Glacial Cruise: Ushuaia to Punta Arenas

I had the chance to participate in this cruise from 16 to 20 February 2025 on the Ventus Australis, as part of an accompanied tour (7 people) organized by the travel houses. There were 120 of us on this very nice and very comfortable boat. The service was impeccable, the staff members adorable, helpful and funny, the rooms very beautiful with a wonderful view of these breathtaking landscapes! Very well organized excursions, with landing or only by zodiac. We were lucky enough to land at Cape Horn. Only one excursion (Aguila Glacier) was cancelled due to the weather but we sailed into Agostini Fjord instead! Safety first! Anyway being on this boat at the end of the world and not knowing or giving the head so spectacular the landscapes and the numerous animals (condors, dolphins, penguins...) is already a party in itself! Thank you!

This is a great short cruise, for anyone who wishes to see, and understand the fjords and the archipelago of Patagonia. If you sail from Punta Arenas to Ushuaia, the first day is a hike and Zodiak visit to see the penguins. The second day is all about glaciers with glacier alley, south of the Darwin range. The third day the objective is to disembark at Cape Horn, but this is only possible, if the weather permits. Note that this is an expedition style cruise, which means that you use zodiacs to disembark and visit the shores.

We are off the coast of Ushuaia and I have a network. I took this opportunity to debrief the cruise: I start with the positive - good general organization, including excursions. We weren't able to go to Cape Horn, but mother nature decides, and this morning there was 80 knots of wind. The wise decision was made. - the cabins (all identical) are spacious and the bedding is good. - the common areas are pleasant - the staff is friendly. Now the annoying point: at more than $1100 per day, we have the right to expect food that is not at canteen level and let me explain: apart from breakfast, no meal has been served hot, we had no vegetables, the portions were often miserable, and always starchy foods, such as mashed potatoes or gnocchi with parmesan, tough meat, even inedible, the same for this evening's fish, which instead of being sea bass, it was grouper. It is not normal to have conger chicken and pork at the prices charged. And this time, many of us have thought about it. In conclusion, pleasant cruise with food (sorry but it's emotion) vile and unworthy of the asking price. I will end by asking you why you asked us about our dietary restrictions: we had to fight almost every meal between pork and shellfish!! Sorry to rush you, but we are very disappointed and have the feeling of having been “fleshed”. We are reaching the limits of their monopoly situation.

Ushuaia is a charming little town. But very busy with the Antarctic tourism business. LOTS of people, meaning lots of busy businesses. Took a catamaran boat tour to see the sea lions penguins…almost 3 hours each way. But sure, there were sea lions and penguins at the final destination, so there’s that. But mostly cormorants, so had to look carefully to find the penguins amongst them. A decent landing place (for better than Punta Arenas!) for traveling through the region, but not worth a special trip just to go there.

I enjoyed my four night cruise from Punta arenas to Ushuaia. It was expensive but a good experience despite the cost. The one negative is that I am certain that I got poisoned from the tap water on the Australis boat. Both my husband and I got sick one day after exiting the boat. We both drank the tapwater. We should’ve been forewarned not to drink any of the water on the boat. There was never any advice to avoid the tap water in our room. For the high price we paid, it should never have happened. We went in 2019 but TA won’t let us put in the correct date.