unexplored Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego
An exciting journey through some of Chile’s most spectacular scenery, from the jagged mountains, great lakes and impressive glaciers of northern Patagonia to the wide open steppe, saline lagoons and southern beech forests of Tierra del Fuego.
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Wildlife Travel leaflet Chile 2025
Dates
Northern Patagonia 29th November – 11th December 2025
Tierra del Fuego Extension 9th to 18th December 2025
Leaders
Price
Northern Patagonia £7,450, Single Room Supplement – £400
Tierra del Fuego Extension £4,695, Single Room Supplement – £580
Included
Return flights from London to Santiago de Chile. Local transport as specified in itinerary. 10 nights’ accommodation main tour, 7 nights on extension full board. Entry fees.
Not included
Refreshments. Gratuities. Travel insurance. Covid tests and associated costs.
Group size
Minimum 6, maximum 14.
Chile has long been amongst our favourite destinations. Since our first visit 20 years ago, we have thoroughly explored the country, from the Atacama Desert and the flamingo-filled lakes of the Altiplano to the remote mysteries of Easter Island.
For our tenth visit to the country, we are returning to the home turf of our local guides, for a relaxed exploration of the lesser-visited corners of southern Chile, from the glacial valleys of northern Patagonia down to the wide open spaces of Tierra del Fuego.
The mammals of Patagonia are sure to feature amongst our trip highlights, with herds of grazing Guanaco, bumbling Hairy Armadillo and the endearing Chilla Fox and Hog-nosed Skunk likely to cross our path, while we will look for the reptilian Leopard Seal, enormous Southern Elephant Seals and various dolphins while we are around the coast.
Various orchids and violets, Calceolarias and Alstroemarias will keep the botanists amongst us entertained, while birding highlights could include soaring Andean Condor, chattering Austral Parakeets and the impressive Magellanic Woodpecker.
Throughout our journey, we will be in the safe hands of our friends at Far South Expeditions, who have guided all our previous visits to Chile.
Please note that holidays change, although sometimes only slightly, from year to year and previous trip reports may not reflect the planned itinerary, or other holiday details, for the current trip. Please ask us if you would like to know of any significant differences.
Day 1 An evening flight takes us from London to Santiago in central Chile, arriving Day 2.
Day 2 From the airport, we visit a nearby wetland for our first introduction to the birdlife of Chile, including a waterfowl such as Chiloe Wigeon, Black-headed Duck and Rosy-billed Pochard.
Day 3 Back to the airport after lunch, and we take an internal flight to Balmaceda, in central Patagonia. In good conditions we will have fantastic views of the Andes, with its extensive glaciers and enormous valleys. On arrival, we travel to Coyhaique, the regional capital of Aysén, stopping along the way to enjoy the roadside views and wildlife.
Day 4 We visit a typical ‘gaucho’ farm, a working cattle and sheep station, right on the border between Chile and Argentina. We will explore tracks through the dense Lenga and Nirre forests, visit the cliffs where Andean Condors roost, and appreciate the skills of the gauchos as they round up the livestock. In the afternoon we drive to Puerto Chacabuco, a small town at the head of Aysén Sound.
Day 5 We have a full day boat trip to the San Rafael Glacier, surely one of the highlights of our time in Chile. From the port, we will sail across the Patagonian fjords aboard a spacious, state-of-the-art catamaran, enjoying the pristine landscapes dominated by lush evergreen forests. The Laguna San Rafael is simply awesome, and we will spent time around the large icebergs and ‘growlers’, filling our memory cards with photos as well as searching for the occasional Leopard Seal.
Day 6 Today’s drive takes us from Puerto Chacabuco to Puerto Rio Tranquilo, a journey of almost 300km. Along the way we will admire the turquoise coloured waters of the General Carrera Lake, surrounded by jagged peaks.
Day 7 We take another boat trip, this time on Lake General Carrera to admire the polished marble rock formations have been eroded into caves, tunnels and bizarre figures over the millennia. In the afternoon we explore the beautiful Valle Exploradores. This wild valley impresses with its rugged nature, colourful southern beech forests, waterfalls, rugged mountain sides and the Exploradores River, which meanders along the valley floor towards the Pacific.
Day 8 We drive south to the small town of Cochrane. There is a lot to admire along the way, and we will take plenty of stops to make the most of our time in this stunning and little visited area.
Day 9 Patagonia National Park is one of the youngest National Parks in Chile’. Since then, nature has returned to a vast area that was until recently a vast livestock ranch. We will spent the whole day exploring the park and its wildlife, which could Guanaco, Chilla fox and plenty more.
Day 10 We drive back to Coyhaique (330kms), travelling for some of our journey along the impressive Rio Baker, making plenty of stops along the way.
Day 11 An hour’s drive takes us back to Balmaceda to catch our flight back to Santiago for one last night at an airport hotel, before our morning flights next day (Day 12) arriving back in the UK Day 13.
Optional Tierra del Fuego extension
Day 11 From Balmaceda, we take an internal flight down to Punta Arenas, Chile’s southernmost city and the gateway to Patagonia.
Day 12 We take a boat trip out to Magdalena Island in the Straits of Magellan, home to a colony of over 28,000 Magellanic Penguins, along with Imperial and Rock Cormorants, Dolphin and Kelp Gulls, Chilean Skua and South American Tern. We walk towards the centre of the island, surrounded by the sights and sounds (and smells!) of this busy seabird city. In the afternoon we take a ferry across the Straits, looking out for Commerson’s Dolphins during the short crossing, before arriving at Porvenir, the capital of Chilean Tierra del Fuego.
Day 13 The northern part of Tierra del Fuego was once inhabited by the Ona and Selknam societies who lived here until the arrival of the Europeans in the late 19th Century. We visit Cerro de los Ona, an interesting hilltop archaeological site once home to these native peoples. From here we travel south to Karukinka. En route we cross the open Patagonian steppe, passing across sheep-ranching ‘estancias’ where we will look out for herds of Guanaco, the wild ancestor of the llama. We arrive at Pampa Guanaco, gateway to the recently established Karukinka Park, with dense forests of Nothofagus pumilio as we approach Lago Deseado.
Day 14 We cross a scenic mountain pass to arrive at Caleta Maria, in the far south of Isla Grande. Our boat trip takes us out into Jackson Bay, where there is a small breeding ‘rookery’ of the enormous Southern Elephant Seal. We circumnavigate an islet where Black-browed Albatrosses nest, looking out for Chilean and Peale’s Dolphins and, if we are very lucky, the Southern River Otter. From the icy waters of the remote Parry Fjord we admire the Darwin Range, the southernmost extension of the Andes, and check the ice floes for Leopard Seal, which sometimes stray here.
Day 15 We explore the lodge surroundings, looking for Magellanic Woodpecker, Thorn-tailed Rayadito and White-throated Treerunner, while the botanists amongst us will find several species of orchids on the forest floor. We take a boat ride on Lago Deseado, and walk across the nearby peat bogs to visit a secluded waterfall. Noisy flocks of Austral Parakeet attract the attentions of Chilean Hawk, while the area is also home to the large Culpeo fox.
Day 16 We leave the Deseado area this morning and head across to ’Useless Bay’. Here, a small colony of 100 King Penguins has formed in recent years, the only breeding site on the South American ’mainland’.
Day 17 We visit some alkaline lagoons where our target will be the taxonomically unique Magellanic Plover, the only member of its family and more closely related to sheathbills than to plovers. Other birds of the area should include the lovely Austral Negrito, Short-billed Miner and flocks of White-rumped Sandpiper and Wilson’s Phalarope. An afternoon ferry takes us back to Punta Arenas, watching out for seabirds and cetaceans during the crossing.
Day 18 We fly back to Santiago for one last night at an airport hotel, before our morning flights the next day (Day 19) arriving back in the UK Day 20.
Please note that the itinerary may be changed to suit the weather or other practicalities at the discretion of the leaders.
Accommodation will be at good quality, comfortable lodges and hotels, all with en-suite accommodation.
Meals provided during the stay will be a mixture of local and International dishes. Requests for special diets can be accommodated.
We will ensure that our travelling is as comfortable as possible, using small coach/mini-bus. On the longer journeys we will be in a comfortable, air conditioned coach and will make plenty of comfort stops and have time to stretch our legs a little and explore some of the places en route. The areas
we pass though are fascinating and our journeys give us the chance to see much of the landscape and the local culture.
We will take domestic flights between Santiago, Balmaceda and Punta Arenas, most likely with Latam.
Group flights
Group flights are with British Airways from London Heathrow:
29th November depart London Heathrow 22.15, arrive Santiago 09.55 (30th)
10th December depart Santiago 13.00, arrive London Heathrow 06.15 (11th)
or
17th December depart Santiago 13.00, arrive London Heathrow 06.15 (18th)
It is also possible to fly from regional airports, including Bristol and Manchester, with KLM and/or AirFrance, via Amsterdam or Paris: ask us about options.
Time zone
Chile is three hours behind UK time.
Entry requirements
If you hold a British passport, you can visit Chile for up to 90 days without a visa. Your passport should have an ‘expiry date’ after the day you plan to leave Chile.
On arrival, the Chilean immigration authorities will give you a tourist card (‘tarjeta de turismo’), an A5-sized white form, which you must keep safe and give it to immigration when you leave the country.
A range of weather is expected. December is the first month of the summer in Chile, and average temperatures in Santiago will be around 20° C. Further south, things will be considerably cooler, around 10° to 15° although we can still expect it to be sunny and (hopefully) dry. It can be windy, and it will feel considerably colder at night and during our various boat trips. Bring layers!
You need to be generally fit and able to cope with ‘living out of a suitcase’, with some long travel days.
No strenuous walking is involved but you need to have a reasonable level of general fitness. Most of the walks are not long (perhaps a couple of hours): to see the best of the wildlife, it may be necessary to walk on rough ground or uphill.
We will be visiting moderately high altitudes during our time in the Andes, perhaps reaching around 2500m at times. If you have any reason to believe that you might be adversely affected at these altitudes you should consult your doctor prior to booking.
We recommend you wear a face covering (FFP2 or equivalent) in the airports and on international and local flights.