January
Friday 28 Auckland – Santiago - Buenos Aries (Argentina) D
Depart Auckland on LAN Airline to arrive via Santiago in the Argentinean capital of Buenos Aries and transfer to your centrally-situated hotel for a two night stay.
Saturday 29 Buenos Aries B D
A morning sightseeing of the city including the city symbol – the Obelisk. See historical neighbourhoods La Boca, San Telmo and Montserrat alongside the elegance of Palermo and Recoleta. We also visit the commercial areas and the football stadium. Afternoon free. Evening dinner and a Tango show
Sunday 30 Buenos Aires – Iguassu B D
Transfer to the domestic airport for the flight to Iguassu. Transfer to the Sheraton Hotel in the National Park on the Argentina side. Visit the Upper Circuit – 800m of catwalks with a panoramic view of the falls. Dinner at the hotel
Monday 31 Iguassu B D
Depart from Cataratas Station for an 18 minute train journey to Garganta Station. A 1200m high catwalk takes you to the Devil’s Gorge with spectacular views.
Enter the jungle where a truck ride takes you to a motorboat ride through the Iguassu River Canyon to the falls. Sail to the ‘Tres Mosqueteros’ waterfall, the Devil’s Throat and the San Martin, the largest waterfall a boat can approach safely.
The Lower Circuit catwalk also provides a unique experience of feeling part of the natural surroundings.
An afternoon visit to Brazilian Falls where a panoramic bus tour precedes a walk that gives extensive views of the Iguassu River, the falls from the Brazilian side, the lower Iguassu River and the Devil’s Gorge Canyon.
Return to the hotel
February
Tuesday 01 Uguassu - Buenos Aires – Embark MV Discovery B D
A morning transfer to Iguassu airport for flight to Buenos Aries before transferring to the port to embark MV Discovery to follow part of the famous voyage of Darwin’s ship The Beagle. Sailing at 6pm
Wednesday 02 - 03 At Sea B L D
Two days to settle into shipboard life and enjoy the first of your guest speakers’ informative talks
Thursday 04 Puerto Madryn B L D
8am – 6pm
On the wild southeast coast of Patagonia, nature reigns supreme. Puerto Madryn is gateway to the UNESCO-recognised Nature Reserve of Peninsula Valdes. This area promises sea lions, elephant seals, Magellanic penguins, the indigenous llama-like guanacos, rheas and squadrons of shore birds. Follow in the footsteps of 150 settlers from Wales
Friday 05 At Sea B L D
A day cruising the South Atlantic Ocean.
Saturday 06 West Point (Falkland Islands) B L D
10:30am – 6:00pm
When Darwin arrived on the Beagle in 1833 he declared ‘the whole landscape had an air of extreme desolation.’ Tough yet beautiful, rugged yet full of character, boasting a great diversity of flora and fauna. West Point is home to the small Rock Hopper penguin. The skies above are filled with black-browed albatross revelling in wild South Atlantic winds
Sunday 07 Port Stanley (Falkland Islands) B L D
8am – 6pm
Sapper Hill, Mt William, Fitzroy, Port Pleasant, Wireless Ridge, Darwin and Goose Green - all names that paint a vivid picture of the 1982 conflict fought on these shores. Visit the battlefields or explore the capital, whose red phone boxes and English pubs are reminders of a British heritage. Britannia House Museum illustrates the glory days when square-rigged clippers sailed around Cape Horn and Stanley were centre-stage of a great seafaring era
Monday 08 At Sea B L D
Your guest speakers continue their fascinating talks during a day at sea
Tuesday 09 Ushuaia – Argentina B L D
8am – 7pm
Ushuaia – on its doorstep is Tierra del Fuego, the ‘Land of Fire’….and ice! A wilderness of rugged mountains, forests, glacial peaks and shimmering lakes is the backdrop for an ‘End of the World Train Ride.’ Follow Charles Darwin on a passage of the breathtaking Beagle Channel
Wednesday 10 Cape Horn B L D
Discovery cruises around Cape Horn.
Thursday 11 Chilean Fjords B L D
Today enjoy a kaleidoscope of cascading waterfalls, lush islands and glacier-capped mountains while cruising
Friday 12 Punta Arenas – Chile B L D
8am – 6pm
Punta Arenas – gateway to Patagonia and some of the world’s most spectacular scenery. Torres del Paine National Park promises lakes, waterfalls, glaciers, forests and wildlife. Nature lovers will experience a close-up encounter with Magellan penguins at Otway Sound. Meet Chile’s ‘baqueanos’ – expert sheep shearers from the Patagonian pampas.
A simply breathtaking overland tour to Puerto Montt is possible from Punta Arenas
OPTIONAL – GRAND PATAGONIA
Four night overland tour from Punto Arenas to Puerto Montt
The heart of Chilean Patagonia is an area of diverse and outstanding landscapes.
Meet the ‘huasos’ cowboys on the slopes of scenic Palomares Mountains; travel the Torres del Paine National Park to see one of the world’s largest glaciers and Laguna Amarga with its flamingo colony.
Stay in Punta Arenas, fly to Puerto Montt and stay at Lake Llanquihue in the Lake District before rejoining MV Discovery in Puerto Motte
Share Twin $2,605 per person
Saturday 13 - 14 At Sea B L D
Two days cruising waters charted by Fitzroy on the second voyage of HMS Beagle
Sunday 15 Puerto Chacabuco B L D
7am – 1pm
Home to a spectacular wilderness of fjords, hanging glaciers and snow-covered Andean peaks, the Chilean archipelago is where waterfalls tumble over steep canyon walls, and hundreds of bird species flock to play and feed. Puerto Chacabuco is a window on wildlife and nature
Monday 16 Puerto Montt B L D
9am – 6pm
Hundreds of picturesque lakes, snow-capped peaks and dozens of active volcanoes present a stunning canvas upon which charming towns and quaint villages lend an almost Alpine air to Chile’s Lake District
Tuesday 17 At Sea B L D
Enjoy your guest speaker who talks as you cruise the area where, in March 1835 after seismic activity, Darwin endorsed Charles Lyell’s ‘Principals of Geology’
Wednesday 18 Valparaiso B L D
Arrive 1pm
Arrive in Valparaiso mid morning. A rich labyrinth of brightly-coloured houses clinging to impossibly steep cliffs, bisected by twisting footpaths, stairways and a unique system of funicular cars. Prepare to disembark tomorrow
Thursday 19 Valparaiso – Santiago B L
After breakfast disembark MV Discovery when you will be met by a local guide and transfer by coach to the capital of Chile – Santiago. Enjoy a city tour of the highlights. The tour will include lunch at a renowned seafood restaurant situated in the centre of the Central Market - a destination in itself! The city tour continues after lunch. Transfer to the airport for your late evening flight. The LAN lounge will be available to you. Depart Santiago on LAN Chile
Saturday 21 Auckland
Arrive Auckland as the sun rises