EXPLORER 17 Days in ANTARCTICA

Santiago is the capital of Chile, 90 minutes drive from its port Valparaiso. Santiago has easy access both to ski slopes just 50 km to the Andes, and beaches 100 km to the Pacific. Chile's steady economic growth has transformed Santiago into one of Latin America's most modern metropolitan areas, with dozens of shopping centers and impressive high-rises. Read more about Santiago (Valparaiso), Chile

Castro, situated on the east coast of Chiloe Island, sits on a bluff above its sheltered estuary and is the capital of the Chiloe Archipelago, in Chile. Castro is famous for its brightly painted traditional wooden stilt houses, so the greatest single attraction is simply walking down the streets and around the central Plaza de Armas. With its well-kept park that is surrounded by many shops and restaurants, it presents a great opportunity to absorb the local culture. Read more about Castro, Chile

Puerto Natales is a city in the mainland Chilean Patagonia, located 247 km NW of Punta Arenas. It is the capital of both the commune of the same name and Ultima Esperanza Province in the southernmost part of Chile. Off shore to the west are islands and fjords and the Southern Andes rising to 1700m. Read more about Puerto Natales, Chile

Puerto Williams is a Chilean port and naval base located on Isla Navarino facing the Beagle Channel. It lies 46 km E of Ushuaia on the opposite N side of the Chanel. With a population of a little over 2,000, including both naval personnel and civilians, Puerto Williams claims to be the southernmost city in the world (based on definition of ‘city’; its population is 2900). Read more about Puerto Williams, Chile

Cape Horn, the most southerly of the great capes is located on Isla Hornos in the Hermite Islands group at the southern end of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of South America. It marks the northern edge of the Drake Passage that separates South America and Antarctica. For many years it was a major milestone on the clipper route, by which sailing ships carried trade around the world. Read more about Cape Horn, Chile

Deception Island is an active volcano in the South Shetland Islands, off the Antarctic Peninsula, about 920 km south of Argentina. It is administered by the Antarctic Treaty System. The horse-shoe shaped island (diameter 12 km) has a large flooded caldera that opens to the sea through a narrow channel at Neptune’s Bellows, forming a natural sheltered harbour. Read more about Deception Island, Antarctica

Ushuaia, the world's southernmost city, is located on the Beagle Channel, where soaring mountains, ice-blue glaciers, and an historic lighthouse create an ideal backdrop. The capital of the Argentine province of Tierra del Fuego, it was first settled by British missionaries. During the first half of the 20th C the major building of the city was a prison, built by the Argentinian government for repeat offenders and serious criminals, as the subpolar oceanic climate made escape difficult. Read more about Ushuaia, Argentina