Chile

Starting Price:	£726.00
Trip Length:	5 days

San Rafael Glacier

Northern Ice Field

M/V Mare Australis to San Rafael Lagoon: 5 days/ 4 nights

Description Pricing Itinerary

Aboard the M/V Mare Australis enjoy comfortable accommodations and a welcoming crew as you sail to San Rafael Lagoon. Departing from Castro, the oldest city of the Isla Grande of Chiloe, we travel to the Lagoon crossing the Corcovado Gulf. San Rafael Lagoon was formed by the retreat of the San Rafael Glacier in the Northern Patagonia Ice Field and was declared a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1979.

Sail through the Perez Norte Channel heading to Jechica with spectacular views of Velberde, Garcia, and Garrao Islands. During your cruise explore Jechica, a Natural Sanctuary in the heart of Chilean Patagonia popular for its unique ecosystem including Sphagnum bogs created through carbon storage.

The M/V Mare departs Castro to Puerto Chacabuco frequently from October to March. Please check with your Yampu Travel Consultant for exact departure dates.

Additional information on this trip:

Dates this trip is NOT available for online booking (please submit a regular request):
20 March - 01 October

Go Back To M/V Mare Australis to San Rafael Lagoon

Day 1

Our adventure begins in Castro, the oldest city of the Isla Grande of Chiloe. A welcome cocktail invites us as we disembark from the port in Castro to sail through the Castro Estuary, the Lemuy, Chonchi, and Yal Channels to reach Punta Centinela in preparation to cross the Corcovado Gulf.

Day 2

Sunrise finds us near the small port of Melinka, capital of the Guaitecas archipelago to enter the Perez Norte Channel heading to Jechica. Traveling through Perez Norte Channel enjoy great views of Velberde, Garcia, and Garrao Islands. After breakfast we will disembark at Jechica to hike through the Centenary Forests populated with 50 species of land and marine birds that inhabit the archipelago such as the Austral Thursh, Black-Browed Albatross, and the Patagonian Sierra-Finch. We will end our hike with a great Patagonian lunch of fresh local seafood and spit roasted lamb while admiring the breathtaking scenery of this Pacific refuge.

We return to the Mare Australis mid-afternoon to sail through the Baeza and Perez Sur Channels on our way to the Tuap Islands and Puerto Aguirre.

Day 3

At sunrise we continue to sail across the Mogotes Islands crossing the Elefantes Estuary to reach the spectacular San Rafael Lagoon. After breakfast we will disembark, weather permitting, on zodiac boats. The boats allow us to get very close to the San Rafael Glacier to view the diverse shades of blue and perhaps witness as large blocks of ice from the Glacier fall into the surrounding Lagoon with great force.

Returning to the Mare Australis, hot chocolate and whiskey await us. We raise anchor by mid-afternoon to leave the Northern Ice Field and travel down the Rio Tempanos, the Iceberg River, toward Chacauco Port.

Day 4

By dawn this morning we head to Tic Toc Bay in the heart of the Corcovado National Park. Here we will take in the surrounding ecosystem complete with fjords, bays, rivers, and volcanoes. The large amount of nutrients in the fjords and channels make this area one of the most important feeding and mating grounds of the Blue Whale in the southern hemisphere during the summer and fall.

We continue on sailing towards Chaiten, to go ashore and explore the devastating effects of the eruption of the Chaiten volcano during May 2008 and February 2009 after centuries of inactivity. We will travel through the forests destroyed by pyroclastic flows and hike the trails through the ancient Alerce forest. We return to the Mare Australis to enjoy our last night crossing the Gulf of Corcovado.

Day 5

This morning we sail the entire length of Aysen Fiord reaching Puerto Chacabuco after breakfast. Puerto Chacabuco is an impressive site with steep cliffs and rocky outcrops. We anchor in they bay and disembark from the Mare Australis for the last time.

5 days , from £726

Extended Occupancy Type:

Prices shown above are per person, in Sterling (Ł).

Yampu only offers the M/V Mare Australis cruise as an add-on to our highlight programs. If booking alone, booking fee may apply. Prices include 4 nights accommodation aboard the Mare Australis and all meals, entrance fees, a bilingual guide for all excursions, and an open bar of national beverages at designated times. Prices do not include local flights.

Itinerary is subject to changes without prior notice regarding climate and sailing conditions.

Round trip transfers from Puerto Montt to Castro are available upon request for an additional USD $50 per person.

Seasons:

High Season – January and February

Low Season – November, December, and March

Yampu Tours is a trading name of Yampu Tours & Travel Ltd – Registered in England, Company No: 6054303 ATOL Number: 9522 VAT Number 919 1679 90 – 0800 011 2424 – Email Us

B: Double	£ 726
B: Single	£ 1452
A: Double	£ 792
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AA: Double	£ 858
AA: Single	£ 1716
AAA: Double	£ 924
AAA: Single	£ 1848

B: Double	£ 891
B: Single	£ 1782
A: Double	£ 957
A: Single	£ 1914
AA: Double	£ 1023
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AAA: Double	£ 1089
AAA: Single	£ 2178