We are going to Argentina in November. Part of the trip is on the Mare Australis 120 person ship from Ushahia (?) to Puenta Arena. I have heard conflicting reports about this cruise. We are outdoor people who want to do alot of hiking, learning about flora and fauna,etc. I sense this cruise does not give you alot of time on land. Can anybody help me?

Jim

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Marta,

One of our members Liz went on this cruise last year. She is currently in New Zealand so I'm not certain if she will see this post. She does have a write up on her blog about the cruise. It sounds like there are a lot of opportunities for viewing flora and fauna but most of it is guided.

Where else are you going in Argentina? Are you doing any hiking in Patagonia? Robert recently was in Patagonia hiking. I've hiked the Chilean Patagonia and it is beautiful.

I'm also going to change the title of your post to include the name of the cruise. It might help others find your question.

Marta - Thanks for the reply - I will read the blog. While all is not set the gist is Buenos Aires > Peninsula Valdes > the cruise > Torres Del Paine > either Mendoza or Bariloche. As always, thoughts and comments are most welcomed.

Jim

Wow Marta - you're great! Just saw this post now

Jim - as Marta said we took the Mare Australis last year at this time on the same route - Ushuaia to PA......that's a 3 night cruise and there are three stops on land -

1) a visit to the monument on Cape Horn (lots of stairs but not really a hike)
2) a walk or hike on shore (the hike was moderate).
3) a visit to an Island with thousands of penguins (a great one hour or so visit - just walking)

Otherwise the excursions off the boat are in the Zodiac to view glaciers.

As you suspected there's not a lot of time on land - but on the other hand there are regular briefings on the flora and fauna which were very good. We enjoyed the Mare Australis very much - but we were very lucky with the weather and were able to transit Cape Horn. We're not big cruisers, though, and concluded after that trip that even short cruises weren't our cup of tea.

Hope that helps - happy to answer any questions but my internet access is a bit intermittent.

Hi Marta! In Hokatika now - taking a flight over the glaciers tomorrow and then to Wanaka and then Te Anau and Milford Sound............weather is glorious!

Swam with dolphins yesterday at Kaikoura - that's a wonderful experience.

Best

Liz

PS - any Sydney hotel recommendations? Yikes, it's expensive!

Hi Jim,

I know I'm coming along a bit late, but I've also recently been on her sister ship the Via Australis from Ushuaia to Punta Arenas, a 5 day cruise back in mid-Jan. So you have an idea, on our cruise, we did the following:

Day 1: embarkation and sail away; anchored off Puerto Williams to view the lights of Ushuaia

Day 2:
AM - visit to Cape Horn and monument (about 2hrs)
PM - choice of hill hike or beach walk at Wulaia Bay to see flora and fauna (about 2hrs)

Day 3:
AM - cruise through Avenue of Glaciers, to Pia Glacier for a short walk (you could go up a muddy hill if you wanted) (about 2 hrs)

Day 4:
AM - Zodiac to Piloto and Nena glaciers - about 1 hr
PM - Aguila Glacier - 2 groups, the beach group or the muddy group. The beach group walked along a rocky beach to the glacier. The muddy group walked right through the island in up to chest high mud to see the same view. Bring your own special wares for this, and prepare to jump into the river to clean off. about 2 hours

Day 5:
AM - we were supposed to have gone to Magdalena Island to see the Magellanic Penguins, but the waves were too harsh, so this excursion for us was cancelled.
Shortly thereafter, we arrived in Punta Arenas and were disembarked.

Note that our safety was always paramount in all their decisions, so it's important to be flexible and understanding.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time on the Via Australis, which made great use of the available space. Meals were pretty good, and the staff was very friendly, personable, knowledgeable, and professional.

Hope this helps in your decisions.

Thanks to all. I think we are going to do it. As long as the shuffle board shut down by 10, I'll be happy.

Jim