evidence: As the small jetty of Puerto Natales slips silently out of sight, the only sounds that break the evening quiet are the call of birds and the ship's bow cutting through the calm waters of Chile’s Admiral Montt Gulf. The first of three days aboard the small but rugged Skorpios III cruise ship give very little indication of the splendors that await us in the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. [...] Stretching over 217mi (350km) along much of the southern stretch of Chile and Argentina, the Southern Patagonian Ice Field is the world's second-largest outside the polar regions. To celebrate having reached this far, we share a toast of whiskey, poured over 1,000-year-old ice plucked straight from the waters through which we cruise. While Magellanic cormorants and Andean condors wheel through the frigid summer air, we slowly plot a course back towards the starting point of our journey. [...] Though the scenery of the Patagonia region will continue to amaze, very little will compare to the tranquility and wonder of traveling through the rarely visited waters of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. Alongside adventures like the Q circuit at Torres del Paine, Everest Base Camp in Nepal, or the remote Tien-Shan mountains of Central Asia, this experience remains a highlight of my travels to this day. The combination of pristine nature, diversity of landscapes, true remoteness, and surprisingly comfortable travel is one that has been rarely replicated since.