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Chilean Birding Adventure
Enjoy the breathtaking wildlife, diverse habitats and scenery of the 'Thin Country'
Overview
Birding in Chile can be breathtaking! We will find many fascinating species, some with very restricted ranges and some that are little known outside Chile.
Our itinerary starts near the capital, Santiago, and we will search for Andean species including Mountain Caracara, Chilean Mockingbird, Mountain Parakeets, hopefully the first of many magnificent Andean Condors and perhaps the rare and stunning Diademed Sandpiper-plover. We then visit the wetlands of the Aconcagua river mouth, and the coast near Valparaiso looking for a range of waterfowl and seabirds plus a breeding colony of Humboldt Penguins, the elegant Inca Tern and the endemic Chilean Seaside Cinclodes and we will look for the aptly-named Many-coloured Rush-Tyrant. The scarce Southern Sea Otter is also in this area.
Next is La Campana National Park for some endemic passerines. An unforgettable experience follows with a half day boat-trip out into the Pacific’s Humboldt Current, one of the world’s finest pelagic birding locations for a number of Albatross species and a range of southern petrels, shearwaters, skuas and gulls. After more exploring of forested Andean slopes to try and find the much sought-after Magellanic Woodpecker (South America’s largest) and many other species special to the area, we take a short flight to Puerto Montt, entrance to Chile’s Lake District. Here we walk in the Nothofagus forests of Puyehue National Park with their fantastic mountain backdrop to attempt to find amongst others, the spectacular Black-throated Huet-huet! An excursion to the coast with its intertidal mudflats will bring wintering flocks of various waders, Flightless Steamer Duck and Black-necked Swan.
Our adventure continues to Punta Arenas, Chile’s southernmost City, flying over seemingly endless Patagonian icecaps, deep fjords and the rugged peaks of the southern Andes. Birding along the coast of The Straits of Magellan, we will start to encounter a whole host of species special to ‘the End of the World’; ducks, geese, seabirds and much more. The ferry crossing to Tierra del Fuego should bring more Albatrosses and Petrels along with Commerson’s Dolphins in the wake. Certain waders and passerines special to the area will be encountered on the shrubby slopes and moorlands of the Baquedano Hills. We will also make a special excursion to see and photograph a group of the iconic King Penguin as featured in the incredible BBC Frozen Planet series.
Back on the mainland we will see Chilean Flamingo, Coscoroba Swan, Upland Goose and hopefully Lesser Rhea. Before heading to the Torres del Paine National Park we will visit a Magellanic Penguin rookery on Otway Sound. While staying in the Park we will walk in the unparalleled scenery of the towering granite peaks and glaciers of the Torres del Paine, regarded as one of the most beautiful national parks in the world. We will follow fast flowing streams and around emerald-coloured lakes to look for the remarkable Torrent Duck, while watching groups of the charismatic member of the camel family, the Gaunaco. Amongst the array of birds we will also look for other mammals including Culpeo Fox and there is always a chance of the Lord of the Andes, the Puma. On returning to Punta Arenas we then take a flight to Santiago and onwards to London.
Barry Trevis, our in house bird expert will lead this holiday joined by a guide from local wildlife specialists Fantastico Sur Expeditions, for the whole of the tour. Plus you will get even closer to the action thanks to Swarovski Optik who will be supplying a 50x magnification telescope.
Barry Trevis, our in house bird expert will lead this holiday joined by a guide from local wildlife specialists Fantastico Sur Expeditions, for the whole of the tour. Plus you will get even closer to the action thanks to Swarovski Optik who will be supplying a 50x magnification telescope.
Holiday Information SheetYou can download more information about the holiday by clicking the 'Holiday Information' link on each departure date below.
All Holiday Information sheets are in PDF format. You will need Acrobat Reader or a similar program to view these. To download Acrobat Reader visit get.adobe.com/reader.
All Holiday Information sheets are in PDF format. You will need Acrobat Reader or a similar program to view these. To download Acrobat Reader visit get.adobe.com/reader.
Why have I travelled 31 times with Ramblers Worldwide Holidays over the past 39 years & even repeated 3 holidays again ...
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We have just returned from a wonderful holiday in South Africa - Exploring Cape Province. We both felt that the holiday...
I have walked with Ramblers Worldwide on six of the seven continents. The world is full of wonders; ancient civilisatio...
Barry is our Buildings Manager and also our birdwatching expert. He's keen to add both holiday to destinations with good birdwatching opportinities for the non expert as well as holidays specifically for enthusiasts. And not content with putting the holidays together, he leads as many of them as he can!
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