Journeys stopping off in Patagonia

Most travellers headed for the tip of South America are bound for Antarctica, but there’s a world of creaking glaciers, forests, snowy mountains and windswept towns to explore in Patagonia itself.

Short cruises between Ushuaia in Argentina and Punta Arenas in Chile pack in challenging hikes, waterfalls, glacier viewing, beachcombing and if wind conditions permit, a visit to Cape Horn, the southernmost tip of continental South America, blasted by winds and guarded by a solitary lighthouse. You’ll see thousands of Magellanic penguins, too, on Magdalena Island, near Punta Arenas.

Alternatively, expedition ships positioning to Antarctica for the austral summer often weave their way south via the Chilean fjords, a landscape of glittering blue lakes, narrow sea channels and towering, snow-capped volcanoes. Pick a longer voyage, say, from Valpariaiso, and you can take in the fjords, some of Patagonia and Antarctica in one bucket list trip.