Experience the wonder of discovery as you travel through mesmerizing landscapes almost untouched since Magellan found them nearly 500 years ago. Our unique 12-day voyage to Patagonia and the Chilean Fjords begins in Santiago, Chile, on a land and sea itinerary that takes you in the path of legendary explorers Captain Robert FitzRoy and Charles Darwin—through the Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Glacier Alley, and Wulaia Bay. See distinctive subantarctic and Patagonian wildlife, including guanacos, rheas, condors, elephant seals, and Magellanic penguins. Explore the Tierra del Fuego, “land of fire,” and enjoy excursions that range from a wine tasting at a Maipo Valley vineyard to a visit to Cape Horn National Park, the world's southernmost national park.
Optional Pre-Tour: Easter Island
- International flight to Santiago, Chile.
- Arrive in Santiago
- Transfer to hotel
- Lunch and afternoon at leisure
- Welcome Reception in evening
- City tour and visit to El Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino
- Drive through Maipo Valley en route to 140-year-old Santa Rita vineyard
- Vineyard tour and wine tasting
- Flight to Puerto Natales
- Afternoon at leisure
- Group dinner
- Cruise on Ultima Esparanza Fjord and see Balmaceda Glacier
- Walk through Bernardo O’Higgins National Park to see Serrano Glacier
- Lunch at Patagonian ranch
- Hiking in Torres Del Paine National Park
- Sheep herding demonstration and lunch at a Patagonian ranch
- Motor coach to Puntas Arenas
- Embark the Ventus Australis
- Captain's Welcome Reception and dinner
- Zodiac ride to shore landing in Agostini National Park
- Options: Explore subantarctic Magellanic forest or birdwatching via Zodiac in Admiralty Sound
- Cruise the Beagle Channel
- Zodiac landing and excursions to Pia Glacier
- Cruise through Glacier Alley
- Zodiac cruise and landing at the “edge of the world” overlooking Drake Passage
- Anchor in historic Wulaia Bay
- Optional excursions
- Farewell Reception
- Disembark in Ushuaia
- Flight to Buenos Aires
- International departures
- Welcome home!
Optional Post-Tour: Iguazú Falls
**Pricing Subject to change - See Operator Terms & Conditions**
Faculty
Myron Tribus Professor of Engineering Innovation
Professor Laura Ray’s research focuses on system dynamics, control theory, and signal processing with application to robotics and machine intelligence. With her students, she has developed and fielded robots to support field science in Antarctica and Greenland to increase our understanding of the impact of climate change on these regions. Her robots have been deployed over a dozen times since 2006 and have been featured in Scientific American, The New York Times, Popular Mechanics, Wired, AUGVS, and numerous other popular publications.
Professor Ray has recently turned her attention to using robots to manage agricultural resources, and during this trip, she will talk about the promise of robotics in minimizing the ecological and energy impacts of food production to create “more with less." When she is not engaged in robot innovations, she enjoys spending time hiking, especially in the White Mountains.
