team of Polar Travel Advisers are happy to answer your questions at any time. Come and explore Patagonia by ship. You’ll see more, explore more, and conquer more!

Your Fly, Stay & Cruise Package Includes:

• $2,600 flight credit per person
• 3 nights 5-star accommodation in Buenos Aires with breakfast
• Tango Show "El Viejo Almacen"
• 14 night Essential Patagonia: Chilean Fjords and Torres del Paine expedition cruise onboard Ocean Explorer, Buenos Aires to Santiago
• 2 nights 5-star accommodation in Santiago with breakfast
• Select transfers

Cruise includes:

• One night’s pre-expedition hotel accommodation in Buenos Aires
• Leadership throughout your voyage by our experienced Expedition Leaders
• All Zodiac transfers and cruising as per the daily program
• All meals, snacks, soft drinks and juices on board throughout your voyage
• Select beer and wine during dinner; and coffee, tea and cocoa available around the clock
• Formal and informal presentations by our Expedition Team and guest speakers as scheduled
• An official Quark Expeditions® parka to keep
• All luggage handling aboard the ship

Rate is per person twin share and based on travel 09 – 28 March 2026

Single traveller pricing available, speak with your travel consultant

Tango Show "El Viejo Almacen"

Located in the historic centre of this bustling metropolis on the corner of Balcarce and Independencia – the very corner where tango was born – lies El Viejo Almacen, the most authentic venue in the city. Its current structure dating back to 1969, El Viejo Almacen (‘the Old Storehouse’) has become synonymous with tango and its fame has spread all over the world. It has been designated as a ‘Place of Cultural Interest’ by the local authority and no wonder, given its centrality to tango lore and legend. The show itself has all the colour and passion you would expect from this quintessentially Argentine art form, so be prepared to be transported back in time and taken on a magnificent dance adventure. Singers and a popular group of indigenous musicians complete the bill. The warm and welcoming atmosphere of the venue, combined with the commitment of the professional performers, ensures that this is a night of entertainment that will stay in the memory for many years to come.

Cruise Itinerary:

Day 1: Arrive in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Upon arriving in this splendid city, known for its architecture and rich European heritage, you will independently transfer to your group hotel.

Day 2: Fly to Ushuaia and Embark

After an early breakfast at the hotel, the group will transfer to the airport and board our private charter flight to Ushuaia, Argentina. Upon arrival, you will be transferred from the airport to a central downtown location to have some time on your own to explore this quaint port town before meeting the bus (at a designated location) to be transferred to your ship. After a late afternoon embarkation, you will sail along the historic Beagle Channel, which transects the Tierra del Fuego archipelago in the extreme south of South America.

Day 3: Cape Horn

As we begin our exploration of Chile’s southern extent, expect a new adventure every day. Though each expedition will be different, depending on the weather, we aim to start our journey to the “edge of the earth” with a visit to historic Cape Horn (Cabo de Hornos). At the southernmost point of the Tierra del Fuego (“Land of Fire”) archipelago, this steep, rocky headland on Hornos Island marks the northern boundary of the famous Drake Passage, where the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans meet. From the 1700s to the early 1900s, prior to the opening of the Panama Canal, this cape was part of a major global trade route. IMPORTANT REMINDER If sea and weather conditions allow, you may go ashore for a hike out to the lighthouse, the tiny Stella Maris (“Star of the Sea”) Chapel, and the albatrossshaped monument honouring the many mariners who lost their lives attempting to “round the Horn.” Atop the windswept promontory, pause for a moment to take in the panoramic view and to enjoy the peaceful solitude that can only be found at one of the most southern stretches of land in the world.

Day 4-5: Pia and Garibaldi Glaciers, Glacier Alley

As our ship sails north toward the southern edge of Tierra del Fuego, stimulating presentations by your Expedition Team will enrich your knowledge of the glacial systems, geology, environment, wildlife and storied history of the region as you retrace Charles Darwin’s historic journey through the Beagle Channel, a 150-mile (240 km) strait separating Tierra del Fuego’s main island from several smaller islands. Named after Captain Robert FitzRoy’s famous ship on which Charles Darwin was a young naturalist, the channel presents plenty of photo ops to capture seabirds hovering overhead and dramatic vistas of jagged-peaked mountains and glaciers. Rugged and untouched, this magnificent landscape is as starkly beautiful as it was when Darwin first laid eyes on it in 1833. What he experienced in this region would later help him form his then controversial theory on evolution by natural selection. Glacier Alley (as it’s nicknamed) is one of the most spectacular ship passages in Tierra del Fuego. The glaciers’ names honour the European countries that first explored the region: España (Oblicuo), Romanche, Alemania (Roncagli), Francia, Italia, and Holland Glaciers. Situated within the protected boundary of Alberto de Agostini National Park, both Pia and Garibaldi Glaciers sit at the head of picturesque, often ice-choked fjords that offer guests jaw-dropping views. Located within the Cordillera Darwin (Darwin Mountain Range), the impressive Pia Glacier extends from the soaring mountaintops down into the sea. A short hike to a lookout point provides superb vistas of the glacier and mountains. Surrounded by pristine sub-Antarctic forests, Garibaldi Glacier flows from a separate mountain, providing equally exceptional views, with the Darwin Mountains rising dramatically out of the fjord. We can explore this area by Zodiac, and include a visit to a beautiful glacial waterfall nearby. As we navigate the fjords, your Expedition Team will keep watch for Andean condors, massive birds whose wing span is second only to the wandering albatross.

Days 6: Dainelli (Aguila) Glacier

Located at the end of a tranquil lagoon surrounded by lush sub-Antarctic forests in Agostini Sound, Dainelli Glacier (sometimes called Aguila— Spanish for “Eagle” Glacier) is a unique sight, as it appears to flow over rolling hills rather than mountains. Cruising aboard a Zodiac toward the blue-tinged ice, conditions permitting, you will be humbled by the wonder of nature’s power. We hope to venture ashore for an easy hike along the beach to get a more intensive look at the glacier and surrounding mountains.

Day 7: Cruising the Chilean Fjords

Continuing north, we’ll navigate through a remote network of coastal fjords and channels, including time spent venturing out into the Pacific Ocean. Your Expedition Team will prepare you for the adventures that await, helping you further understand the glacial systems, as well as the flora and fauna that can be found in this part of Chile. Take a moment, as we glide past soaring snow-capped peaks, to contemplate the indigenous peoples who thrived here for thousands of years and the mariners of early European exploration who travelled these same sheltered passageways, and were rewarded with the same wondrous sights.

Days 8-9: Puerto Natales and Torres del Paine National Park

Sailing the turquoise waters of the extraordinary stretch of coastline leading to the small port of Puerto Natales, we’ll meander through a mesmerizing maze of deep, windswept fjords, narrow channels and isolated bays, with an eye toward the rugged landscape, unique wildlife and impressive glaciers that tumble from the towering mountains into the icy waters below, along with the imperial and king cormorants, South American terns, black-necked swans and southern wigeons (Chiloé wigeons) that frequent the fjords. Torres del Paine National Park is one of the most stunning wilderness areas in South America, and Puerto Natales is the gateway. This enormous park is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, so designated for both its natural wonders and ancient human history, and named for the three granite peaks that tower above the glacier-fed lakes. Enjoy a day of hiking, and exploration aboard chartered buses tailored to your preferred activity level with lookouts in the park, followed by traditional Patagonian cuisine in the afternoon. Taking our expedition onto dry land for another full day, we will also visit a working Patagonian estancia (“ranch”), founded in 1891 by Scottish immigrants. Here you will learn about Patagonian sheep farming in a historic pastoral setting. You may be lucky enough to spot in the surrounding grasslands wildlife such as ostrich-like rhea, and guanacos, a wild relative of the domestic llama. Complete your cultural experience with a lunch of barbecued lamb al palo (“on a stick”), and return to the ship in the early evening.

Day 10: Canal de las Montanas

Cruising the pristine waters of the Canal de las Montañas (“Channel” or “Fjord of the Mountains”) will leave you breathless. You’ll be awed by the amazing series of waterfalls cascading down between the jagged peaks that rise up sharply on either side of the narrow, 41-mile (66 km) long channel dotted with glaciers, five of which spill dramatically into the water. Here, impressive ice fields glisten in the distance, and steeply sloped glaciers exceed elevations over 8,235 feet (2,510 meters). The channel also provides an ideal place to put our Zodiacs in the water for more detailed exploring or the chance to go ashore for a hike to scenic viewpoints. If you’re feeling more adventurous, perhaps you’ll treat yourself to an optional kayaking excursion (extra cost), an exceptional opportunity to experience the channel from a unique perspective.

Day 11: Tuckers Islets

A series of small islands and rocky outcrops in Almirantazgo Sound (“Admiralty Sound”), a fjord off the Strait of Magellan, Tuckers Islets is a superb location for viewing penguins. Though landing here is prohibited to protect the fragile nesting habitat, a Zodiac excursion will take you near a pebble beach to view a colony of 4,000-plus breeding Magellanic penguins, conditions permitting. Named for Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, whose crew sighted the charming creatures in 1520 during the first circumnavigation of the globe, the species is native to the region, and the sight of them in their burrows, lounging on the beach or waddling in and out of the water, is one you won’t forget. If we’re fortunate, we may also see Chilean skuas, Magellanic cormorants (rock shags), imperial cormorants (king shags), oystercatchers, kelp geese, or even dolphins.

Day 12: Ainsworth Bay

Continuing our exploration of Almirantazgo Sound, we plan to explore ashore at Ainsworth Bay, one of the most picturesque and pristine places in Patagonia. Surrounded by untouched sub-Antarctic forest, this isolated bay is a protected area within the border of Alberto de Agostini National Park. It hosts abundant birdlife, so you’ll want to keep your eyes peeled as we cruise in the Zodiacs. Hiking options will be available for all fitness levels, affording panoramic views of Marinelli Glacier, Marinelli Fjord and the surrounding Darwin mountain range.

Day 13: Bahia Brookes

Another excellent spot for glacier exploring in Almirantazgo Sound is Bahia Brookes (Brookes Bay), where, conditions permitting, we’ll go ashore by Zodiac. The bay offers ample chances for closer views of a number of waterfalls and glaciers, including the calving North Brookes Glacier, set against the breathtaking backdrop of the towering Darwin mountain range. Amid the serene silence of this icy wonderland, the only sound you may hear is the powerful roar of ice breaking off and crashing into the frigid waters below. This is also a great location for viewing ice fall deposits, which form reconstituted glaciers, and kame (silt and sediment deposits).

Day 14: Marta Island

In the middle of the Strait of Magellan, Marta Island (Isla Marta) is home to abundant birdlife and more than one thousand Patagonian (South American) sea lions. To protect the wildlife, shore landings are not possible here, but we do plan to circumnavigate the island, providing numerous opportunities to observe and photograph the colony from a short distance, in the comfort of a Zodiac. Called lobos marinos (“sea wolves”) by local Chileans, these giant pinnipeds—males can weigh over 700 pounds/320 kg—form quite a noisy group as each sea lion vies for a choice spot of coastline. As you cruise by, sightings of imperial cormorants, skuas, southern gulls, snowy sheathbill—and if we’re lucky, dolphins—are also possible.

Day 15: Disembark in Punta Arenas and flight to Santiago

After an adventurous two weeks of exploration, you’ll say goodbye to your Expedition Team and disembark in Punta Arenas, to be transferred to the airport for your charter flight to Santiago, where you are welcome to continue on your own travels or connect to your homeward flights.