SOUTHERN
ARGENTINA!
October
22 - 31, 2021
Featuring:
The Valdés Peninsula,
Los Glaciares National
Park,
Moreno Glacier, Le Martial
Glacier, Tierra del Fuego
National Park, Beagle
Channel and more!
Trip
Cost and Travel
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your space!
The
southernmost tip of
the American Continent
is a land of vast expanses
and unexplored wilderness.
An immense geographical
region flanked by the
Atlantic Ocean to the
east and the Pacific
the the west, Patagonia
spans north to south
from the Colorado River
in Argentina and Reloncaví Sound
in Chile to the Beagle
Channel and Cape Horn.
This
tour will explore the steppes
and forests of Argentine
Patagonia and southern
Argentina searching for
the unique birds and other
wildlife that inhabit these
climes.
Patagonia
hosts
60 bird species restricted
or near endemic to
the region. The Patagonian
forests are home to spectacular
birds like Magellanic
Woodpecker
and Lesser Horned Owl.
Andean Patagonia is
also unique for its spectacular
scenery, including
spectacular glaciers like
the Moreno, which we’ll
have the chance to see
at Los Glaciares National
Park.
Southern
Argentina is also an incredible
place for marine mammals
with the Valdés
Peninsula standing out
as the only breeding colony
of Southern Elephant Seal
on the South American
continent.
This is also the main
breeding area for Southern
Right Whale and home to
the famous sea-lion hunting
Orcas that have made
the substance of innumerable
nature films.

No
trip to Patagonia is complete
without paying a visit
to Ushuaia, the southernmost
city on earth. Here, we
will explore the forests
and islands seen and described
by Charles Darwin in the
early 19th century.

Some
of the wildlife highlights
of this tour:
Burrowing Parrot, Carbonated
Sierra Finch, Hudson’s
Black Tyrant, Rusty-backed
Monjita, Sandy Gallito,
Cinnamon Warbling Finch,
White-throated Cacholote,
Magellanic Penguin, Magellanic
Plover, Magellanic Woodpecker,
Magellanic Tapaculo, Yellow-bridled
Finch, Ochre-naped Ground
Tyrant, Grey-flanked Cinclodes,
Flying Steamer Duck, Fuegian
Steamer Duck, Ashy-headed
Goose, Thorn-tailed Rayadito,
Rufous-legged Owl, Austral
Pygmy-owl, Gentoo Penguin,
Southern Giant Petrel,
Magellanic and Common Diving
Petrels, Black-browed Albatross,
Southern Right Whale, Elephant
Seal and more!
Join
us for a wild adventure
in
southern Argentina!
Photos
above: Burrowing Parrot
by Pablo Petracci; Moreno
Glacier by Pablo Petracci;
Magellanic Woodpecker by
Luis Segura;
Whale watching off the
Valdes Peninsula; Thorn-tailed
Rayadito by Steve Bird.
ITINERARY
Day 1 – Trelew
to Las Grutas
Our
tour commences this morning
at the airport of Trelew,
Argentina
(Airport code: REL, flights
connect from Buenos Aires),
where we will meet and
drive
northwards
to Las Grutas, a small
city located in the Province
of Río
Negro on the shores of
San Matías
Gulf. This particular
location of northeastern
Patagonia is the southernmost
range
limit for several Argentine
birds
including many endemics,
so we will spend the
balance of the day looking
for birds like Carbonated
Sierra Finch, Hudson’s
Black Tyrant, Rusty-backed
Monjita and many others.
This area is also the
stronghold for the Burrowing
Parrot;
a common resident
which is often a favorite
of the tour!
We
will
spend
one
night at a nice hotel
in town.
Day
2 – Las Grutas
to Puerto Pirámides
We
will make an early start
this morning to go birding
in the surroundings of
the hotel before breakfast.
Our goal will be to try
and find endemic birds
like Sandy
Gallito,
Cinnamon Warbling Finch,
and White-throated Cacholote.
After breakfast
at the hotel, we will
spend the balance of the
morning birding San Antonio
and Las Grutas looking
for birds that we might
have missed, and finally
have lunch here before
beginning our way south
to Puerto Pirámides,
the only village
inside the Valdés
Peninsula, where we will
spend the following two
nights. On arrival we
will check into our hotel
and, time permitting,
go birding in the surroundings
of town.
Day
3 – Valdés
Peninsula
Today,
we
will spend the day exploring
south and central Valdés
Peninsula. This fantastic
reserve is home to the
largest breeding population
of Southern
Right Whales on
Earth. More than 800
individuals
spend up to 9 months
a year in the pristine
waters of this remote
paradise. Along with
the whales, 32,000 Southern
Elephant Seals, 8,000
Southern Sea Lions and
huge numbers of different
dolphins and porpoises
share this environment
as well.
Diverse
land mammals inhabit this
unique Peninsula as well.
Herds of Guanaco roam freely
and
are abundant here.
The Mara, or Patagonian
Cavy, is by far the largest
rodent in Patagonia. They
live and reproduce inside
the Valdés
Peninsula and we expect
to find them especially
on the way to Punta Delgada,
the south-easternmost
point of the peninsula.
We will enjoy lunch at
Punta Delgada, and then
visit the Elephant
Seal Colony on their private
beach. From Punta Delgada
we will return to Puerto
Pirámides,
where we hope to take
an early evening boat
tour
to go watching Southern
Right Whale.
Day
4 – Valdés
Peninsula to Trelew
We will leave Puerto Pirámides
early this morning and
drive north to go visiting
Punta Norte, the north-easternmost
point of the Valdés
Peninsula. Besides going
to the general visitor
area, we will also visit
a private property to see
a Magellanic Penguin nesting
colony. Around 50,000 penguins
nest inside the Valdés,
and this colony is one
of the biggest in the area.

Magellanic
Penguins dig their own
nesting burrows under
bushes or in open areas
not far from the shore.
They get easily accustomed
to the presence of humans
in their breeding grounds
and do not run away from
the visitors, thus providing
fantastic photo opportunities
with penguins standing
right next to our feet!
A smaller cousin of the
Mara, the Patagonian
Lesser Cavy, is frequently
found taking the sun
just outside Magellanic
Penguin burrows,
where they find shelter.
Two species of armadillos
live here as well. They
are normally very tame
and do not hesitate
to get close to humans
and try for an easy
snack;
yet more easy photo
opps for avid nature
photographers!
After visiting Punta
Norte, we’ll
return to Puerto Pirámides
for lunch and then
drive back
to Trelew, where
we’ll
spend the balance
of the afternoon
birding
in the surroundings
of town. We’ll
spend the night
in
Trelew.
Day
5 – Trelew to El
Calafate
A
short drive this morning
will take us from the hotel
to Trelew city airport.
We will take our morning
flight to El Calafate,
where we hope to arrive
around noon, in time to
check into our hotel in
town
and have lunch. This afternoon
we will bird Laguna
Nímez,
a small lagoon not far
from Calafate city center,
on the shores of Lake
Argentino.
This lagoon is surrounded
by reed beds and gives
shelter to such wonderful
birds like Black-necked
Swan, Chilean Flamingo,
Andean Ruddy Duck, South
American Snipe, Upland
Goose and the rare and
scarce
Magellanic Plover. We
will
spend the following two
nights in El Calafate.
Day
6 – Los Glaciares
National Park
El
Calafate is the main gateway
to one of the most spectacular
landscapes of Argentine
Patagonia: the Austral
Andean Glaciers. Los Glaciares
National Park was created
in 1937 to preserve this
unique wilderness, its
pristine Southern Beech
forests, Andean lakes and
13 spectacular glaciers. Glaciar
Perito Moreno is,
by far, the best known
and most visited of them
all. It easily accessible
by land, and a series of
trails and lookouts in
front of it provide breathtaking
close-up views and superb
photo opportunities.
A
boat tour allows visitors
to get a different perspective
of this magnificent glacier,
so we will certainly seize
the opportunity and go
for it! The Moreno is one
of the few glaciers in
our continent that advances
and recedes constantly.
One of its huge vertical
ice walls, a five-kilometer
long one, sinks into the
Canal de los Témpanos
(Channel of the Icebergs).
This channel connects
one of the arms of Lake
Argentino -called Rico
with its main body, and
Moreno Glacier does fully
cross it, usually once
every 4 to 10 years, becoming
an actual impounding dam
that prevents water passage
and causes an unusual
rise in the waters of Rico
Arm. The water pressure
finally digs a tunnel through
the ice dam, forcing it
to collapse and fall, producing
a phenomenon known as
the “rupture” of
the glacier. This spectacular
show congregates hundreds
of glacier enthusiasts
the world over, who eagerly
wait for the ice bridge
to break down. But there
is no need to wait for
so long to be astounded
by the glacier. Huge masses
of ice constantly collapse
from the front wall; their
thundering fall being
welcomed by people’s
spontaneous applause at
all times.
The
glacier was named after
Francisco P. Moreno, a
famous Argentine explorer,
well known in this country
as the father of the National
Parks. One of his greatest
achievements was the discovery
of Lake Argentino.
Wildlife
is also very special in
this part of the world,
and birds are no exception.
The road between El Calafate
and Los Glaciares is flanked
by rocky cliffs, with the
snow-covered peaks of the
majestic Andes in the background.
This is home to the Andean
Condor, master of the Andean
skies, who will surely
escort us all the way to
the park, where we’ll
look for other spectacular
birds like Magellanic Woodpecker,
Spectacled Duck, Magellanic
Tapaculo and Rufous-tailed
Plantcutter to name but
a few.
Day
7 – El Calafate
to Ushuaia
We will bid farewell to
El Calafate this morning
and drive to the local
airport for taking our
flight to Ushuaia. After
landing at the southernmost
city on earth, we will
transfer to our hotel on
the shores of the Beagle
Channel, check in for the
following three nights
and have lunch. This afternoon
we will make a short tour
to Le Martial Glacier,
where we hope to take a
chair lift and get above
the timberline an look
for some very localized
bird species, like Yellow-bridled
Finch, Ochre-naped
Ground Tyrant and Grey-flanked
Cinclodes. The view from
this place is really spectacular,
and we will have the chance
to get wonderful pictures
of Ushuaia, the Beagle
Channel and the Chilean
island of Navarino.
Day
8 – Tierra del
Fuego National Park
Today we will set off after
breakfast for a full day
tour to Tierra del Fuego
National Park. Located
8 kilometers west of Ushuaia,
this park was created in
1960 to protect a vast
relict of coastal Southern
Beech forest, and its particular
wildlife. Several native
mammal species make their
home within the boundaries
of the park, with Fuegian
or Culpeo Fox, Southern
Sea-Otter, and Southern
River Otter standing out
of the rest because of
their highly restricted
distribution range in Argentina.
Unfortunately
foreign mammals like Canadian
Beaver, European Rabbit
and Muskrat were introduced
here in the early 20th
century, causing serious
damage to this fragile sub-Antarctic
ecosystem. The park authorities
have been working hard to
keep their populations low
and under control, but thus
far they failed to eradicate
these undesired invaders.
This
national park it reputedly
the best place in Argentina
for Magellanic Woodpecker,
but it’s
also great for birds like
Flying Steamer Duck, Fuegian
Steamer Duck, Kelp Goose,
Ashy-headed Goose, White-throated
Treerunner, Black-faced
Ibis, Thorn-tailed Rayadito
and three owl species:
Lesser Horned, Rufous-legged
and Austral Pygmy.
Day
9 – Beagle Channel
and Estancia Harberton
Today is special for those
who enjoy seabird watching.
We will leave our hotel
after breakfast and drive to
Ushuaia City port, where
we will board a motor catamaran
for a tour along the Beagle
Channel that will take
us east of Ushuaia, all
the way to Estancia Harberton.
There are several Southern
Sea Lion and Southern Fur
Seal colonies on the seashores
and small islets of the
Beagle Channel.
Seabirds
are abundant here as well.
Imperial and Rock Shags,
Magellanic and Gentoo Penguins,
South American Tern, Dolphin
Gull, Southern Giant Petrel,
Magellanic and Common Diving
Petrels, Black-browed
Albatross, Southern
Fulmar and many others
turn this place into a
birders paradise.
After
having lunch on board the
catamaran we will disembark
in Estancia Harberton,
the first farm of Tierra
del Fuego, established
by Rev. Thomas Bridges
in 1886. A local guide
will show
us around, and we will
also have time to do some
birding and visit the local
marine mammal museum. We
will return to Ushuaia
by bus in the late afternoon.
Day
10 – Ushuaia, end
of tour
We will spend our last
morning in Patagonia birding
in the surroundings of
our hotel, and then drive
to the city center for
having lunch at a local
restaurant and to enjoy
some free time for walking
around Ushuaia. We will
drive to Ushuaia International
Airport in the afternoon,
where the tour ends.
LEADERS: Gina
Nichol, Steve Bird, & local
guides
Photos
in itinerary: Burrowing
Parrot by Steve Bird; Sandy
Gallito by Luis Segura;
Southern Right Whale by
Luis Segura; Magellanic
Penguins by Steve Bird;
Moreno Glacier by Pablo
Petracci; Magellanic Tapaculo
by Steve Bird; Yellow-bridled
Finch by Steve Bird; Black-browed
Albatross by Steve Bird;
Long-tailed Meadowlark
by Steve Bird; Below, Magellanic
Plover by Steve Bird. |