You pay the same as booking direct. Here’s how we’re paid.
Patagonia costs at a glance
- Fjord cruise, 3 to 5 nights
- $2,800 to $6,500 per person
- Fjords plus Antarctica
- $12,500 to $28,000+ for 14 to 22 nights
- Land extension, 4 to 7 nights
- $3,500 to $7,500 per person
- Per night, expedition
- Roughly $700 to $1,400 per person
- Cross-border transfers
- $400 to $800 between Chile and Argentina
- Single supplement
- Often significant on small fjord vessels
- Our fee
- None. Pricing matches booking direct
What Does a Patagonia Expedition Actually Cost?
Three tiers. A dedicated fjord expedition cruise of three to five nights runs roughly $2,800 to $6,500 per person, all-inclusive. A grand voyage combining the fjords with Antarctica runs $12,500 to $28,000 or more across 14 to 22 nights. An overland land-and-sea extension of four to seven nights adds $3,500 to $7,500.
| Expedition category | Typical cost per person | What is included |
|---|---|---|
| Fjord expedition cruise, 3 to 5 nights | $2,800 to $6,500 | Daily Zodiac excursions and shore landings, national park fees, all meals, open bar, expedition lectures |
| Grand expedition: fjords plus Antarctica, 14 to 22 nights | $12,500 to $28,000+ | Full Chilean fjord navigation, Cape Horn call, Drake Passage crossing, Antarctic Peninsula landings, all Zodiac operations, polar parka |
| Overland land-and-sea extension, 4 to 7 nights | $3,500 to $7,500 | All-inclusive lodge stay in Torres del Paine, private transfers, guided hikes, boat excursions at Perito Moreno |
Flights, pre-cruise hotels and cross-border transfers are extra in every tier.
The fjord tier is genuinely inclusive on most vessels: Zodiac excursions and shore landings, national park fees, meals, an open bar and the lecture programme. That is unusual at this price point and it is a large part of why the region reads as good value.
The grand voyages are a different order of purchase, because you are buying an Antarctic expedition with a Patagonian voyage attached. Combining Patagonia with Antarctica sets out the route shapes those fares buy.
How Does This Compare with Expedition Pricing Elsewhere on This Site?
It is consistent. Our general guidance is that expedition fares start around $1,000 per person per night, and that Antarctica runs roughly $9,000 to $48,000. A four-night fjord cruise at $2,800 to $6,500 works out at roughly $700 to $1,300 per night, and the grand tier at $12,500 to $28,000 across 14 to 22 nights lands in the same band.
So the Patagonia figures sit inside the site-wide ranges rather than contradicting them, and the grand tier sits comfortably inside our Antarctica band because it is, in effect, an Antarctica voyage with more days.
The one number that looks low out of context is the short fjord fare. It is low because the voyage is short, not because the nightly rate is cheap.
What Is Included in a Fjord Expedition Fare?
On the dedicated fjord vessels, most of it: daily Zodiac excursions and shore landings, national park entry fees, all meals, an open bar, and the naturalist lecture programme. What is not included is flights to Punta Arenas or Ushuaia, pre- and post-cruise hotels, and anything on the land extension.
This matters when you compare against a large ocean liner sailing the outer route, where the headline fare looks lower but excursions, drinks and park fees are all extra — and where the ship cannot enter the fjords or land at Cape Horn in the first place.
Patagonia cruise types puts the categories side by side, including what each one can physically reach.
What Do the Land Extensions Cost?
Roughly $3,500 to $7,500 per person for four to seven nights, which typically buys an all-inclusive lodge stay in Torres del Paine with private guided hikes, private transfers, and boat excursions on the Argentine side at Perito Moreno. Lodge pricing here is high because the parks are remote and the properties are small.
This is where budgets stretch fastest, because the lodges are the expensive part of Patagonia rather than the ships. An all-inclusive property in Torres del Paine is priced like a safari lodge, and for similar reasons: everything arrives by road from a long way away.
A note on Perito Moreno, because the standard description is now out of date. It was long presented as one of the world's few advancing or stable glaciers. Research published in August 2025 found it in substantial and probably irreversible retreat, having lost close to two square kilometres of ice cover over the preceding seven years 12. It is still an extraordinary thing to stand in front of. It is no longer accurate to call it advancing, and we would rather say so.
What Are the Costs People Forget?
Four recur: cross-border private transfers between Punta Arenas and El Calafate, which add $400 to $800; single supplements on small fjord vessels; domestic flights within Chile and Argentina; and pre-cruise hotel nights, which are not optional if you want a buffer before a ship sails.
| Item | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Private transfer, Punta Arenas to El Calafate | $400 to $800 per party |
| Single supplement, small fjord vessel | Often 50% to 100% of the fare |
| Pre-cruise hotel and buffer night | $150 to $400 per night |
| Domestic flights within Chile or Argentina | $150 to $450 per sector |
Ranges are planning estimates for the 2026-27 seasons.
The border crossing is the one nobody prices in. Moving between southern Chile and southern Argentina involves a land frontier and a customs stop, and a pre-arranged private transfer is worth the money in both time and stress.
Single supplements are steep on small ships for simple reasons: a 180-guest vessel has very few cabins to give away. Booking early is the main lever, because reduced-supplement promotions are released early and withdrawn once occupancy firms up.
How Do You Bring the Cost Down?
Sail in November or March rather than the December to February peak, choose a fully inclusive fjord vessel so onboard spend stays near zero, shorten the land extension rather than downgrading the ship, and book early enough to catch reduced single supplements. Adding Antarctica is the single biggest cost increase available.
The strongest saving is seasonal. Shoulder-month fares are lower, availability is better, and the wind is calmer — which is a rare case of the cheaper option also being the more comfortable one. When to cruise Patagonia sets out the trade-offs month by month.
Have You Priced This from Your Own Trips?
Not in Patagonia. We have not sailed the Chilean fjords, landed at Cape Horn, or visited Torres del Paine, Perito Moreno or El Calafate. We have been in Ushuaia twice and crossed the Drake twice, so the Antarctic half of the grand-voyage arithmetic is something we know from our own bookings.
The Patagonian figures on this page come from operator pricing, current published fares and what our clients actually paid, and they are reviewed on the date shown above. See where we've been for the full list.
Patagonia cost questions
How much does a Patagonia cruise cost?
Roughly $2,800 to $6,500 per person for a three to five night fjord expedition cruise, all-inclusive. Voyages combining the fjords with Antarctica run $12,500 to $28,000 or more across 14 to 22 nights.
Is a Patagonia fjord cruise all-inclusive?
On the dedicated fjord vessels, largely yes: Zodiac excursions, shore landings, national park fees, meals, open bar and lectures. Flights, hotels and land extensions are extra.
What does a Torres del Paine lodge stay cost?
Roughly $3,500 to $7,500 per person for four to seven nights at an all-inclusive lodge, including private guided hikes and transfers.
Is Perito Moreno still an advancing glacier?
No. It was long described as one of the few stable or advancing glaciers in Patagonia, but research published in August 2025 found it in rapid and probably irreversible retreat, with close to two square kilometres of ice cover lost over seven years.
How do you avoid a single supplement in Patagonia?
Book early. Small fjord vessels have few cabins to release, so reduced-supplement promotions appear well ahead of departure and are withdrawn once occupancy firms up.