Stella Australis in early March
 

We are going on the Stella Australis in early March. Can you please advise regarding recommended clothing and other useful tips regarding this cruise?
Thank you in advanced.
Mali

You're very lucky Mali! Stella Australis is one of the best way to enjoy stunning views and discover the unique flora of Southern Patagonia: native forests, exotic flowers, amazing glaciers, etc. You will also appreciate the wonderful and typical Fauna as you will come across colonies of sea lions, elephant seals, cormorans, southern dolphins and the largest (150,000) penguin colonies in the Southern Hemisphere! But you're probably already aware about that ;-)

Concerning the weather in southern Patagonia, note that is is very changeable and unpredictable, you should be prepared for four seasons in one day. Having said this, you are actually not at an extreme latitude – Cape Horn is on a roughly the equivalent latitude to Edinburgh. Meanwhile, be careful of the Austral Sun when doing outdoor activities, you need to protect yourself with sunblock, a long-sleeved shirt, a wide-brimmed hat, and sunglasses.

Just returned from a voyage on the sister ship Via. We did the 4 night from PA to Ushuaia. Yes everything PuraAventura said above, though 150,000 penguins is a stretch (couple thou perhaps). They did turn the ship nearly around to view humpback whales. The company is very good about giving information as to what to bring (or your agent should),it is also on their website. I am always amazed as to how many people go on an adventure trip and don't get the MEMO. Good waterproof trekking shoes are a must as well as windproof pants and jacket. We encountered everything from sun, to wind(known for that), rain, sleet. Unfortunately we were unable to go ashore at Cape Horn due to the weather, probably the downer of our entire trip to Patagonia. As you know it is not a cheap trip but very much worth it in my opinion and would recommend it to anyone visiting that part of the world. My kind of cruise, we only had 80 people aboard.

Thank you "rhbphoto" for sharing your experience. It's always nice to hear that you had a great experience over there!

Cheers!

Thank you all. We are very excited and looking forward to start our trip. I'm a little worried about sea sickness. How was it? Thank you again.

It was really not too bad, two occasions it was a little "rolly", and that was at night. That being said there are no guarantees in a region that can experience 4 seasons in one day. The cruise sticks mainly to the protected channels and fiords and only when crossing a large expanse of open water is there an opportunity for rocking. They are very good at informing you when you might experience rough water.

Thank you again. 