Beagle Channel Catamaran Cruise: Explore Sea Lions & Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse

Beagle Channel and "Isla de Lobos" Catamaran Cruise Take a 2.5-hour cruise to admire rocky isles, glaciers, city landmarks and wildlife on the Beagle Channel, named in honor of Charles Darwin’s ship Beagle that traversed the gunmetal-gray waters in the 1830s. After hotel pickup, you will board a catamaran at Don Eduardo Arturo Brisighelli pier to begin your journey through the narrow strait dotted with the Tierra del Fuego islands.

As the boat heads east and hugs the coastline, you will enjoy views of Maritime Museum, housed in former prison buildings, and the End of the World Museum that specializes in the area’s natural and aboriginal history. You will learn from guided commentary on board about the infamous old prison, now displaying a replica of Darwin’s ship, and Ushuaia’s origins as a penal colony. Then, you will pass by the serrated snow-covered peaks of the Olivia and Cinco Hermanos (Five Brothers) mountains looming behind the city’s industrial area. Amid panoramas of water, sea and mountain, sail past the Tunnel and Fique Ranch, and the Encajonado River.

The boat approaches the tiny promontory of Les Eclaireurs lighthouse, a candy-striped beacon surrounded by colonies of rock shags. Perhaps under a sky brooding with clouds, learn about the SS Monte Cervantes that met its fateful end here in 1930, parts of which poke through the water’s surface. 

On the way back west, your catamaran quietly approaches the sea lions island, home to hundreds of sea lions, fur seals, and king cormorants that resemble small penguins. Delight in close-up views of the mammals as they grunt, bark, and maybe even jostle one another to claim territory.

You will continue to Bird Island, or Isla de los Pajaros, and you will observe up to 20 species of birds, including skuas, king cormorants, petrels, steamer ducks and giant albatrosses.

You will admire views of Martial Glacier as you sail through Paso Chico (Small Passage) to return to the pier in Ushuaia. From here, enjoy transport back to your hotel.