Patagonia Wildlife Adventure

Time to explore the Chilean Fjörds, a maze of islands, channels, deep fjords, snow-capped mountains and unnamed glaciers. This remote and pristine wilderness comprises most of the topography of western Patagonia and we will see part of it by visiting the Ultima Esperanza – the ‘Last Hope’ – Fjord. This morning we will board the comfortable and modern vessel ‘Tonina’ to enjoy of a scenic 3-hour journey through usually smooth and sheltered waters. During our navigation, we will have good chances of seeing interesting marine mammals and seabirds, such as the endemic and little-known Chilean Dolphin, South American Sea Lion, King Cormorants and Chilean Skuas. We will be admiring the striking scenery – many unnamed peaks, hanging glaciers and impressive waterfalls, until we literally reach the foothills of the imposing Balmaceda Mount, one of the tallest mountains of the area. We will land here at the gates of one of Chile’s and Patagonia’s largest and unexplored national parks: ‘Bernardo O’Higgins’ NP. After landing, we will have a picnic lunch and a fairly easy hike through dense and pristine rainforests, where we will study and photograph the diverse plant community, including a dense carpet of mosses and lichens. Eventually we will reach a glacier lake and the imposing front of Serrano Glacier; the landscape along the well-defined trail is simply breathtaking.

Overnight at Remota Lodge, Puerto Natales. (Breakfast, Box-Lunch, Dinner)(Guide).

We will have two full days to explore Torres del Paine National Park and we will have early starts in order to be at location to photograph the Paine Massif at dawn. Today we will concentrate in exploring the eastern region of this huge Biosphere Reserve, which comprises a total extent of nearly 600,000 acres (242,000+ hectares). At the eastern corner of Sarmiento Lake, we will reach locations that command the most incredible views of the towering peaks of Las Torres or the ‘Towers’, the pinnacles from which the park takes its name. As we move around the park, you shall observe confiding herds of Guanaco, most southerly camelid, the curious-looking Lesser Rhea and impressive Andean Condors soaring along the road. We will visit the eastern side of the park to enjoy the views of one of the impressive waterfalls of Paine river and if is clear, of the fabulous granite columns of the Paine massif from Laguna Amarga. After our picnic, we will keep exploring the alkaline ponds and reed-fringed lagoons located of the eastern part of the park. There are approximately 120 species of birds in the park and we will see a considerable number of them, with the help of binoculars and the spotting scope. Also the flora is a very interesting subject for observation and photography. The park holds probably nearly 500 species of plants; the southern spring and early summer (mid-October through late January) are great to see the myriad of flowers that bloom in these magnificent landscapes. After our return to the hotel and enjoy our delicious dinner, we will have another chance to photograph the mountains and clouds at sunset.

Overnight at Remota Lodge, Puerto Natales. (Breakfast, Box-Lunch, Dinner)(Guide).

Torres del Paine again! The landscape is dominated by the omnipresent ‘Paine Massif’, a magnificent set of rugged peaks formed out of granite and sedimentary rock. The long-gone Indians of Patagonia gave the name Paine, meaning “blue”, presumably referring to its remarkable hazy coloration when observed at a distance. We will have the opportunity to explore the Nothofagus or southern Beech forests to study its diversity of plants and animals; we will try to see Magellanic Woodpecker, Austral Parakeet and the shy Andean Deer or Huemul, if we are lucky. We will be marveled by seeing the contrasting mosaic of towering mountains, glaciers, wetlands, steppes and forests. ‘Lago Grey’ is today’s highlight. Colossal icebergs are stranded on the southern shore of the lake after a long and slow transit from the glacier front. From this shore we will board our boat (the M/V Grey II) for a 3-hour excursion through the icy waters of the lake towards the impressive and actively calving front of the Grey Glacier. ‘Grey’ is one of the nearly 50 outlet glaciers which originate from the massive Southern Patagonian Ice Field, world’s third largest after Antarctica and Greenland, and is one of the most beautiful and colourful in all Patagonia. The front is full of crevasses and the solid glacial ice colors vary from whitish to deep indigo. The glacier is flanked towards the east by impressive granite walls which are part of the Paine Massif, and towards the west by the eroded and low summits of the older Andes. The photography is great at this particular spot. We will be treated with a glass of ‘pisco sour’ or ‘scotch’ containing glacier ice of hundreds, possibly thousand years old! This evening we will have again an optional photo outing for sunset and the dramatic cloud formations.

Overnight at Remota Lodge, Puerto Natales. (Breakfast, Box-Lunch, Dinner)(Guide).

We will leave Remota and Puerto Natales, hopefully with many rewarding memories of our explorations and wildlife encounters on this beautiful corner of Patagonia. We will drive eastwards across the vast wind-swept steppes and along the border with Argentina, which here is literally a straight, seemingly endless line. Pali Aike National Park and its many extinct cinder cones mark a place that break this uniform, big-sky country. The area was extensively occupied by long-gone Indians, and it has a very rich archaeology and paleontology. The birdlife of the area is very interesting too, as we may find intriguing species such as the Least Seedsnipe, Tawny-throated Dotterel, Chocolate-vented Tyrant and the colorful Black-throated Finch.
We will take a short ferry ride across the narrowest portion of the Magellan Straits, where we expect to see the delightful and local Commerson’s Dolphin. ‘Tierra del Fuego’, the ‘Land of Fire’ is another landmark coined by the skilled navigator Ferdinand Magellan. In 1520, while crossing the seaways that now honor him, he and his crew spotted a line of bonfires along the coast of a huge landmass. Tierra del Fuego is now a land of endless wind-swept steppes, rolling hills and lush temperate forests; sheep-farming stations, locally known as ‘estancias’, are interspersed amidst these picturesque and colorful landscapes dominated by dramatic skies. We will continue our journey towards the small village of Porvenir.

Overnight at Hosteria Yendegaia House, Porvenir. (Breakfast, Box-Lunch, Dinner)(Guide).

Our last day of wildlife explorations in Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. This time we will drive along the shores of the huge embayment of Useless Sound, being our destination the newly-established breeding colony of King Penguins. This is a private nature reserve, which aims to preserve the small numbers of the ‘Kings’ that remain year-round and even breed here (in small numbers), taking advantage of the excellent feeding conditions of the surrounding seas. We will have ample opportunities to observe and photograph the penguins from a reasonable distance (maximum approach distance will be given by your guide and must be respected at all times during your visit). During the early afternoon we will return to Porvenir, where we will take a 2-hour ferry crossing towards Punta Arenas. The mythic Magellan Straits, this world-famous seaways, are very rich in terms of history of exploration. Magellan, Drake, Cavendish, Bougainville, Fitz Roy and Darwin, among several other sailors and explorers, surveyed this region, most of the times, in harsh and dangerous conditions. You will see an interesting array of seabirds, including Black-browed Albatrosses, Southern Giant Petrels, Southern Fulmars, King Cormorants, Dolphin Gulls and South American Terns. It is very likely to see interesting marine mammals such as pods of Peale’s Dolphin and inquisitive South American Sea Lions.

Overnight at Hotel Rey Don Felipe, Punta Arenas. (Breakfast, Box-Lunch, Dinner)(Guide).

End of services (Breakfast).

You choose the date. Available year round. Departures from Punta Arenas, Chile. Optional transfers to/from El Calafate, Argentina.

Ask for rates! Trips are guaranteed to depart with a minimum of 2 participants.

The trip price includes: All accommodations, meals and guide services as stated in the itinerary, private ground transportation during the tour, boat trips to Balmaceda Glacier and Grey Lake, ferry fares to Tierra del Fuego, and park entrance fees.

The trip price excludes: Domestic flights (Santiago – Punta Arenas – Santiago or other route), tipping, travel insurance, entrance tax to Chile, excess baggage charges, private excursions, à la carte dishes, snacks, drinks, laundry, telephone calls and anything else of a purely personal nature.