Antarctica on your bucket list?

If you've always wanted to discover the delights around the tip of South America - with some of the most astonishing landscapes on the planet - then this fully escorted tour departing January 2019 is for you.

Organised by Travelrite international and cruising on Holland America's luxury cruiser MS Zaandam, the tour travels from Santiago in Chile to the Argentine capital Buenos Aires via Cape Horn, Antarctica's breathtaking Danco Coast and the Falkland Islands.

If that's not enough, there are also two optional pre- and post-tour cruise tours - Cusco, the Lost City of the Incas, and Machu Picchu in the Peruvian Andes; and Iguazu Falls on the Argentine/Brazilian border and Rio de Janeiro.

The main tour starts with an overnight stay in Santiago, including a sightseeing tour of the city, before setting sail from the port of Valparaiso.

From here, passengers soon get to experience the majestic wilderness of Chile's remote south, spending days exploring the picture-perfect fjords and lakes dotted along the coastline where glaciers, snowcapped peaks and lush islands make their dramatic appearances.

There are stops at the port of Puerto Montt in the heart of the Chilean Lakes District (make sure to catch a glimpse of volcanoes Mt Osorno, Mt Calbuco and Mt Puntiagudo as you cruise through the Reloncavi Sound), and Isla Chiloe - home to 16 UNESCO World Heritage wooden churches and Chiloe National Park.

It's then along the fjordland coast of Chile and on to the Patagonian town of Puerto Chacabuco and the jumping-off point for the Aysen fjords. It is here the northern Patagonian ice sheets fall into the sea in neon blue splendour.

The day tour heads to the Rio Simpson National Reserve with its cascading waterfalls, canyon rivers, valleys, beaches and forests.
The tour continues through the Chilean fjords - some of the most magnificent in the world. Keep an eye out for Andean condor and Magellan penguins who like to put on a show.

The cruise takes in some of the most spectacular glaciers in the world, including the Amalia Glacier - one of the highlights of the trip. Located in the central part of the Southern Patagonian Ice Fields, the glacier descends from the Andes and towers above the sea.

Cruising through the Tierra del Fuego, you will see the glaciers of the Canal Sarmiento waterway, which cuts through Chile's Torres del Paine National Park.

The ship then sails through the Straits of Magellan, retracing the route of the ambitious Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, to Punta Arenas - Chile's most southerly city surrounded by two million sheep in the wilds of Patagonia.

A sightseeing tour of the city provides a chance to explore the town lined with impressive townhouses of the sheep barons.

From Puntas Arenas, it's off to the "City on the bottom of the World", Ushuaia, on the island of Tierra del Fuego in Argentina.

After a sightseeing tour of the city and surrounding national park, it's on to the infamous Cape Horn - the southernmost tip of South America - before venturing south to Antarctica.

A highlight is witnessing the spectacular landscape of mainland Antarctica's Danco Coast, which is reached on day 13, and exploring the Antarctic Sound, before arriving in the quaint seaside town of Stanley in the Falkland Islands five days later.

On a tour of the town - the capital of the archipelago of more than 700 islands - you see the traditional British charm and architecture preserved in this overseas UK territory as well as some sights from the 1982 Falklands war.

Animal lovers will get another fix when the cruise calls into Puerto Madryn in the Patagonian province of Chubut. Passengers can visit Peninsula Valdes wildlife sanctuary and explore the town's interesting mix of Spanish and Welsh heritage.

Before arriving in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires there's a day stop at Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay.

This amazing cruise ends with three days in Buenos Aires - known as the Paris of South America. There's a day tour of the city, including La Boca Italian district and the port area, past San Martin Square towards the residential district of Palermo Chico and Palermo Park with its jacaranda and palo borracho trees that flower in spring and late summer.

The ride continues to Recoleta district to see the tomb of Evita (Eva Peron).

There's also a visit to a ranch on the Pampas to experience an authentic Argentinean barbecue and watch a group of skilled horsemen (gauchos) in action.

Included in the cruise price is economy return air travel from Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane to Santiago and from Buenos Aires to Australia, as well as all meals and entertainment onboard MS Zaandam and sightseeing tours as featured in the itinerary. It also includes one night's accommodation in Santiago and two nights' in Buenos Aires.

The tour leaves Australia on January 29, 2019. Prices from $16,595 single, $11,895 twin share.