2021 Antarctica Solar Eclipse Cruise

Arrive Santiago. Transfer to your hotel. Overnight in Santiago.

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.

The Drake Passage has a notorious reputation for its turbulent seas due to the westerly winds and the funneling effect of the passage. The Antarctic Convergence, a natural boundary where cold polar water flows northward and warmer equatorial water moves southward, is within the Drake Passage. When these two currents meet, nutrients are pushed to the surface, often attracting a multitude of seabirds and whales. Black-browed Albatross, Sooty Shearwaters and White-chinned Petrels glide in the air currents alongside and in the wake of the ship.

Ship will position at 58°00’26″S 46°12’58″W to have a totality of 1 minute 18 seconds. You can see the details of the eclipse from this location here: Eclipse from our location

Awesome glaciers flecked with pink algae can be seen approaching Elephant Island — so named either for its elephant-like appearance or for sightings of elephant seals here. Elephant Island is home to several Chinstrap Penguin rookeries, as well as 2,000-year-old moss colonies. Weddell seals and Macaroni Penguins can also be spotted. In 1916, when Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance was crushed in pack ice in the Weddell Sea, the crew was stranded here for more than 4 months finding shelter under two upturned lifeboats on the spit of land Shackleton’s men named ‘Point Wild’. The bust of the Chilean captain Luis Pardo has been erected here to commemorate the successful rescue in the tug Yelcho.

Remote and otherworldly, Antarctica is irresistible for its spectacular iceberg sculptures and calving glaciers, and for the possibility of up-close encounters with marine mammals and the iconic penguins. The Antarctic Peninsula – the main peninsula closest to South America – has a human history of almost 200 years, with explorers, sealers, whalers, and scientists who have come to work, and eventually intrepid visitors coming to enjoy this pristine and remote wilderness. It is a region of protected bays, unscaled snow-capped mountains, vast glaciers and a few places where whalers or scientists have worked. Just as irresistible are the many Gentoo and Chinstrap Penguin colonies, the seals basking on ice floes, the whales and orcas.

Some 770 kilometers (478 miles) south of Cape Horn, the South Shetland Islands are usually the first land seen in Antarctica. Separated from the Antarctic Peninsula by the Bransfield Strait, nine major islands make up the group. The region was the first to be exploited by sealers in the early 19th century, and because of its proximity to South America, it still is the most visited by scientists and tourists. Chinstrap, Adelie, Gentoo and Macaroni Penguins all breed here. In addition, because it is the warmest part of the continent, large moss beds as well as orange, black, grey and green lichens grow –even hair grass and pearlwort manage to survive. Leopard seals, Weddell seals, crabeater seals, Southern elephant seals and Antarctic fur seals can be seen in the water and on the beaches.

The Drake Passage has a notorious reputation for its turbulent seas due to the westerly winds and the funneling effect of the passage. The Antarctic Convergence, a natural boundary where cold polar water flows northward and warmer equatorial water moves southward, is within the Drake Passage. When these two currents meet, nutrients are pushed to the surface, often attracting a multitude of seabirds and whales. Black-browed Albatross, Sooty Shearwaters and White-chinned Petrels glide in the air currents alongside and in the wake of the ship.

Disembark and transfer to the airport for your flight back to Santiago. Upon arrival, enjoy an afternoon city tour of Santiago. Explore the city’s highlights, including the Palacio de La Moneda Presidential Palace, designed by 18th-century Italian architect Joaquín Toesca, and the Plaza de Armas, with its impressive Cathedral and Central Post Office. Ride a funicular up San Cristobal Hill to behold the stunning statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary and take in expansive views of Santiago. Overnight at our hotel in Santiago.

Today we will explore Chile’s vineyards and taste the best wines it offers. Chile is an agricultural paradise whose bounty of fruits and vegetables supplies the world’s marketplaces and whose wine graces tables on every continent. A Mediterranean climate and increasingly organic, sustainable farming practices contribute to creating high-quality wines which are the purest expression of their privileged terroir. While standard geography would suggest that Chile’s long, narrow shape should display the greatest changes in growing conditions from north to south, it is actually proximity to the Andes mountains or Pacific Ocean from east to west which causes more pronounced climate and soil variations. Vines bask in the sun more than 2,000 meters (6,600 feet) above sea level under the crystal clear skies of the Valleys of Chile, as well as just four kilometers (2.4 miles) from the sea itself in San Antonio region.

Today we will explore Valparaiso. In the 19th century, Valparaíso was one of South America’s richest cities, having grown fat on the shipping trade. Then the Panama Canal stole its thunder and it became increasingly dilapidated. As part of an attempt to reverse its fortunes and give it a facelift, from 2006 the local government repainted many buildings. Façades were transformed with vermilion, lime-green, puce, cornflower-blue, and mango-yellow coats. Now, Valparaíso is a polychromatic canvas awash with street art, and anything goes. It tumbles precariously down hillsides to its port, a maze of helter-skelter streets and miradors connected by steep staircases and clanking funiculars.

Transfer to Santiago Airport and end of our adventure.