MS Europa Departures by Date

MS Europa Departures

Nature - Festive Season in South America - Buenos Aires to Valparaiso
MS Europa - December 20, 2012 - January 5, 2013

5% early booking discount if booked before May 22, 2012!

At the tip of America, nature has been very creative - gigantic elephant seals watch over their harem, guanacos and rheas roam the vast expanses of Patagonia, and the Andean condor circles above the picturesque Torres del Paine National Park. Huge glaciers on the Chilean coast are calving right into the sea, and places such as Cape Horn augur an encounter with rough seafaring history. What a setting for your Christmas season and ringing in the New Year.

Highlights of this Cruise
• UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site: the Valdes Peninsula
• Cape Horn
• Cruising through the Chilean fjords
• Christmas and New Year's Eve gala on board

* These arrangements are not included in the cruise price.  Subject to changes.

Buenos Aires/Argentina
Travel to South America a little earlier and partake in the pre-cruise programme* Buenos Aires and The Land of the Gauchos.

Montevideo/Uruguay
On the banks of the Rio de la Plata lies Uruguay's capital city with its small, picturesque historic district. The monument for the freedom fighter José Gervasio Artigas, whose final resting place is in the mausoleum underneath it, towers on the Plaza Independencia. Watch the bustle of activity along Avenida 18 de Julio which accommodates the city's enormous congress building, and marvel at the pretty cathedral on the Plaza Constitucion - another destination of your sightseeing tour*

Puerto Madryn/Argentina
It was Welsh immigrants who founded the nowadays popular seaside resort on the shore of the Golfo Nuevo in 1865. Not at all far from here, the Valdés* Peninsula protrudes into the sea - a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site with a fantastic animal kingdom. Greater rheas and guanacos roam the barren pampa, and the coasts are home to whole colonies of birds, elephant seals and penguins. Sea lions and cormorants live on Punta Loma*, an island just off the coast which you will approach by boat for exciting animal observations.

Cape Horn/Chile
The EUROPA reaches the tip of South America early in the morning. The black cliffs of the notorious Cape are to be found on the Isla de Hornos, which belongs to a small group of uninhabited islands. Weather permitting, you will explore this famous region by Zodiac today.

Ushuaia/Argentina
The natives called this spot of land "the bay facing the sunrise", and the name of the city has remained unchanged to the present day. Ushuaia lies right on the banks of the Beagle Channel, and a sightseeing flight* over the town and its surroundings offers you fantastic views of the Chilean landscape. Alternatively, you could take the train to the end of the world* - between snow-capped mountains and the coast lies Tierra del Fuego National Park, protecting Argentina's southernmost subantarctic forests. On a hike in the national park*, you can encounter the region's spectacular nature at close range by walking across the turf- and bogland. In the afternoon, the EUROPA reaches the unique landscape of the Chilean fjords.

Punta Arenas/Chile
Across from the island Tierra del Fuego lies your gateway to one of the most magnificent landscapes in South America - Torres del Paine National Park* with its glittering lakes, the tundra, the forests and jagged mountains. With a little luck, you will see guanacos and greater rheas roam the Patagonian steppe and the Andean condor circling in the sky. Fort Bulnes* is the reconstruction of the first fort in the south of Chile established in the year 1843. The Estancia Rio de los Ciervos* also dates back to the time of the pioneers and grants insights into life during that era.

Pio XI Glacier (Seno Eyre)/Chile
What a sight - approach the largest South American glacier by Zodiac and revel in its majestic blue and white glory. Impressive, creaking and cracking, the 5 km wide ice giant moves by about 2 m per day.

Castro/Chiloé/Chile
The fishermen's houses on stilts idyllically line the shore of hospitable Castro. The capital of the island is one of the oldest settlements in Chile and ideal territory for setting out on your own. Some of the old wooden churches in the city have been designated UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites.

Puerto Montt/Chile
Its peak covered in snow, the volcano Osorno towers over the Lago Llanquihue, which it once separated from the emerald lake Lago Todos los Santos with its lava. In between, the Petrohue Waterfalls plunge to the depths, adding another attraction to the beauty of the Chilean Lake District*. A landscape that is no less impressive from a bird's eye view - join the flight over volcanoes and lakes*.

Ancud/Chiloé/Chile
At the pier, the fishermen are selling the catch of the day, at the market, fruit, vegetables and thick jumpers are offered for sale, and at the museum, a wooden ship bears witness to the region's history - enjoy your stay in the lively port town. Its old Spanish fort dating back to the year 1770 is also well worth a visit.

Valparaiso/Chile
Today, you will leave the EUROPA and fly back to Germany - or you could stay a little longer and enjoy the post-cruise programme* Santiago and Chilean Wines.

5% early booking discount if booked before May 22, 2012! ²