Chile 2022—Santiago to Patagonia

Arrive at Santiago International Airport (SCL), where you’ll be greeted and transported to our hotel accommodations in Santiago. You’ll have the afternoon at your leisure to recuperate after a long journey. We’ll spend the evening preparing gear, and we’ll offer a photo presentation to kick off the trip.

Highlights

• Rest after a long international flight
• Informal dinner in town (not included)
• Gear prep/Q & A

Meals

• Not included

Accommodations

• TBD (Santiago)

Important

• Consider that hotel check-in will not likely be available until the early afternoon when booking your international flights.

Welcome to Santiago de Chile! Today we will visit the historical heart of the city and admire the diverse range of architectural styles. We’ll work to capture the imperial majesty of the Moneda Palace, absorb the vibrant atmosphere of Plaza de Armas, and appreciate the intricate facade of the Cathedral. Then we’ll pass the impressive Central Post Office before stopping in the Central Market, located in downtown and sheltered under an original wrought iron structure, where we will have lunch. Here we’ll wander through the different stands looking for photo opportunities among the vibrant people and exotic and fresh seafood on display: picorocos, piure, locos, machas, ostiones, reinetas. Finally we will ascend to the summit of San Cristobal Hill for panoramic vistas of the glittering city, observing the dramatic Andes mountain range in the distance.

Highlights

• Central market, plaza, cathedral, and central station walking photo tour
• Mirador with panoramic city views from San Cristobal Hill

Meals

• Breakfast at hotel
• Lunch at central market
• Dinner in Santiago

Accommodations

• TBD (Santiago)

This morning we’ll leave Santiago to explore the scenic road to Farellones and Valle Nevado that winds through the Andean foothills, located a short driving distance from Santiago. The 40-bend road slowly ascends through Mediterranean vegetation comprising columnar cacti, tall Puya bromeliads, and broadleaf patches of woodland. From October to February the phenomenal blooming of several mountain wildflowers, including alstroemerias, rhodophiala, and schizanthus, makes this beautiful landscape even more picturesque. The imposing and scenic Andes will provide a dramatic backdrop as we seek out the impressive Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus), the world’s largest flying bird. The Farellones area also provides convenient access to fantastic locations for landscape, bird and other wildlife photography including the mountain caracara, black-winged ground dove, white-sided hillstar, mountain parakeet, rufous-banded miner, black-billed shrike-tyrant, and yellow-rumped siskin, among many others. The road to Valle Nevado (the highest spot of our journey at nearly 3,000 m / 9,000 ft) constantly offers opportunities for impressive vistas of the Andes. 

Highlights

• Wildlife and landscape photo opportunities in the foothills of the Andes mountains

Meals

• Breakfast at hotel
• Lunch on tour
• Dinner in Santiago

Accommodations

• TBD (Santiago)

Today we’ll head out to the charming coastal city of Valparaíso. This historic port city was declared a UNESCO world heritage city in 2003. The faded beauty of its urban ‘cerros’ (hills), some of the best street art in Latin America, and a maze of steep, sinuous streets, alleys, and ‘escaleras’ (stairways) piled high with crumbling mansions make Valparaíso a cultural and street photography must-see. In the nineteenth century, the town was an attractive destination for European and American immigrants, due to its natural and architectural beauty. But after the construction and inauguration of the Panama Canal, Valparaíso was no longer an obligatory path for sailors around the world and the flow of ships and commercial activity, which gave Valparaiso its urban magnificence, diminished. To go adventuring through the hills of Valparaíso is like going back in time, and (with some imagination) feeling what its first settlers and adventurers felt. After lunch, we’ll begin our return to Santiago, stopping to visit a vineyard in the Casablanca Valley.

Highlights

• Cultural highlights of Valparaíso
• Visit to a local vineyard in Casablanca Valley

Meals

• Breakfast at hotel
• Lunch in Valparaíso
• Dinner in Santiago

Accommodations

• TBD (Santiago)

Important

This morning we’ll have a 2-hour flight to Puerto Montt. The city of Puerto Montt is located 600+ miles south of Santiago and is the entrance to Chile’s Lake District. The topography south of here forms the maze of archipelagos and channels known as the Patagonian Fjords. If the skies are clear, we’ll have the chance to admire a line of volcanos forming part of the southern section of the Andes, the most striking of which is Osorno, with its nearly perfect cone-shaped stature. Once we arrive at Puerto Montt, we’ll drive southward to the ferry to cross the Chacao Channel. This 30-minute ride offers great marine wildlife viewing opportunities and it’s likely we’ll see pods of Peale’s dolphin, groups of South American sea lions, and an array of seabirds including southern giant petrel, sooty and pink-footed shearwaters, imperial and red-legged cormorants, peruvian pelicans and South American terns. Once we’re on the island of Chiloé, we’ll take a scenic drive to the little fishermen’s cove of Puñihuil, where we’ll board a boat to the nearby islets that are home to several species of seabirds and marine waterfowl such as rock cormorant, kelp goose and flightless steamer duck, and especially, the only known mixed colony of both Humboldt and Magellanic penguins. Marine mammals such as South American sea lion and marine otter are regulars here as well.

Highlights

• Scenic drive into Chile’s Lake District
• Ferry ride across the Chacao Channel
• Afternoon boat tour near Puñihuil Cove

Meals

• Breakfast at hotel
• Lunch in transit
• Dinner in Chiloé (not included)

Accommodations

• Cabañas Pinguinhaus or similar

This morning we’ll embark on a special boat excursion to explore the wild Pacific
coastline of Chiloé island. We may encounter pygmy blue whales and humpback whales, as well as other great pelagic prospects such as the subantarctic shearwater, which nests in this rugged, densely forested coastline. The island of Metalqui, our morning destination, is also home to a very large breeding colony of South American sea lions. During the afternoon, we will visit the mudflats of Caulin Bay, an important stopover for flocks of migrating shorebirds, including a significant part of the world population of Hudsonian godwit, a truly long-distance champion that winters here and in other extensive bays of Patagonia, together with red knot and a variety of other shorebirds. Black-necked swans are usually seen here at large numbers as well.

Highlights

• Boat tour of rugged coastline and surrounding islets, with wildlife opportunities at Metalqui Island and Caulin Bay

Meals

• Breakfast at hotel
• Packed Lunch
• Dinner near Puñihuil Cove (not included)

Accommodations

• Cabañas Pinguinhaus or similar

During the morning we’ll visit several of the famous colonial wooden churches whose architecture was inspired by shipbuilding, a skill most old-time islanders mastered. The churches we visit could  include those located at Dalcahue, Achao, Quinchao, Castro, and Nercón, where we’ll also have opportunities to visit local markets. These remarkable structures are regarded as World Heritage Sites and represent the legacy of the Jesuit missionaries who explored these intricate archipelagos in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Later, we’ll head back to Puerto Montt to fly to Punta Arenas, Chile’s southernmost city, located at the very tip of the South American Continent on the northern shore of the Straits of Magellan and the gateway to our Chilean Patagonia adventure.

Highlights

• Castro stilt houses
• Local market
• Famous wooden churches of Chiloé

Meals

• Breakfast at hotel
• Lunch in Castro
• Dinner in Punta Arenas

Accommodations

• TBD (Punta Arenas)

Today we’ll be transferred to Torres del Paine National Park, Chilean Patagonia’s premier destination. During our journey to the park, we’ll observe how the strong westerly winds have sculpted the vegetation of the Patagonian steppe. As we cross the steppe and enter the southern beech (Nothofagus) forests we may find guanaco, southern grey fox and Patagonian skunk. We’ll stop several times for photography and wildlife observation along the way. Colorful groups of Chilean flamingo may be seen on the alkaline pools and we’ll have delightful views of black-necked and coscoroba swans on the shores of Ultima Esperanza Fjord, in Puerto Natales. As we approach the park we’ll enjoy splendid vistas of the hilly terrain and, if it’s clear, a magnificent set of rugged peaks formed out of granite and sedimentary rock known as the Paine Massif. In the final approach through the valley, we’ll receive a geological interpretation of the origins of the dramatic backdrop of Torres del Paine, one of the finest natural spectacles in Patagonia. We’ll finish the day with a sunset photo session.

Highlights

• Wildlife and landscape photo opportunities on a drive through the Patagonian steppe and Southern Beech forest
• Entrance into the magnificent Torres del Paine National Park
• Sunset photo session

Meals

• Breakfast at hotel
• Lunch on tour
• Dinner at Hotel Lago Grey

Accommodations

• Hotel Lago Grey

Once inside the park, we’ll explore both the eastern and western sectors via private transportation to find the best photo opportunities. The omnipresent Paine Massif dominates the landscape. The long-gone Indians of Patagonia called it Paine, meaning blue, presumably referring to its remarkable coloration when observed at a distance. We’ll have the opportunity to explore the southern beech forest and its diversity of plants and animals; we may find Magellanic woodpecker, austral parakeet and, if we’re lucky, the shy Andean deer or huemul. We’ll visit Glacier Grey up close and personal on a spectacular boat tour of Lago Grey. And we’ll have at least one early morning to shoot the sunrise on the Paine Massif, as well as one later evening to shoot the beautiful starlit sky. Each day will be dependent on weather conditions and forecast as we try to set up for the best photos possible.

Highlights

• Eastern & western sectors of Torres del Paine
• Predawn & astrophotography workshops in Torres del Paine
• Glacier Grey boat tour

Meals

• Breakfast at Hotel Lago Grey
• Lunch on tour
• Dinner at Hotel Lago Grey

Accommodations

• Hotel Lago Grey

This morning we’ll have another early start in order to photograph the Towers (Las Torres) or the Horns (Los Cuernos) with the first light, when the mountain base glows orange and the scene becomes quite dramatic with lenticular clouds moving fast over the peaks. We’ll visit the eastern corner of Lago Sarmiento, a location that offers the most incredible views of the towering peaks of Las Torres, the pinnacles from which the park takes its name. And as we continue on our way out of the park, we’ll look for herds of guanaco, the curious-looking lesser rhea, and impressive Andean condors soaring above. We’ll visit the eastern side of the park to enjoy the views of one of the impressive waterfalls of Paine River and if it’s clear, of the fabulous granite columns of the Paine massif from Laguna Amarga. Finally we’ll enjoy a picnic before heading back to Punta Arenas airport where our trip ends.

Highlights

Meals

• Breakfast at Hotel Lago Grey
• Lunch on tour

Accommodations

• No accommodations included