One of the busiest ports on the western coast of South America, the port of San Antonio is the gateway to Chile’s energetic capital city of Santiago. Famous for its ski resorts and cobblestoned plazas, Santiago is Chile’s cultural and political center nestled at the foot of the Andes in the Maipo River Valley. With a temperate Mediterranean climate and rich volcanic earth, the area is also emerging as a leading wine-growing region.

Puerto Montt is an urban oasis surrounded by the breathtaking volcanoes, glacial lakes, and parks for which the Chilean Lake District is known. As the region’s commercial hub, Puerto Montt offers the perfect blend of shopping, sightseeing, and history that elevates any South American cruise itinerary.

Start with a trip to the Angelmo Harbor Market to enjoy the ocean breeze and peruse stalls selling everything from freshly caught fish to rainbow-hued alpaca wool goods sure to keep you warm during those chilly days at sea. For a taste of local flavor, try cancato—a famous Chilean favorite dish made of fish, chorizo, tomato, and cheese. After your meal, take a boat across the Tenglo Channel to Tenglo Island, where you’ll be treated to fantastic views of Osorno—a snow-capped volcano known as one of the most active in all of the southern Chilean Andes.

South of Puerto Montt, surrounded by majestic fjords, Puerto Chacabuco looks more like Norway than Northwest Patagonia. The town’s history as an important fishing village still holds true today. And with a population of just 1,200, Azamara® guests can expect a truly immersive experience on shore.

Plunging waterfalls. Fathomless gorges. Dramatic coastlines. Puerto Chacabuco is your gateway to some of Chile’s most stunning natural wonders. Don’t miss the Río Simpson National Preserve: a protected park that boasts all three; plus, some of the best fly fishing in the world. A visit to Aiken del Sur Private Park promises the same, with an enchanting opportunity to get back to nature at serene Lake Riesco.

Perched on the western side of the Strait of Magellan, Punta Arenas has long been a European trading point and is now the most commercially crucial city in Patagonian Chile. A relaxed, diverse city rich with vibrant pioneering history, this welcoming port is equally popular as a gateway for adventures to Antarctica.

Perched on the western side of the Strait of Magellan, Punta Arenas has long been a European trading point and is now the most commercially crucial city in Patagonian Chile. A relaxed, diverse city rich with vibrant pioneering history, this welcoming port is equally popular as a gateway for adventures to Antarctica.

Surrounded on three sides by towering peaks, this former penal colony on banks of the Beagle Channel is spectacularly sited amidst waterfalls, glaciers, and beech forests, and marine life abounds offshore. This is the southern extreme of Tierra del Fuego, a national park with hiking trails and walking paths through thick forests, inhabited by native birds and beavers, where seals, sea lions, and sea birds can be found in abundance. The channel is named for HMS Beagle, which sailed these waters with a young Charles Darwin aboard. It was during that voyage that he began to formulate his theories of evolution.

Drifting through a world of bright white punctuated by implausibly blue icebergs, you may find the experience surreal. This frozen continent at the ends of the earth cannot sustain permanent inhabitants, but the part it plays in the earth’s weather and water levels is so crucial that 28 nations maintain research stations here. The peninsula sweeps up towards the tip of South America, and is the only part extending outside the Antarctic Circle. It provides many good habitats for penguin rookeries, and these beguiling birds return each year ready for a party, dressed in their best tuxedos. Several species of seal are in residence as well, including the enormous elephant seal.

Drifting through a world of bright white punctuated by implausibly blue icebergs, you may find the experience surreal. This frozen continent at the ends of the earth cannot sustain permanent inhabitants, but the part it plays in the earth’s weather and water levels is so crucial that 28 nations maintain research stations here. The peninsula sweeps up towards the tip of South America, and is the only part extending outside the Antarctic Circle. It provides many good habitats for penguin rookeries, and these beguiling birds return each year ready for a party, dressed in their best tuxedos. Several species of seal are in residence as well, including the enormous elephant seal.

Drifting through a world of bright white punctuated by implausibly blue icebergs, you may find the experience surreal. This frozen continent at the ends of the earth cannot sustain permanent inhabitants, but the part it plays in the earth’s weather and water levels is so crucial that 28 nations maintain research stations here. The peninsula sweeps up towards the tip of South America, and is the only part extending outside the Antarctic Circle. It provides many good habitats for penguin rookeries, and these beguiling birds return each year ready for a party, dressed in their best tuxedos. Several species of seal are in residence as well, including the enormous elephant seal.

This mountainous, ice-covered island off the coast of Antarctica was named for the elephant seals early explorers sighted on its shores. It is most famous as the refuge of Ernest Shackleton and his crew, following the loss of their ship Endurance. Twenty-eight exhausted men reached Elephant Island after a harrowing ordeal on drifting ice floes. Realizing there was no chance of rescue, Shackleton set out with five men on an 800-mile (1,287 km) voyage in an open lifeboat, heading for South Georgia, where he knew there was a whaling station. He returned four months later with a ship, and against all odds rescued everyone who had originally set out on the expedition.

These remote, windswept islands with a human population of about 3000, support half a million sheep, and as many as a million penguins during the summer nesting season, making it one of the world’s great penguin capitals. Five of the 17 species are represented – Rockhoppers, Magellenic, King, Gentoo, and Macaroni – and observing their antics is a most pleasurable pursuit. Get a glimpse of the lives of the Falklands’ human residents as well, and learn what it means to inhabit this far off corner of the earth.

Patagonia has one of most unique eco systems on the planet. Vast, windy, and devoid of trees, its stark, glacier-strewn landscape is rich in native flora and fauna. A wealth of marine life is easily seen around Puerto Madryn – along the shoreline are sea lion and penguin colonies, and elephant seals, their massive mature bulls weighing in at over three tons. Off the coast are breeding grounds for southern right whales, and an innovative group of orcas that have developed their own hunting strategy adapted to the coastal conditions. Inland are rheas, armadillos, and large herds of guanacos.

Montevideo exudes European charm and elegance, with broad boulevards, fountains, stately squares, and irresistible sidewalk cafes. The city maintains a low-key atmosphere despite its position as Uruguay’s commercial and political hub, and there are few skyscrapers on the horizon, though there are some surprising contrasts – an Art Nouveau pedestrian mall, Art Deco Centenary Stadium, and an American Embassy designed by I.M. Pei. Most of the nation’s countryside is farm or ranchland, and the life of the cowboy, or gaucho, is part of the local lore. Take a peak at the Gaucho Museum, or visit an estancia, and see them in action.

Montevideo exudes European charm and elegance, with broad boulevards, fountains, stately squares, and irresistible sidewalk cafes. The city maintains a low-key atmosphere despite its position as Uruguay’s commercial and political hub, and there are few skyscrapers on the horizon, though there are some surprising contrasts – an Art Nouveau pedestrian mall, Art Deco Centenary Stadium, and an American Embassy designed by I.M. Pei. Most of the nation’s countryside is farm or ranchland, and the life of the cowboy, or gaucho, is part of the local lore. Take a peak at the Gaucho Museum, or visit an estancia, and see them in action.

Welcome to elegant, cosmopolitan Buenos Aires, with its European colonial architecture and colorful mix of cultures. Each district has its own style: enjoy Palermo with its mansions and parks; shop in the chic boutiques of Soho and Hollywood; and soak up the Italian flavor of La Boca where tango dancers and artists display their talents for passersby. Then top it all off with an Argentine steak, perfectly grilled over a fire of glowing coals, and washed down with an excellent glass of Malbec.

Welcome to elegant, cosmopolitan Buenos Aires, with its European colonial architecture and colorful mix of cultures. Each district has its own style: enjoy Palermo with its mansions and parks; shop in the chic boutiques of Soho and Hollywood; and soak up the Italian flavor of La Boca where tango dancers and artists display their talents for passersby. Then top it all off with an Argentine steak, perfectly grilled over a fire of glowing coals, and washed down with an excellent glass of Malbec.