Cruise: Ushuaia to Punta Arenas via Cape Horn

We've never taken a cruise before but when we found a last minute deal on a cruise from Ushuaia back to Punta Arenas and stop at Cape Horn we couldn't pass it up.  It wasn't Antarctica, but we still got to visit really unique places and enjoy a little R&R.  This was the most expensive 4 days of our trip.  Yes, it was luxurious (by backpacking standards).  Yes, the food was amazing (we ate back everything we'd lost while trekking and then some). Totally worth it.

Our ship at the dock in Ushuaia

Our room- it was huge! 

Overnight we sailed down the Beagle Channel , into Chile, and woke up at Cape Horn!
This is the northeast side of the island.

Zodiacs ferrying passengers from the ship.

Tony at 56' S

Saddle to the Albatross monument.  

Albatross monument to the sailors who have died trying to sail around Cape Horn. 

Dog looking out to sea.
There is a family that lives at the lighthouse on the island (a Chilean Naval station). 

Looking south toward the Drake Passage and Antarctica!  Here the Southern Ocean flows around the globe unimpeded by land.
At 56 degrees south this is about as far south as you can get before Antarctica (to compare, the southernmost point of New Zealand is 47'S and Africa ends at only 35'S).   

Lighthouse.  Imagine living here!

Sunrise and other islands to the east.

After Cape Horn, we sailed through several channels, including the Magdalena and Cockburn Channels before connecting up with the Strait of Magellan.  Here are the picks from some of our other stops:

Wulaia Bay- Charles Darwin and Fitzroy stopped here for a few months on their famous voyage.  It was also the home to a large group of the indigenous Yamana people.
This is actually the "back" side of Isla Navarino. 

Charles Darwin house

Southern beech trees

More beavers!

This tree must have been 4 feet across!

Tony looking over the bay.  The bay was full of dolphins that came right up the the zodiac boats- super neat!

The next day we sailed through Alberto de Augostini National Park and visited the Auila Glacier.

Ah Patagonia...mistly clouds, waterfalls, and glaciers...

Aguila glacier

Front of the glacier.  We walked right up to it but it was raining pretty heavily so this is the last pic.

View off the back of the boat.

Tony on an "iceberg."

Cormorants taking off into the sunrise on the last morning of the cruise before we arrived in Punta Arenas.