After long days of anticipation, preparation, and airplane travel, it was great to begin our first full day of exploration and expedition aboard National Geographic Resolution. We have left Punta Arenas, Chile and travelled overnight to Seno Almirantazgo, a deep embayment on the west side of Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, the largest island of the southern tip of South America. The island is remote and largely empty of the imprint of civilization. We were able to explore the beaches, flats, and forests left after the ice sheets retreated 20,000 years ago.
3/14/2023
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National Geographic Resolution
Seno Agostini
We woke to a moody smattering of mist and rain that flowed over the glaciers of the fjord in Seno Agostini, named after Alberto de Agostini, an Italian priest who explored this land in the early 1900s. The priest contributed to the knowledge of the Indigenous peoples of the region. The day began with kayaking or Zodiac cruising in the fjord, the sides of which are lined with beautiful nothofagus forest and impressive glaciers. Kayakers and those on Zodiac cruises enjoyed the wonderful Patagonian scenery before the Patagonian Plunge, which saw a group of brave souls leaping into waters that were a chilly 7° Celsius. The afternoon saw us ship cruising through the spectacular Gabriel Channel, a thin channel lined on both sides with nothofagus forest and beautiful bird life. Condors sawed above the mountains as we traversed the thin channel, and glaciers poured freezing cold katabatic winds down towards the ship. The day ended with recap and dinner. It was a perfect day in Patagonia.
