Days Cruising Waterfalls, Glaciers, Snow-Capped Peaks
Days 31-34, 2026 Grand World Voyage
Tuesday to Saturday, Feb. 3-7, 2026; Ushuaia, Argentina, and Punta Arenas, Chile.
As we sail north from Antarctica, I’ve looked forward to what are somewhat familiar ports. Ushuaia, Argentina, bills itself as the world’s most southern city, sitting where the Andes hit the ocean, between Cape Horn and the Beagle Channel. Punta Arenas, Chile, is a bit further north, along the Strait of Magellan. But my favorite cruising lies between the ports: Scenic cruising of Glacier Alley and the Chilean Fjords.
The stretch of the Beagle Channel is known as Glacier Alley because we pass by five glaciers. In 2020, Elaine and I sat for hours in the Crow’s Nest, soaking in the beauty of the ice, the dramatic waterfalls and stunning mountains, with distant peaks covered in snow. We gladly skipped dinner to gaze in awe at this beautiful landscape. My memory is that we were alone in the Crow’s Nest, although I’m sure we weren’t the only passengers there. It just seemed that way. This year it was packed.
When I returned in the fall of 2023, this time heading south, I wrote that the scenery just kept getting better as we sailed through the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. We detoured off the main channel to take a close look at El Brujo Glacier, turning this way and that to give a view from each part of the ship.
On both earlier cruises, experts on board provided commentary about the glaciers, peaks, waterway and sea life. Those descriptions of the transit fill a good part of my blog posts.
This time, we silently sailed along, only the noon position announced. I understand why we bypassed the advertised Cape Horn on Tuesday in order to get into Ushuaia early and claim threatened dock space. But on Friday, as we sailed north from Punta Arenas through the hundreds of islands of Chile’s coast, we had no glimpse or mention of El Brujo Glacier and its half-mile-wide foot that flows into the sea. In fact, we heard nothing during our promised day of “Scenic Cruising Amalia or Brujo Glacier,” and “Scenic Cruising Sarmiento Channel.”
Saturday brought clear skies and more stunning views of mountains soaring above low-hanging bands of fog. Sea lions sunned on nearby rocks.
Our overnight arrival in Ushuaia to claim pier space meant that I could weigh in the gym while the ship sat calmly at the pier on Wednesday morning. I’ve lost a little weight on the ship, as usual. I tend to gain back on land when I visit all my favorite Dallas restaurants. I guess it’s good I spend more time at sea.
A private tour entitled “Ushuaia – Through the Camera Lens” had caught my interest, as in the past, I’ve only walked the town’s main streets and their interesting mix of shops catering mainly to adventurous tourists.
We traveled to the other side of the harbor and up one of the mountains behind the city, where we could see our ship dwarfed by a Celebrity ship with three times the passengers.
On the far side of the harbor is a former prison and a commemoration to the Argentinean military who fought the British in the Falklands, known in Argentina as the Malvinas. Colorful lupins filled flower beds, and we learned that the tourist season carries through to Ushuaia’s winter, when professional skiers from the Northern Hemisphere follow the season to ski the fresh snow.
On Thursday a strong wind greeted us in Chile’s Punta Arenas, especially along the long pier to the small cruise terminal. Early risers noticed in the stiff breeze that the ship’s Chilean flag was raised upside down; an hour later we saw the error was corrected. I’ve learned to double check when I put each country’s flag outside my cabin door. Elaine makes it a habit to go up each morning in port to photograph the ship’s flags and pennants.
The temperatures rose to the 50s, but I was glad I had my fleece jacket and my all-weather coat to block the wind. As on previous stops, my main goal was to enjoy a cup of perhaps the world’s best hot chocolate at La Chocolatta. The small restaurant quickly filled with ship’s passengers as word spread quickly. (Dare I think my previous recommendations contributed?)
I left my sister and friends to continue exploring the shops and city streets while I returned to the Plaza Muñoz Gamero to sketch the statue commemorating Portuguese explorer (sailing for Spain) Ferdinand Magellan. He was the first European to navigate what later was named the Strait of Magellan. (Indigenous Americans have inhabited the area for at least 13,000 years.)
Magellan stands at the top of the statue, but tourists stop to touch or even kiss the toe of one of two indigenous figures, said to bring good luck and ensure a return trip.
Meanwhile, we continue to eat very well on the ship. A highlight was a special Pinnacle Grill dinner prepared by guest Argentenian Chef Fernanda Tabares.
We missed you by one day in Ushuaia. We are heading home after Antarctica on Seabourn.
Interesting about the missed commentary..,
How was the photography excursion? I have taken several some with mix results.
Jo, you always write from the heart, and it
makes it so much more enjoyable. Thank you.
Yet another great post Jo.
Very surprised at the lack of glacier momentary – especially on a grand cruise.
The photo of the two ships puts the size of the Volendam in perspective – thank goodness for HAL’s right-sized ships.
Loved the penguin mural – sorry we missed it last year!
The report brings back good memories of our stop in Ushuaia, we sailed through the Beagle Channel to the Pacific. We always put on weight on board, it’s a good thing we don’t take longer cruises, we’d need to shop for new cloths after a Grand or World cruise.