Antarctica & Patagonia Expedition

Valparaíso is Chile's UNESCO-listed port city of 42 painted hills, Victorian funicular railways, and one of the world's most spectacular street art scenes, where Pablo Neruda built his hill-top home La Sebastiana. Must-dos include riding the historic ascensores, touring Neruda's house, and feasting on Humboldt Current seafood. October through March offers the warmest, driest weather.

Castro, Chile, delivers South America's irresistible combination of dramatic landscapes, vibrant culture, and extraordinary biodiversity. Essential experiences include exploring local markets, tasting the distinctive regional cuisine, and venturing into the surrounding natural environments. Best visited November through February, when the austral summer brings the longest days and mildest conditions. Cruise lines including Azamara feature this port on their most compelling itineraries. Whether you have a few hours or a full day, the port rewards exploration at every pace and in every direction.

The Chilean Fjords are a 1,600-kilometer wilderness of glaciers, temperate rainforest, and channels along Patagonia's coast, where tidewater glaciers calve into jade-green waters and Magellanic penguins, condors, and dolphins thrive in one of Earth's last great frontiers. Must-dos include glacier viewing, wildlife observation from the deck, and transiting the Beagle Channel. December through February offers the longest days and mildest conditions in this notoriously unpredictable climate.

Caleta Tortel is a unique Patagonian village built entirely on elevated wooden walkways through temperate rainforest at the mouth of Chile's Baker River, with no conventional streets. Must-dos include strolling the seven kilometres of cypress boardwalks, taking a boat excursion to the Jorge Montt Glacier, and tasting fresh centolla king crab. November through March offers the best conditions, though rain gear is essential in this gloriously wet corner of Patagonia.

The Chilean Fjords are a 1,600-kilometer wilderness of glaciers, temperate rainforest, and channels along Patagonia's coast, where tidewater glaciers calve into jade-green waters and Magellanic penguins, condors, and dolphins thrive in one of Earth's last great frontiers. Must-dos include glacier viewing, wildlife observation from the deck, and transiting the Beagle Channel. December through February offers the longest days and mildest conditions in this notoriously unpredictable climate.

The Chilean Fjords are a 1,600-kilometer wilderness of glaciers, temperate rainforest, and channels along Patagonia's coast, where tidewater glaciers calve into jade-green waters and Magellanic penguins, condors, and dolphins thrive in one of Earth's last great frontiers. Must-dos include glacier viewing, wildlife observation from the deck, and transiting the Beagle Channel. December through February offers the longest days and mildest conditions in this notoriously unpredictable climate.

The Antarctic Peninsula, that dramatic arc of rock and ice reaching toward South America, remains one of Earth's last true wildernesses — governed by international treaty and unchanged since the heroic age of Shackleton and Amundsen. Towering glaciers calve icebergs the size of cathedrals into mirror-calm fjords; colonies of hundreds of thousands of penguins line volcanic black-sand beaches; humpback whales breach at improbable distances from Zodiac boats. November through March is the expedition season, with peak wildlife encounters from December to February. A voyage here is not merely travel — it is a transformation, a reckoning with scale and silence that stays with you for life.

The Antarctic Peninsula, that dramatic arc of rock and ice reaching toward South America, remains one of Earth's last true wildernesses — governed by international treaty and unchanged since the heroic age of Shackleton and Amundsen. Towering glaciers calve icebergs the size of cathedrals into mirror-calm fjords; colonies of hundreds of thousands of penguins line volcanic black-sand beaches; humpback whales breach at improbable distances from Zodiac boats. November through March is the expedition season, with peak wildlife encounters from December to February. A voyage here is not merely travel — it is a transformation, a reckoning with scale and silence that stays with you for life.

Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, is a captivating blend of history, vibrant culture, and natural beauty, making it a unique port of call in Argentina. Must-do experiences include savoring local delicacies like centolla and exploring the breathtaking landscapes of nearby Los Glaciares National Park. The best time to visit is during the summer months of December to March, when the weather is mild, and the scenery is at its most stunning.

Twice-founded and once the wealthiest city in Latin America, Buenos Aires seduces with the world-class acoustics of the Teatro Colón, the ritual theatre of a wood-fire asado at a San Telmo parrilla, and the cobblestoned milongas where tango was born and where it burns still. Cross the estuary to UNESCO-listed Colonia del Sacramento or head south toward the glaciers of Patagonia. As South America's premier cruise hub for Antarctic expeditions and round-the-continent voyages, the city is most inviting from November through March.