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Tourist Places - Skorpios III
Pio XI Glacier.
The Pio XI Glacier is located in the North section of the Southern Ice Fields, at the end of the Eyre Inlet. This glacier is the largest glacier in the southern hemisphere, with a surface of 1,242 kms that transforms it into a true colossal of ice. It front is approximately 6 kms wide, its ice towers reach higher than 75 meters and it has a length of 60 kms. It is one of the few glaciers that are found in its maximum neo-glacial position. It has registered advances of up to 10 kilometers during recent years.
The antiquity of the Pio XI Glacier is millenary; it originates in the Southern Ice Fields and has a surface of 13,000 km2 and an extension over the Andes Mountains of more than 35 kilometers. Pio XI is one of the 48 glaciers that originates from this Ice Field. It is here that the M/N Skorpios III closes in on the glacier, navigating through the different sizes and shapes of ice floes, whose colorful ices of blue, light blue and white profoundly impress the visitor.
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 The Amalia and Calvo Fjord Glacier
The Amalia Glacier.
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Following along the Peel Inlet, we find the Amalia Glacier, situated in the central section of the Ice Fields, its long silhouette appears to be hanging between the peaks of the mountains, to see it is an awesome spectacle, its ice towers, and its colors contrasting with the surroundings, create emotions in all spectators. This glacier is one of the 48 glaciers that composes the Southern Ice Fields, which are considered to be the third largest reserve of fresh water in the world. The Amalia Glacier has a width of approximately 1 kilometer and a height of 40 meters. Its mass of ice is supplied, for the major part, by the intense snowstorms that occur almost throughout the entire year. In this paradise of natural beauty, the M/N Skorpios III sails in close to the face of the glacier and then moves from the south to the north so the passengers can enjoy the entirety of the glaciers spectacular white splendor.
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| The Calvo Fjord Glacier |
We furrow through of the Peel Fjord so as to enter the Calvo Fjord, where we visit six glaciers that seed these quiet waters with colorful and multi-shaped ice floes, through which we take a pleasant excursion in motorboats and have a toast with our tradition of whisky on millennium old glacial ice. The navigation amongst the icebergs is a unique Antarctic phenomenon that is difficult to forget. The motorboats move through this paradise, taking time to visit each “ice sculpture”, so that the tourists can take pictures and if possible even touch the icebergs.
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 Cities and Villages
Cities and Villages.
In the Magallanes region, the tourist has the possibility of knowing ancient, and new, Cities and Villages; to visit them is to remember the past. Exploring their streets and places of interest is very agreeable. In the Kaweskar Explorers Route visitors have the possibility of becoming acquainted with Punta Arenas, Puerto Natales and Puerto Eden, besides this there are small villages that also are worthy of taking advantage of as you visit this area. For example, take the opportunity to visit Porvenir, El Turbio, Usuahia, Calafate, as well as many other Argentinean Cities in this zone
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Punta Arenas:
Punta Arenas, with a population of 140,000 is capital of the Magallanes region, an urban center that is located on the shores of the Straits of Magallanes, in the Brunswick Peninsula, at approximately 53º - 54º latitude south. Formerly this city was called Punta Arenosa, which literally translated means “Sandy Point”, due to the fact that J. Byron discovered it in XVII. It is situated 2,500 kms to the south of Santiago. Punta Arenas was founded as a military fort in 1849 to reinforce Chile’s intentions to gain sovereignty over the Straits of Magellan.
Punta Arenas was constructed as a supply post for ships before the inauguration of the Panama Canal. In 1927 it was renamed Magallanes, however in 1938 the city returned to its original name.
Punta Arenas has a great historical and cultural past. Originally it was inhabited by European Colonists that arrived in these territories looking for new horizons, it was these early settles that developed the limber and agricultural industries, its traditional antique homes, many of them national monuments, give graphic account of the successful past. Today it is the doorway to the austral Patagonia of Chile. It possesses all of the required infrastructures of larger cities, such as: Hotels, restaurants, international airport, commercial centers and all the necessary services for tourist reception.
Puerto Natales:
This is the capital of the Province of the Last Hope. Founded in 1911, it is situated at the top of a small hill that has a slight incline. Puerto Natales, 247 kms north-east of Punta Arenas, can be reached by vehicle or modern buses, it is at sea level on the shores of the Señoret Canal and in front of the the Patagonian Los Andes Mountain.
It is the Port of entrance to beautiful natural landscapes such as the worldwide known Torres del Paine National Park and the Cave of Milodon Natural Monument. From the slight incline on which it is situated one can see the Riesco Mountains, the Macizo Paine and the wind blown Southern Ice Fields.
Puerto Natales has a population of 15,500, being connected to Argentina via the Turbio River, a coal-mining city in which work the majority of the Puerto Natales population.
Besides its attractions that have already been mentioned is: the Casino of Games of Puerto Natales, the Municipal Museum, and the Town Square where an antique train engine is found, a steam locomotor that was used in the Bories Industrial Plant, which worked with the production of the cattle ranches of that epoch of splendor for the Agricultural Society of the Tierra del Fuego, the principal hacienda of that time.
The magnificent territory that surrounds the city is dominated by cattle ranches and the immediate areas by acreages and small irrigated parcels of land that are used to produce vegetables and other products, all of which have the quality of having been produced in an organic manner.
There is a good tourist infrastructure, which boasts Cafe Restaurants, the most southerly Casino in the world, small and picturesque commercial establishments, a historical museum and Travel Agencies that offer a wide panorama of tours that the tourist should not miss. Furthermore the visitor has at their disposal an attractive choice of places to stay, from large hotels to small B & B residences that offer personalized attention.
Puerto Edén:
Situated on the Island of Wellington, it is the last habited place on the maritime route between Puerto Montt and Puerto Natales, by way of the Messier Canal.
The first inhabitants of this area were native tribes, the Kaweskar and Alacalufes. Currently the last living members of this ethnic group, which are at the point of extinction, still live here. The first white men, from the Chilean Navy, arrived in this area in 1930 using it as a re-supply point for the seaplanes that fly between Chamiza, Puerto Mont and Punta Arenas.
It is accessible only by water; there is no airport and no overland routes. It is located at 49º 07’ 34” south and 74º 25’ 01” west on the Island of Wellington, a Pacific archipelago. It is a strategic point for access to the Southern Ice Fields.
It has a population of 284 and pertains to the Magellan and Chilean Antarctic Regions, whose capital is Punta Arenas. This area is part of the Natales community.
It has a temperate, cold, rainy climate, with precipitation of ?????? mm and temperatures between 12º and –4º C.
The principal economic activity is fishing, the extraction of mussels and public administration. It is located some 2,075 kms from Santiago. |
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Skorpios Routes |
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