Torres Del Paine National Park, Chile
Frederic Guillemard is a Sales and Marketing Manager for Europe and Asia for one of our expedition cruise operator members, Chilean expedition cruising brand Cruceros Australis. Frederic and I caught up on why Chilean Fjords is a fantastic expedition cruising destination and everything you need to know about selling it to your clients.
Fred, tell me a little bit about Australis and your ships.
Cruceros Australis is a Chilean expedition cruise company that was launched in 1992. We operate expedition style cruises in Chilean Fjords, and we have two ships: the Ventus Australis and the Stella Australis. They have 100 cabins each and can accommodate just over 200 passengers. Ventus Australis was completed in 2018 whilst Stella Australis started sailing in 2010, so it is a quite modern fleet.
What makes Chilean Fjords a unique expedition cruising destination?
It’s a good question. Inside the Chilean Fjords, you only have nature: there are no cities, no roads, and no human population. We explore the glaciers, visit penguin colonies, and disembark in places where there is no one else. In fact, the only human beings you may see during the cruise is when we disembark at the Cape Horn where there is an officer living with his Chilean family. Chilean Fjords can only be accessed by ship, and it is an incredible experience because this part of the world remains relatively unchanged since the time Charles Darwin visited it almost 200 years ago.
What are the itineraries that you offer and when do they take place?
We operate our ships from September to April only. Our itineraries are short: a 4-night itinerary will depart from Punta Arenas in Chile and will arrive to Ushuaia in Argentina and vice versa. The itineraries are short because a lot of people combine our cruises with a visit to the Torres Del Paine Park, Perrito Moreno Glacier, El Calafate, a visit to Atacama Desert, Iguazu falls or other places in Chile and Argentina.
When is the peak period of Chilean Fjords season?
In terms of things to see and experience, the season offers relatively uniform trips except for the end of March-April departures as we will no longer see penguins on these trips. A lot of people like to travel in November and combine it with a visit to Puerto Madryn during the humpback whale migration. January and February are peak summer months in Latin America so a lot of people travel during this period. Sometimes, we have months that are very busy and others that are not, and it changes each year.
What kind of weather the clients can expect when they travel in Chilean Fjords?
Inside the fjord, it is never warm. The maximum temperature recorded in Punta Arenas was 23 degrees at the height of summer, but when we are close to the glacier the temperature could plummet to 4-5 degrees Celsius, it can also be windy or raining. We recommend our clients to bring good hiking shoes and warm, windproof, and waterproof clothes when they travel with us.
Who travels onboard Australis ships? Please tell me a little bit more about your clients.
Our clientele is very international, it is not unusual to count 20-25 different nationalities travelling on a single voyage. Saying this, after the pandemic we are seeing more US clients than before. Regarding the age of the clients, this varies too: we have some families and retired people sailing with us, with average age of the clients being 50-55 years old, not very high for expedition cruise sector.
Describe to me a typical day onboard Australis in Chilean Fjords.
On a normal day, we disembark for the first excursion just after the breakfast and we would typically spend 2-2,5 hours ashore. Once back onboard, we would have a short presentation followed by a lunch and then the second excursion of the day. In the evening, we offer lectures in up to six different languages related to the places we just visited. Then we have a dinner, and after that there is free time to relax, perhaps enjoy a drink at the bar.
Our expedition program involves working with a scientific foundation CEQUA (Centre of Quaternary Studies Fuego-Patagonia and Antarctica) and we have scientists onboard with us to explain us how to take the readings and measurements of various phenomena in the places we visit – due to the remoteness of the area, we help them collect the data on a regular basis that otherwise they would not be able to do. And it is very interesting, our expedition team and guests get very involved. We’ve done a lot of work with fauna and flora of the area and our ships are also equipped with underwater cameras that enable us to study the marine life and share the knowledge with our clients.
What makes Australis a unique expedition cruise operator in Chilean Fjords?
Photo courtesy of Cruceros Australis
We are the only Chilean company to operate in Chilean Fjords with Chilean Flag. This means that we have exclusive access to some of the sites we visit, and although Cape Horn has an international licence and can be visited by foreign flagged ships, we are the only ones who make a landing there twice a week, weather permitting. Our clients get to see the side of Chilean Fjords that others cannot offer.
All the people who work onboard our ships, including expedition team, are local to South of Chile and Patagonia, and are very passionate and knowledgeable about the area. This authentic connection to the place offers a unique experience of Chilean Fjords to our clients.
What should the travel agents do if they wish to start selling Chilean Fjords trips with you? What sales support do you offer?
We have an office in Barcelona so we are open during normal office hours for our UK and Europe based partners. Travel consultants can learn more about the company, ships, itineraries, and destination on a dedicated website called Australis Agent https://www.australisagent.com/ . Bookings can be made online, and we offer further support by providing various resources online.
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