As we were planning our time in South America, we had a general idea of the places we wanted to visit but weren’t exactly sure how to travel among all of them. When we stumbled upon the option to take a boat from Ushuaia, Argentina to Punta Arenas, Chile we couldn’t get the idea out of our heads. While we are anything but “cruise people”, the route to Cape Horn and through the channels and fjords at the tip of South America seemed like a once in a lifetime opportunity and there is only one passenger ship who is allowed along this route – so we booked it!
When I saw our boat in the harbor, dwarfed by some of the other massive ships docked there, I got super excited. We boarded in the evening and were shown to our room which was surprisingly roomy with a huge window. The ship itself was really nice, with a couple of lounges and viewing areas – enough space to not feel claustrophobic. The “expedition cruise” as they called it kicked off with a welcome toast and dinner where we met the group of people we would be dining with for the next four days.
The plan over the next few days was to cruise through the channels and disembark at certain landmarks for short hikes. Our first disembarkation was to be Cape Horn, the southernmost point in the world. They warned us that the waters and weather around Cape Horn can be rough and unpredictable, so the excursion was weather permitting. As we arrived at the destination, we were in our room when we received the announcement that the weather would not allow us to disembark but we were welcome outside on the deck for a better view. A bit disappointed, I made my way to the deck with a coffee in hand. When I walked outside, I was literally almost knocked over by the force of the wind and I spilled my coffee everywhere – they were the most intense winds I have ever experienced! Alex and I made our way to the upper deck and essentially played in the wind for an hour, leaning into it and letting it knock us around. My disappointment quickly turned into glee, it was so cool to experience such intense weather at Cape Horn! We were told later that the wind was at 70 knots, about 80 mph.
Over the next few days, we spent our time oohing and ahhing at the views which seemed to get more and more spectacular around every corner. The sight of snow peaked mountains with massive glaciers nestled in between them never got old. A couple times a day, we would get off of the ship in little “zodiac” boats for a hike on an island or to get up close and personal with the ancient glaciers. The glaciers absolutely blew me away, the colors and sounds were so impressive. When we neared the Pia Glacier, the most active one we visited, you could hear it moving. Every minute or so, it would emit thunderous cracks as the ice broke off and fell into the water below. The sounds were really mesmerizing.
The last excursion of our boat trip was an island where the local Magellanic penguins came to mate. I was so excited to see penguins in the wild and they were all such cute little weirdos. They were either running around aimlessly in groups, barking into the sky for a mate, or nestled into one of the little burrows they dug out.
The entire trip really was spectacular. It was a completely foreign landscape to me and it felt so special to spend that much time exploring it. The weather and the remoteness of the area gave me a whole new appreciation for the explorers who blindly navigated these waters with the real fear of falling off the edge of the earth. What badasses!
Wandering Between Meals 
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