Ushuaia and Cape Horn on Viking Chilean Fjords cruise

This is one of a series of articles reviewing each day on the Viking South America and Chilean Fjords cruise that we took in January 2023. The introductory article can be found here. This installment takes us to Ushuaia (well, close to Ushuaia) and Cape Horn.

To say it was windy is an understatement!

But we sailed on towards Ushuaia on a clear day and all looked good for our excursions that day – a trip on the train that goes up into the mountains. We had a lovely view of some snowcapped mountains as we approached the port:

Snow covered mountains opposite Ushuaia as we approached the port

But the first sign of trouble was an announcement that a ship was still in our place at the dock and perhaps we would have to use the tenders. Time passed by and eventually we were told that although the ship had moved, it was much too windy to approach the dock, and we basically sat out the day in the bay. Time for a lovely lunch in the restaurant!

Lunch in the Restaurant in Ushuaia is about as close as we got to this destination

In the background you can see the Viking Polaris ship that was hit by a rogue wave on its way to Antarctica and unfortunately a passenger was killed in their cabin. You can still see the boarded-up area where the windows were smashed by the ocean:

Viking Polaris with the damaged windows from the freak wave that smashed through the glass

We could stroll about the ship and take in the views, and think about what might have been, but I must admit it was a disappointment.

Mountain peaks near Ushuaia seen from our floating observation deck!

And so later that beautiful sunny day, we started to steam out of Ushuaia towards the Cape Horn which we were due to circumnavigate the next morning.

Leaving Ushuaia on a sunny afternoon headed for Cape Horn. Prints available in my online store

The next morning, I was up on deck again ready for our adventure at Cape Horn. You could go out on the front of the boat on the 2nd level, but pretty much all the rest of the exit doors were locked because of the wind. Just a view over the side gives you an idea:

Rough seas off the ship as we approached Cape Horn

You can only imagine what it must have been like to pass this point in wooden sailing ships in the past! But somehow, the birds manage to fly against this wind – this is an Imperial Cormorant with very misty mountains in the distance behind it:

Imperial Cormorant or Shag flying near Cape Horn with misty mountains in the background. Prints available in my online gallery

The ship sails around the top of the island that includes Cape Horn and the jagged rocks emerging from the ocean give you a good idea of the conditions here:

Jagged rocks erupt from the surface of the ocean at Cape Horn

Many of the rocks here are covered with guano, and if you look very closely, all those small dots on the rocks are resting birds with some flying around above the raging seas:

Birds flying around a guano covered rock outcropping near Cape Horn

And, finally, we sail around Cape Horn itself on what was quite a nice sunny day! Certainly, the sun adds a lot to the grandeur of the place!

Sailing around Cape Horn at the southernmost position of our cruise

As we started to head east and away from the actual Cape, we did see the lighthouse and lightkeeper’s station that is still manned by a family that lives here for the duration of their tour.

Lighthouse keeper's home on the island of Cape Horn - a bit lonely I guess — Lighthouse keeper’s home on the island of Cape Horn – a bit lonely I guess

With that, we steamed off towards the Falkland Islands. The rest of that day, and the next, were spent at sea, so I did practice my bird photography skills a little (as well as the Trivia quizzes held each day). These two photos are of the Southern Giant Petrel. I always think the first one is a little like “Look, Ma, no hands…”