Compare Southern Patagonia, Torres del Paine & Tierra del Fuego by Birdwatching Chile vs Patagonia Short Break - Torres Del Paine by Intrepid Travel
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| Trip |
0 | Poor
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4.5 | Great
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| Duration | 6 days | 5 days |
| Price From | Check price | $ 2,180 |
| Price Per Day | Check price | $ 436 |
| Highlights |
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| Trip Style | Private guided tour | Small group tour |
| Lodging Level | Standard | Premium |
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| Flights & Transport | Ground transport included | Ground transport included |
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| Meals Included |
54 Breakfasts, 6 Lunches and 5 Dinners |
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| Description |
Southern Patagonia is a windswept land with a wealth of stunning environments, jagged peaks, glaciers, vast plains and old-growth forests, sprinkled with lakes and ever-changing landscapes. You will be surprised by the variety of views that never repeat themselves as you travel across this wild realm. Some of the bird specialties found here are Darwin´s Rhea, Magellanic Penguin, Chilean Skua, Magellanic Plover, Austral Canastero, Spectacled Duck, Flying Steamer Duck, Dolphin Gull, White-throated Caracara, Kelp Goose, Magellanic Oystercatcher, Austral Parakeet and White-throated Treerunner, among others. Other wildlife includes Grey Fox, Guanaco, a wild relative to Llamas, Patagonian Skunk and Hairy Armadillo. |
Jagged mountains, pristine glaciers and bright blue lagoons are just the tip of the iceberg in Chile’s Patagonia region. Spend five days exploring ancient caves, hiking through native forests, sailing in search of glaciers and watching out for wildlife in the diverse landscapes of Torres del Paine National Park and Bernardo O’Higgins National Park. Your base in the small city of Puerto Natales is the perfect place to put your feet up after an adventurous day and enjoy a glass of Chilean wine. |
Day 1
Meals: Lunch and Dinner
Meet at Punta Arenas Airport, then we´ll drive to Tierra del Fuego, including a ferry trip, afterwards we´ll visit the shrubby slopes and moorland of the Baquedano Hills. Birds: Black-browed Albatross, Southern/Northern Giant-Petrel, Southern Fulmar, Cape Petrel, White-chinned Petrel, Magellanic Diving-Petrel, Magellanic Horned Owl, Austral Canastero, the spectacular Black-throated Finch and our target species in Tierra del Fuego, the Magellanic Plover, and other interesting shorebirds including Two-banded and Rufous-chested Dotterel. Lodging at Porvenir.
Day 2
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Tierra del Fuego and the huge embayment of Bahia Inutil. Birds: Flightless and Flying Steamer-Ducks, Kelp Goose, Imperial and Rock Cormorants, Kelp, Brown-hooded, and Dolphin Gulls and South America Tern. Along the bay we will have a slight chance of finding King Penguin as well. Lodging at Porvenir.
Day 3
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Tierra del Fuego and mainland Patagonia in search of its specialities and a short ferry ride where we´ll have a chanse to see the striking Commerson´s Dolphin. Birds: Ruddy-headed Goose, Upland Goose, Coscoroba Swan, Silver Teal, Black-headed Duck, Rosy-billed Pochard, Chilean Flamingos, Least Seedsnipe, Tawny-throated Dotterel, Short-billed Miner, Band-tailed Earthcreeper and Chocolate-vented Tyrant. Waders such as Wilson´s Phalarope, Baird´s and White-rumped Sandpipers will be common. Lodging at Punta Arenas.
Day 4
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Torres del Paine National Park. Birds: Great Grebe, Spectacled Duck, Chiloe Wigeon, Speckled Teal, Yellow-billed Pintail, Cinereous Harrier, Black-chested Buzzard Eagle, Chilean Flicker, Striped Woodpeckar and Austral Pygmy-Owl. We will scan the fast-flowing rivers hoping to find the remarkable Torrent Duck, Andean Duck, Silvery and White-tufted Grebes and with luck the elusive and recently re-discovered Austral Rail. In the surrounding sub-Antartic forest we will have good chance to see Thorn-tailed Rayadito, White-throated Treerunner, Austral Parakeet, Austral Blackbird and the striking Magellanic Woodpecker. Lodging at Torres del Paine.
Day 5
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Sierra Baguales and Punta Arenas. Birds: Patagonian Mockingbird, Gray-bellied Shrike-Tyrant, White-throated Caracara, Gray-breasted Seedsnipe, Cinnamon-bellied and Ochre-naped Ground-Tyrants, Patagonian and Greater Yellow-Finches and the stunning Yellow-bridled Finch. Lodging at Punta Arenas.
Day 6
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch
Birding around Punta Arenas and drive to the Airport. End of the Tour.
Day 1 Puerto Natales
Welcome to Patagonia! Few places on earth offer up such dramatic and breathtaking landscapes, the most iconic of which are contained within Torres del Paine National Park and Bernardo O'Higgins National Park, which you’ll be exploring over the next days. Your adventure begins at Puerto Natales airport, or at Puerto Natales bus station where you’ll be collected by a local representative and transferred to your hotel in the little city of Puerto Natales, sitting on the "Seno de Ultima Esperanza" (Bay of the Last Hope). Our adventure begins at 6 pm with the welcome meeting where you will meet our local representative. It is important that you try and arrive in Puerto Natales before this time. If you get here early enough we suggest taking a walk along the Costanera, leading to the historic remains of the Braun & Blanchard wharf (it’s especially beautiful at sunset). If you want to wet your whistle, the city is dotted with establishments serving up excellent Chilean wine and locally produced craft beer. Note: Confirmation of your arrival information is needed in advance. If you arrive from Puerto Natales Airport, or Puerto Natales Bus Station please inform your Intrepid agent and your transfer from there to your hotel will be arranged accordingly. Should you choose to arrive in Puerto Natales from El Calafate via public bus, the bus ticket will be sent to you in advance by email. Please inform your Intrepid agent to arrange for the bus ticket.
Day 2 Torres del Paine National Park
Today, after breakfast you’ll be joined by a local guide to explore the remarkable and diverse landscapes of Torres del Paine National Park, declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1978. Stop off on the way at the Milodon Cave, an enormous cavern where remains of prehistoric mammals like the mylodon, an extinct ground sloth, have been found. Continue on to Cuernos de Paine, the towering granite spikes of Torres del Paine National Park. From here, walk to Salto Grande – at 15 metres high, this is the park’s largest waterfall. Take some time to admire the powerful cascade tumbling into the beautiful turquoise lake below. Next up is a visit to Lago Gray, a picturesque lake fringed by the icy blue Grey Glacier. Hike through a coigue Forest, crossing suspension bridge over the Pingo River and eventually ending up at the beach. Here you can observe icebergs of different shapes and colours floating in the lake, caused by the melting of the Grey Glacier. After an exciting day, return to Puerto Natales for an evening at leisure. Note: All entry tickets to National Parks are included, your local guide will have them and present them in the parks for you.
Day 3 Balmaceda & Serrano Glacier Navigation
Today begins at 7.30am at Puerto Bories pier, from where you’ll sail through the Senoret Channel and the Ultima Esperanza fjord. Cross into the Bernardo O'Higgins National Park, the largest park in Chile and home to giant glaciers, lush vegetation, soaring waterfalls and loads of wildlife, including Andean condors, marine otters and cormorants. Sail past the seriously impressive Balmaceda glacier, hanging from the mountain of the same name. Dock at Puerto Toro and walk about a kilometer through a native forest filled with coigues, murtilla de magallanes, chaura and lichens. Walk towards the foot of the Serrano Glacier, following the edge of an iceberg-filled lake formed by its melt. Finally, enjoy an aperitif with glacial ice and have lunch at a typical Patagonian estancia before returning to Puerto Natales for the evening.
Day 4 Trek to Torres del Paine National Park
If you’re up for a serious challenge, an 8-hour serious trek to Base Torres is included today, serving up the most impressive views of Torres del Paine’s granite towers and glacial lagoon. You will contemplate the imposing towers, a wonder of nature. Be sure to have your camera ready as these are scenes you won’t want to forget! Enjoy an included dinner this evening to celebrate your adventure. If, on the other hand, feel that the long trek would be too strenuous for you and would like to take things easier then you can opt for our complimentary panoramic half-day tour of Puerto Natales. This beautiful half-day excursion will help you understand the origin of this centenary city. You will learn about the toponymy of its surroundings, its history and little known details. Admire and contemplate the coast of the Señoret channel with the mountains that surround it. Your tour will start at the old Puerto Bories Cold Storage Plant, an important manufacturing industry that marked the emergence of the city in the early twentieth century, now a National Historic Monument. Next will also visit the remodeled waterfront, the main square, the fishermen's dock and the artisanal village. And on the way be sure to take some time and admire the the coast of Señoret channel with its encircling mountains. Your tour will finish with a Pisco Sour at Rooftop in Puerto Natales.
Day 5 Puerto Natales
After an early breakfast at your hotel, you'll be dropped off at the Puerto Natales bus station, from where you'll have the option to take the local bus to El Calafate on the Argentinean side of Patagonia (bus ticket included). If you are flying out today, from El Calafate, please make sure you choose a flight in late afternoon, after 3 pm. If you would prefer to begin your trip in El Calafate and end in Puerto Natales, please get in touch ahead of time so your bus ticket can be arranged.
