Birding Patagonia |

Magellanic Plover © Jorge Valenzuela, Far South Expeditions

Birding Patagonia

Birding Patagonia trips | Discovering the Birds of the End of the World

Birding Patagonia trips. Join this exclusive journey and discover the unique wildlife diversity of the remote regions and dazzling landscapes of Chilean Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego and Torres del Paine National Park. Enjoy the pace of a small group (up to 7 participants) and the expertise and skills of our well-seasoned guides.

Seabirds such as Black-browed Albatross, Antarctic Giant Petrel, Magellanic Diving Petrel and Chilean Skua, Waterfowl like Upland, Ashy-headed and Ruddy-headed geese, stunning waders including Magellanic Plover, Two-banded Plover, Rufous-chested and Tawny-throated dotterels and several seedsnipes, King and Magellanic penguins, remarkable forest-dwelling birds such as Magellanic Woodpecker, Austral Parakeet and Chilean Hawk, will be part of this trip, with the occasional presence of the imposing Andean Condor, largest of terrestrial flying birds, soaring above. We will spend two night in Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park, a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve which is regarded as one of the world’s most beautiful national parks. Birding in Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego trips

Birding Patagonia & Tierra del Fuego is a 6-day module of our comprehensive Birding Chile trip. If you don’t have enough time to do the whole main program of our Birding Chile trip, then you can join this trip section, which will be a great introduction to Patagonia, where most of the regional bird endemics and specialties occur. This journey starts and ends in Punta Arenas during the mentioned dates and is also offered on a private basis, from September until April. birding patagonia trips

2025 Departures |

January 21 to 26

October 27 to November 1

2026 Departures |

January 19 to 24

October 26 to 31

6-day trip from Punta Arenas, Chile

Min. 3 / Max. 6 participants

Click for space request |

Andean Condor © Claudio F. Vidal, Far South Expeditions

Itinerary in Brief |

Day 1 • Flight to Punta Arenas – O/N Punta Arenas (1 night)

Day 2 • Ferry ride to Tierra del Fuego – Useless Bay for King Penguins – O/N Porvenir (1 night)

Day 3 • Laguna Verde – Ferry to mainland – Pali Aike road – O/N Puerto Natales (2 nights)

Day 4 • Torres del Paine National Park

Day 5 • Sierra Baguales – Drive to Punta Arenas – O/N Punta Arenas (1 night)

Day 6 • End of the trip after breakfast

Note: This trip starts from Punta Arenas, Chile. We recommend you arrive the day before the trip starts. Our Operations Department can make all your flight arrangements (international and domestic) from Santiago de Chile or other routes as well as to arrange private ground transfers either from El Calafate or Ushuaia, in Argentina.

Trip Highlights |

• The magnificent Andean Condor, largest of terrestrial flying birds.

• Stunning waders including Magellanic Plover, Two-banded Plover, Rufous-chested Dotterel, Tawny-throated Dotterel and several seedsnipes.

• Remarkable forest-dwelling birds such as Magellanic Woodpecker, Austral Parakeet and Chilean Hawk.

• Commerson’s and Peale’s dolphins in the Straits of Magellan.

• King and Magellanic penguins. Birding Patagonia trips

Trip Map |

Trip Gallery |

Magellanic Oystercatcher, Photo © Rodrigo Tapia, Far South Expeditions

Birding in Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego trips

Detailed Itinerary and Activities |

Easy to moderate walks | From sea level up to 1,000m. / 3,280ft. | 2 ferry rides | Excellent photo opportunities

Day 1 • Flight to Punta Arenas

Birding Patagonia trips. From Santiago or Puerto Montt, we will catch an evening fight to Punta Arenas (53°S), Chile’s southernmost city. This can be a truly enjoyable plane journey, as we will fly over seemingly endless Patagonian icecaps, deep fjords and the rugged peaks of the southern Andes. After our arrival, we will bird along the coast of the mythic Straits of Magellan looking for Flying Steamer and Crested Ducks, Kelp Goose, King and Rock Cormorant and Magellanic Oystercatcher. The coastal grasslands can produce other interesting sheldgeese including the ubiquitous Upland Goose, the smaller Ashy-headed Goose and the endangered Ruddy-headed Goose. Overnight Punta Arenas (Dinner)(Guide).

Day 2 • Ferry ride to Tierra del Fuego – Useless Bay for King Penguins

This morning, we will take a 2-hour ferry ride across the Straits of Magellan towards the town of Porvenir, in Tierra del Fuego. We will be entertained by an interesting array of tubenoses such as Black-browed Albatross, Southern Giant Petrel, Southern Fulmar, the delightful Cape (or ‘Pintado’) Petrel, White-chinned Petrel, Sooty Shearwater, Wilson’s Storm Petrel and Magellanic Diving Petrel. We will see other seabirds including Magellanic Penguin, Chilean Skua, Kelp and Dolphin Gulls and South American Tern. Possible marine mammals will include the common South American Sea Lion and playful pods of Peale’s Dolphin. Once we land in Tierra del Fuego, we will check the coast where we shall see Crested Duck, Chiloe Wigeon, Baird’s and White-rumped Sandpipers, Magellanic Oystercatcher and Dark-bellied Cinclodes, among several other ‘goodies’.We will continue east to explore the large embayment of Useless Bay (Bahía Inútil), where it is likely to find a wealth of seabirds and other aquatic birds. On route we will be checking for potential raptors including Variable Hawk, Aplomado and Peregrine Falcons. Magellanic Horned Owl nests in some ravines we will pass by. The main target of our visit to this scenic part of the island is the newly established King Penguin breeding colony. This splendid species congregates year-round on this site and they have successfully started to breed and raise young here. Later, and before heading back to Porvenir, we will drive through the shrubby slopes and moorlands of the Baquedano Hills searching for Rufous-chested Dotterel, Austral Canastero and the stunning White-bridled Finch. Overnight Porvenir (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)(Guide).

Day 3 • Laguna Verde – Ferry to mainland – Pali Aike road

During the morning we will visit some alkaline lagoons north of the village. Our target here will be the local and odd-looking Magellanic Plover. This enigmatic wader looks more similar to a little dove rather than to any shorebird, and is often seen feeding ‘scratching’ the mud with its bright pink legs! Other birds of the area will include Two-banded Plover, Wilson’s Phalarope, the abundant White-rumped Sandpiper, Short-billed Miner and the ubiquitous Austral Negrito. The windswept steppes of Tierra del Fuego and Patagonia hold a number of specialties including Least Seedsnipe, Tawny-throated Dotterel, Short-billed Miner, Band-tailed Earthcreeper and Chocolate-vented Tyrant. A short ferry ride will allow us to be on mainland once again and if we are lucky, to see the striking Commerson’s Dolphin following the wake. Chilean Flamingo, Coscoroba Swan, Silver Teal plus thousands of waders such as Wilson’s Phalarope, Baird’s and White-rumped Sandpipers will be common at the roadside wetlands while we explore and enjoy the beauty of this ‘big sky’ country. On the journey, we should encounter Lesser Rhea, Cinereous Harrier, Cinnamon-bellied Ground-Tyrant and Patagonian Mockingbird. Large herds of camel-like Guanacos will be a common sight along the entire drive towards Puerto Natales and other possible mammals will include Southern Grey (Chilla) Fox, Patagonian Hairy Armadillo and Patagonian Hog-nosed Skunk. Overnight Puerto Natales (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) (Guide).

Day 4 • Torres del Paine National Park

Torres del Paine is one of the gems of Chile and certainly one the most visited parks in Patagonia. We will have the whole day to explore its diverse habitats, but above all, to appreciate the colossal magnitude and rugged beauty of the awe-inspiring granite peaks which name the park.The reed-fringed lagoons of the eastern side of the park will keep us busy during the whole morning. Here we will find a wealth of waterbirds including Great, Silvery and White-tufted Grebes, Ruddy (Andean) and Spectacled Ducks, Speckled Teal, Yellow-billed Pintail, and with luck, the elusive and recently re-discovered Austral Rail. We also hope to see Andean Condors and Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle hovering in these turbulent skies.During the afternoon we will visit Lake Grey to enjoy the stunning sight of its southern shore dominated by stranded blue icebergs. We will scan the fast-flowing rivers hoping to find the remarkable and colourful Torrent Duck. Overnight Puerto Natales (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) (Guide).

Day 5 • Sierra Baguales – Drive to Punta Arenas

Early in the morning we will explore the impressive Sierra Baguales Range, located northeast of Torres del Paine. Along the road and in the scrubby gullies, we will look for more restricted-range songbirds in Chile such as Patagonian Mockingbird and Grey-bellied Shrike-Tyrant. As we continue exploring this montane habitat we might find the local White-throated Caracara, Grey-breasted Seedsnipe, Rufous-banded Miner, Cinnamon-bellied and Ochre-naped Ground Tyrants, Patagonian and Greater Yellow Finches and the stunning Yellow-bridled Finch. Overnight Punta Arenas (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) (Guide).

Day 6 • Flight to Santiago – End of the trip

Transfer to Punta Arenas airport for our connecting flight to Santiago. End of the trip. (Breakfast). Birding Chile tours.

Dates & Rates |

Scheduled Departures

Trip Length	6 days, 5 nights
Dates	January 21 - 26, 2025
	Oct 27 - Nov 1, 2025
	January 19 - 24, 2026
	October 26 - 31, 2026
Price per person (USD) (2024)	$2,998
Single Supplement (USD)	$400
Trips are guaranteed to depart with a minimum of 3 participants. Maximum group size of 6 participants.

Departures from Punta Arenas, Chile. Optional transfer to/from El Calafate, Argentina. Birding Patagonia trips.
The above price is per person in USD, based in double accommodation. Single supplement will be added if single accommodations are requested.

Private Tours

You Choose the Date! (Available from September through March). Departures from Punta Arenas, Chile.

What the trip price includes/excludes

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

The trip price excludes: Domestic flights, 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. Birding Patagonia trips.

Do you want us to arrange your flights from Santiago to Punta Arenas?

Domestic flights: Santiago (SCL) – Punta Arenas (PUQ) – Santiago. Duration of the flight: 3 hours (direct). Birding Patagonia trips.

Tour Leaders |

Jürgen Schulmeister

Birding & Naturalist Guide

Jürgen is a seasoned Patagonian naturalist guide with over 15 years of experience, guiding groups from different countries since he was 18. He was born in Punta Arenas, and since his childhood, he has lived in the countryside, growing up deeply interested in the wildlife of his beloved home region. As a young kid, he went trekking with his parents, both former guides, to different trails in Patagonia, especially to Torres del Paine National Park, where he first learned to recognize flora & fauna and became passionate about bird watching. At only 7 years old, he hiked to the base of Las Torres. Later, he traveled around Chile and South America, deeply interested in the relationship between geography and biodiversity, where he became aware of the different endemic families of flora & fauna present along the large biological corridor of the Andes Mountains. He graduated in architecture from the University of Chile and is currently focused on roof design ecological and public spaces using endemic flora to improve urban landscapes.

David Couve

Birding & Naturalist Guide

David Couve is a local birder, naturalist, and keen explorer of the Patagonia’s wilderness.

He lives on the island of Tierra del Fuego, and devotes his time working for Far South Expeditions as well as exploring and researching a range a natural history subjects of the island; from documenting archaeological sites of the first hunter-gatherers living in the area some 11,000 years BP ago to explore glacial deposits, which shaped the Magellan Straits and the southern archipelago more than 65,000 years ago.

David is a very keen birder and has lately specialized in finding and studying small cats, especially surveying reliable locations for both Andean and Puna Pampas cats, in company of his father and mentor, Enrique.

Claudio F. Vidal

Claudio has been exploring and birding since the age of 12 and currently leads birding / nature tours and photo safaris throughout Patagonia, Chile and South America. He is one of the two founders and original driving forces behind the far South Expeditions concept and company.

Claudio has a particular interest in the seabirds and marine mammals occurring in the Humboldt Current, Patagonia and Antarctica. Botany is also one of his greatest passions, leading him to devote to the photographic documentation of wildflowers of desert and Mediterranean regions of the world, of which he possesses a vast archive. Claudio is now finishing the writing of a Field Guide to the Birds of Chile together with a team of accomplished field ornithologists, and is co-author of more than 20 books, including the acclaimed Birds of Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego and Antarctic Peninsula. He is actively involved in several ecotourism projects in Chile and is founding partner of Far South Expeditions since 1997. He lives in Punta Arenas.

Check out other of our birding adventures in Chile |

Birding Chile's Lake District
Birding Around Santiago
Birding Northern Chile (5 days)
Birding in Patagonia & Tierra del Fuego

Birding Patagonia is a 6-day module of our comprehensive Birding Chile trip. If you don’t have enough time to do the whole main program of our Birding Chile trip, then you can join this trip section, which will be a great introduction to Patagonia & Tierra del Fuego, where most of the endemic and specialties of this gorgeous region occur. This journey starts and ends in Punta Arenas, Chile during the mentioned dates and is also offered on a private basis year-round.

Tour Registration |

To book this tour, please fill in our online registration form. We will process your booking and will send you a note with space confirmation and a transfer invoice with payment instructions within 24 hours. The transfer amount is 500 USD per person. Full payment of the tour fee is due 90 days prior to tour departure.

NOTE: Inquiries received on Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays will be replied to during the following working day.

Cancellation Policy

Notice of cancellation can only be accepted IN WRITING from the person who signed the booking form and takes effect on the day such noticed is received by us.

Refunds are made according to the following schedule:

• If cancellation is made 120 days or more before departure date, the transfer amount minus 200 USD is refundable.
• If cancellation is made between 120 and 60 days before departure, the transfer is not refundable, but any payments covering the balance of the fee will be refunded.
• If cancellation is made less than 60 days before departure date, no refund is available.

This policy and fee schedule also applies to pre-trip and post trip extensions, as well as any transfers from one tour to another. We strongly recommend the purchase of trip cancellation insurance to protect yourself.