Pumas, Penguins & Whales |

We have organized a busy schedule of outings for pumas in the area. We will inspect the puma hunting grounds located in the eastern flank of the park and throughout the property of Estancia Laguna Amarga, where we have special granted access and an excellent relationship with the owners. The area is comprised by the northern coast of Sarmiento Lake, Laguna Amarga and Laguna Azul is well known for holding one of the largest concentrations of pumas in the wild. We will have the support of a 4×4 vehicle to move inside the ranch but we can also have easy to moderate walks, so a minimum degree of fitness is required in order to be able to keep up with the group. Topography is usually not too demanding but there might be differences in altitude of around 50-250m / 160-1,000ft sometimes, although your group will walk at a slow and gentle pace. Maximum elevation during this trip will be 300m/1,000ft above sea level. Pumas are normally quite active at night, early in the mornings and late in the evenings. Our activities will gravitate around these preferred times by cats, when they are usually patrolling their territory, hunting guanacos and other prey, interacting with their offspring or commuting from their hunting grounds to their dens. We will have two sessions each day, a morning session and an evening session (app. 4 hours each). During the middle of the day, we will not be watching pumas in order to avoid disturbance at a critical time, when they are resting, sleeping after a long night hunting elusive guanacos.

If we have time, we will also take the opportunity to look for other mammal species including the ubiquitous guanaco, the local Andean Deer or Huemul, Patagonian Hog-nosed Skunk and the two canine species present in the park, Chilla and Culpeo foxes.

Overnight El Ovejero Patagonico, Cerro Castillo (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) (Guide + Puma tracker).

During the morning we will continue our exploration in different areas of the park. A sensational vista from Laguna Azul, on the eastern side of the park, will be a superb grand finale to this part of our exciting journey of discovery. Later, we will be transferred to Punta Arenas.

Overnight Hotel Diego de Almagro or similar, Punta Arenas (Breakfast, Lunch) (Guide).

We will start our journey with a private transfer from your hotel to the ferry docks located at the northern end of Punta Arenas. At approximately 9 am, we will begin our 2.5-hour crossing through the mythic waters of the Straits of Magellan; these 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 really harsh and dangerous conditions. You will see an interesting array of seabirds, including Black-browed Albatross, Southern Giant Petrel, Southern Fulmar, Imperial Cormorant, Dolphin Gull and South American Tern. It is very likely to see interesting marine mammals such as pods of Peale’s Dolphin and inquisitive South American Sea Lion. As soon as we land you will realize that the vegetation of this part of Tierra del Fuego is dominated by flat windswept steppes and rolling hills, with tussock grass and low shrubs. After meeting your local guide and driver, we will stop at the town of Porvenir; here we will have coffee or tea, snacks, and will have the opportunity to relax for a short while. Immediately we will be driving for approximately two hours along the shores of Bahia Inutil (Useless Bay), where we expect to see a great array of wildlife including Guanaco, Southern Grey Fox, the ubiquitous Upland Goose, Chilean Flamingo and a diversity of waterfowl. At sea we may see albatrosses, petrels, gulls and skuas patrolling the turbulent waters of the bay. Reserva Parque Pingüino Rey is a private nature reserve that aims to preserve the only known continental King Penguin colony. We will have ample opportunities to observe and photograph the penguins from a reasonable distance (maximum approach distance will be given by the guide and must be respected at all times during your visit).

Overnight Hotel Barlovento or similar, Porvenir (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) (Guide).

We will enjoy a leisure morning while exploring the surroundings of Porvenir to photograph and learn about the particular wildlife and history of this remote corner of Patagonia. We will visit its alkaline pools where there are large aggregations of migratory birds such as sandpipers and plovers, but the goal will be to photograph Chilean Flamingos. Later we will explore the coast to see some of the many shipwrecks that have occurred in these seas over the years. After lunch we will be heading back to Punta Arenas by ferry. By taking the short ferry at Punta Delgada we will have great chances of seeing the striking Commerson’s Dolphin plus other interesting wildlife.

Overnight Hotel Diego de Almagro or similar, Punta Arenas (Breakfast, Lunch) (Guide).

Early in the morning we will board the motor yacht Tanu and start our navigation towards Francisco Coloane Marine Park, which protects the marine biodiversity of the western branch of the Straits of Magellan. This magnificent area encloses Carlos III Island, which possesses a vast and unique biological diversity due, in part, to the mixing of the two oceans (Pacific and Atlantic), productive upwelling, the strong winds, the presence of glaciers and the dismembered coastline. This park hold a summer population of humpback whales (and occasionally Sei Whale and Orca), which use these waters as feeding grounds. We will spend this night in the biological station, at very comfortable twin-bedded domes. We will have shared bathroom facilities at this location.

Overnight Eco-camp Carlos III, Carlos III Island (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) (Guide).

This morning we will have another whale-watching session aboard the zodiac boats and if we are lucky, we may see the endemic and scarce Chilean Dolphin while sailing these waters. We will also visit large breeding colonies of sea lions, fur seals and Magellanic Penguin. We will have a lecture by the scientist working on long-term population studies on these whales, and we will learn about several tagging and identification techniques. We will have the whole afternoon to see these whales at close quarters and with no other visitors. This intimate experience will be enhanced by the sight of the beautiful mountains, glaciers and pristine forests all around.

Overnight Eco-camp Carlos III, Carlos III Island (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) (Guide).

After enjoying the diversity of marine mammals and seabirds of this park, we will make our journey back to San Isidro Lodge. Along the route we will discover the rich seabird diversity of these seaways; we will see Black-browed Albatross, Southern Giant Petrel, Chilean Skua and cormorants as well as pods of Peale’s Dolphin and the ubiquitous South American Sea Lion. If time permits, we will have a field trip, equipped with hand glasses, to discover the lichen- and moss-rich biodiversity of the sub-Antarctic forests. During the afternoon we will be transferred back to Punta Arenas for overnight.

Overnight Hotel Diego de Almagro or similar, Punta Arenas (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) (Guide)

After breakfast, transfer to Punta Arenas airport where the trip ends. (Breakfast)