Reader Essential Experience of the Week

Sailing Through South America's Fjords
Chilean Fjords, Chile
Posted by Andrew Vallis
April 5, 2011

As dawn broke we entered the Trinidad Canal and started our transit through the Chilean Fjords. For those who awoke in the early hours of the morning to view the splendid sights of the glaciers we were greeted with a fresh, icy cold morning that numbed the face and fingers.

Andrew with a stunning fjord backdrop.

Regardless of the temperature we were in awe of the sheer beauty and magnificence of the Chilean Fjords. We were informed by our port lecturer that the glaciers use to run all the way to the edge of the waterline but over the years it was slowly melting. I could only imagine what it must have looked back then in all its glory. I felt suddenly sad at the thought that eventually it would keep receding and what will it look like in ten years time. I was so glad I was on this journey to this part of the world. As the sun broke through the clouds it illuminated the blue colour of the glaciers. It was a sight to behold and all thought of the cold air vanished.

As the Star Princess, which is quite a large ship, gracefully glided through the still, narrow waters of the fjords I was thrilled at how close we were to the glaciers. You could see chunks of broken pieces of ice from the glaciers scattered around the ground and some floating at the water’s edge. In some parts dark clouds hovered above the mountains which made for a more dramatic effect. In other areas rays of morning sunlight broke through the clouds and illuminated the ice. Some glaciers looked liked cascading waterfalls, with a deeper hue of blue at its base and snow white at the upper part.

The glacial ice looked like cascading waterfalls.

The icy chill of the air was punctuated with the clicks of cameras with people not wanting to miss a single moment. Luckily we all have digital cameras with a large memory capacity! Every image was worth capturing as who knows when we would ever pass this way again and if we did what changes there might be in the future.

As we listened to the commentary on the glaciers you couldn’t help but wonder what it was like when explorers first came through the Chilean Fjords and set eyes on this landscape. How they managed to navigate their way through the various canals without the modern day luxuries. The cold temperatures they experienced without any means of keeping warm apart from their clothing. It gave me an appreciation of modern day technology as I could easily go and get a hot cup of coffee from the nearest eatery.

During the next few hours the ship made its way through the various canals such as Canal Concepcion, Pitt, Esteban and Castro. The waterways were surprisingly narrow. As I stood up on the top deck, which gave me an uninterrupted view of the scenery ahead, it almost felt, at times, that we were heading straight for the shoreline but the ship slowly made the turn with ease and continued to meander its way through the narrow canals – the captain and the Chilean pilots had everything under control!

Everyone was in awe of the sheer beauty and magnificence of the scenery.

As someone who comes from Perth, Australia, which is about as far away as you can get and which is one of the most isolated cities in the world, the scenery around me was breathtaking. Each glacier had its own uniqueness. When we left Perth we were experiencing very hot summer days, I was savouring the cold temperatures and scenic beauty of this landscape – it was worth the long plane trip!

Later in the day we would be leaving the glaciers of the Chilean fjords behind us as we  head back out into the Pacific Ocean heading for our next destination, Punta Arenas and land! For now I was hoping the time would go by as slowly as possible.

Can the start of any morning get better than this?

No!!

Andrew was thrilled at how close the ship sailed to the glaciers.

The ship glided gracefully through the still, narrow waters of the fjords.

See cruises that visit this destination

23 Comments

Post a Comment
  1. Pingback: click

  2. pas cher louis vuitton says... May 21, 2013 | 4:34pm

    Andrew Vallis | Princess Cruises pas cher louis vuitton

  3. Pingback: cheap jordans

  4. ecommerce web design says... May 21, 2013 | 7:34am

    [...]below you will discover the link to some websites that we feel you need to visit[...]

  5. Pingback: HcKCgpPQ

  6. Pingback: GxgZMeRO

  7. 相棒 激安 says... May 21, 2013 | 1:23am

    Nice blog here! Also your site loads up fast! What host are you using? Can I get your affiliate link to your host? I wish my site loaded up as quickly as yours lol 相棒 激安

  8. キャロウェイ legacy says... May 20, 2013 | 9:41pm

    Of course, what a splendid blog and instructive posts, I definitely will bookmark your website.Best Regards! キャロウェイ legacy

  9. Pingback: review

  10. oakley メガネ says... May 20, 2013 | 10:25am

    I simply couldn’t go away your site prior to suggesting that I actually enjoyed the usual information an individual provide in your visitors? Is going to be again continuously in order to inspect new posts oakley メガネ

  11. jordan shoes for sale says... May 20, 2013 | 9:12am

    For me, this balance has worked extremely well, and Ive loved running in the Mirage three. [url=http://jordanretroshoesonsale.webs.com/]jordan shoes for sale[/url] jordan shoes for sale

  12. cheap jordan shoes for sale says... May 20, 2013 | 9:11am

    To attain the further flexibility, Saucony added a groove along the outsole, bringing the total number from three to four, by decreasing the size and making the grooves deeper than within the Mirage 2. [url=http://www.shopyourretroshoes.com/]cheap jordan shoes for sale[/url] cheap jordan shoes for sale

  13. louis vuitton bags outlet says... May 20, 2013 | 9:10am

    In general, the upper performed really effectively, and I loved the smooth, snug feel. [url=http://newportbeachdining.com/food-for-thought/html_page.htm]louis vuitton bags outlet[/url] louis vuitton bags outlet

  14. Elden Daoust says... May 20, 2013 | 6:30am

    I SAY NUKE THEM !!!

  15. Pingback: игра престолов

  16. Pingback: Christian Louboutin Replica Heels

  17. Pingback: cup brown

  18. Pingback: da vinci prostatectomy

  19. Pingback: read more

  20. Pingback: dentist houston tx

  21. Peter Burleigh says... May 17, 2013 | 2:33am

    Hello I am so happy I found your blog page, I really found you by error, while I was searching on Bing for something else, Regardless I am here now and would just like to say thank you for a fantastic post and a all round exciting blog (I also love the theme/design), I don抰 have time to look over it all at the minute but I have saved it and also added in your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read a great deal more, Please do keep up the fantastic work.

  22. Pingback: Natural Seo

  23. Hillview New Launch says... May 16, 2013 | 12:24pm

    Grateful for this excellent piece on a area which I’m deeply enthralled. Can I enquire if there are revisions coming up? I should set a reminder here on this wonderful site for refresh. Belgravia Villas Discount

  24. Pingback: Just some thoughts on my site

  25. Pingback: My blog

  26. Pingback: external link

  27. Pingback: New Launch near Sengkang MRT

  28. Pingback: BLACKDEVER - REVOLUÇÃO NO MARKETING MULTINIVEL

  29. Pingback: Jean Monte

  30. Pingback: Canada web design, Toronto web design, Web hosting

  31. Pingback: Plotso Bigmano

  32. Pingback: breast actives scam

  33. Jerry Cluff (Ms.) says... November 19, 2012 | 3:55am

    We took the Star Princess cruise from San Francisco to Rio de Janerio–32 day cruise
    which was fabulous. We went white water rafting in Chile which was fantastic. Our
    cruise left in November and we found the weather to be wonderful. We were fortunate
    as the cruise prior to ours coming around the “horn” did not have great weather we were
    told.

    We highly recommend the South American cruise and if you can take the 32 day cruise
    from San Francisco, you wont be disappointed on the Star Princess.

  34. Marilyn says... July 8, 2011 | 10:25pm

    Andrew, we are booked for December 24, 2011 on the trip from Brazil to Chile, we have a balcony and want to know which side of the ship is the best to enjoy the Fjords? Thanks for sharing :)

    • Andrew Vallis says... July 29, 2011 | 12:17am

      Hi Marilyn,
      What a good question! The left side of the ship (port side) is the best for the views as it has the most spectacular views of all the glaciers over a three hour period when you are sailing through the fjords. You are so lucky to have a balcony. Order room service for breakfast so you don’t miss a moment.
      Have a great time!
      Regards
      Andrew

    • Andrew Vallis says... July 29, 2011 | 12:21am

      Hi Marilyn,
      I forgot, we did it from Chile to Brazil, so I assume it will be the opposite of what I said for the best views. I hope this helps.
      Andrew

  35. Barbara Riley says... May 15, 2011 | 4:12am

    We are booked for January 4th 2012 on Star Princess and are very excited about it. Thank you Andrew, now we are really very very excited. We will make sure we have a warm coat each and hats and gloves.

    • Andrew Vallis says... July 29, 2011 | 12:23am

      Hi Barbara,
      You are going to have an absolutely great time on this trip.
      Regards
      Andrew

  36. Trish says... April 8, 2011 | 11:29pm

    Sounds like it was a great trip! The way you describe it, it’s almost as good as being there. The photographs are awesome and your not so bad looking yourself! ;)

  37. Princess Cruises says... April 6, 2011 | 9:41am

    Thanks you, Andrew, for sharing your story and great photos!

  38. Rita says... April 5, 2011 | 3:53pm

    That sure was a marvellous holiday and has made our mind up as to where we must visit next. We have been with princess cruises twice, going to the carribean and Hawwi and Las Vegas and can certainly recommend the ship.

  39. barbara mangerpan says... April 5, 2011 | 2:31pm

    which cruise takes you to the Chilean fjords? I’ve not sailed on Princess yet, but all the comments I’ve read make me want to try one.

    • Andrew Vallis says... April 5, 2011 | 5:10pm

      Hi Barbara,
      A cruise that leaves from Valparisio, Chile would cover the Chilean Fjords. Check with Princess. It’s one of the best cruises ever!

  40. David & Val Stead says... April 5, 2011 | 8:58am

    Absolutely right..a great way to start a day…and just part of a fantastic cruise (adventure!)

    Also watching Charlie Chaplin in The Gold Rush on the deck movie screen was most apt and made for a quirky photo as we glided past the breathtaking scenery.

    Star Princess Feb/March 2011

Post a Comment

Comment