 Small-group and all-inclusive whale-watching trip to Chile's Straits of Magellan and the recently created "Francisco Coloane" Marine Park. Superb watching and photo opportunities of this unknown Humpbacks population, visiting these feeding grounds between December and April each year. Whales, penguins, glaciers and temperate forests...what could be better than discovering Patagonia's best-kept secrets.
5 days, 4 nights from Punta Arenas, Chile | Scheduled departures from December '09 through April '10 | Starting at $1,198 per person (app. £720, €825) 
Humpbacks of the Magellan Straits is a fascinating journey designed to discover some of the best-kept secrets of this imposing region of southern South America. This is a comprehensive natural history and nature photography to the mythic Straits of Magellan and the recently declared "Francisco Coloane" marine park, establish to protect a great array of marine mammals, seabirds and related coastal and offshore habitats. On Carlos III Island we will see its transient and conspicuous inhabitants, the Humpback Whales. We will see these grand creatures at close quarters as well as see a large array of seabirds and marine mammals of the sub-Antarctic region.
Humpbacks of the Magellan Straits (Trip Code PAT07) Trip Highlights • Dedicated expedition to find, study and photograph Humpback Whales in the Straits of Magellan. • A rich array of seabirds and marine mammals including penguins, albatrosses, petrels as well dolphins, sea lions and fur seals. • The dramatic, unknown and pristine habitats of western Patagonia, seldom visited by tourists and with remarkable wildlife, scenery and historic highlights. • Great local food and excellent nature lodges. • Stay at San Isidro Lodge, one of the remote lighthouses of the mythic Straits of Magellan. • Two nights at Carlos III Island Camp enjoying the facilities amidst this magnificent and absolutely pristine region. This program is operated as a scheduled departure, leaving on a set date. The Difference of Traveling with Fantastico Sur Expeditions: • Each of our trips to the Straits of Magellan have a maximum of 10-12 participants. • Great accommodations at conveniently located hotels and lodges, meaning shorter times to the wildlife sites. • Superb dinning cuisine and memorable picnic lunches. • Each vessel and its driver we use has been authorized by the Chilean Transportation Authority.• The service and expertise of a professional local birding/naturalist leader, who will look after every logistical aspect of “your” holiday. • You will receive a free, signed copy of one of our great natural history books for Chile & Patagonia. • … plus an useful pre-departure information package. Whales and Pumas of Patagonia can be combined with one of the following optional extensions: • Torres del Paine Explorer (3, 4 and 5 days); photo safari and natural history trip to Patagonia's premier wildlife destination; • The Falkland Islands (8 days / 7 nights), penguin photo encounters and other fantastic marine mammal and seabird colonies; • The Grand Atacama (4 days / 3 nights), a dedicated nature photo trip to discover the dramatic landcapes and surprisingly rich wildlife of the most arid desert in the world.
Humpbacks of the Magellan Straits (Trip Code PAT07) 
Day 1 • Punta Arenas | Drive to Port Famine| Zodiac trip to San Isidro Lodge | Hike to Bahía El Aguila (old whaling station remains) and San Isidro historic lighthouse Your guide will pick you up at your hotel during the afternoon (c. 3pm) and immediately will transfer you to the historic site of Port Famine. Founded in 1580, this was the first settlement on the Straits of Magellan. Unhappily, the extreme nature of the climate proved incompatible with human habitation, and the entire population had perished in a short period of time. 250 years later, a British scientific expedition, aboard the Beagle and the Adventure, spent several months undertaking extensive exploratory journeys in the Chilean Fjords. It was here that Charles Darwin conducted several field trips. From here we will take a short zodiac ride (c. 30 minutes) to San Isidro Lodge, our base for the exploration of this branch of the Straits of Magellan. Depending on our arrival time we will make a short hike towards the remains of the whaling station of El Aguila Bay; this station was fully operational during the early XX century and together with the stations of Antarctica and South Georgia were the responsible of the virtual disappearance of several whale species of the Southern Ocean. Luckily and due to the presence of marine reserves, whales are coming back as we will witness during the following day. This afternoon you will also have the chance of exploring the sheltered and forested shoreline by kayak and learn with your guide about the intertidal creatures of this pristine rocky coastline. San Isidro Lodge, San Isidro Bay (2*) (D)(G). Day 2 • Boat trip to Carlos III Island | Rest of the day looking for Humpback Whales Early in the morning we will board the motor yacht "Esturion" and start our navigation towards “Francisco Coloane Marine Park”, which protects the marine biodiversity of the western branch of the Straits of Magellan. The journey from our lodge to this great whale-watching spot takes between 5-6 hours and will be done using a sturdy and comfortable mortor yacht "Esturion". This magnificent area encloses Carlos III Island, which possesses a vast and unique biological diversity, due in part, to the mixing of the two oceans (Pacific and Atlantic), productive upwellings, the strong winds, the presence of glaciers and the dismembered coastline. This park hold a summer population of humpback whales (and occasionally Sei whale and Orca), which use these waters as feeding grounds. We will spend this night in the biological station, at very comfortable twin-bedded domes. We will have shared bathroom facilities at this location.
Eco-camp Carlos III, Carlos III Island (B,L,D)(G).
Day 3 • Carlos III Island
This morning we will have another whale-watching session aboard the zodiac boats and if we are lucky, we may see the endemic and scarce Chilean Dolphin while sailing these waters. We will also visit large breeding colonies of sea lions, fur seals and Magellanic Penguin. We will have a lecture by the scientist working on long-term population studies on these whales, and we will learn about several marking and identification techniques. We will have the whole afternoon to see these whales at close quarters and with no other visitors. This intimate experience will be enriched by the beautiful mountains, glaciers and pristine forests. Eco-camp Carlos III, Carlos III Island (B,L,D)(G). Day 4 • Faro San Isidro Lodge | Punta Arenas After a successful experience looking for the diversity of marine mammals and seabirds of this park, we will make our journey back to San Isidro Lodge. Along the route we will discover the rich seabird diversity of these seaways; we will see Black-browed Albatross, Southern Giant Petrels, Chilean Skuas and cormorants as well as pods of Peale’s Dolphins and the ubiquitous South American Sea Lions. If time permits, we will have a field trip, equipped with hand glasses, to discover the lichen and moss rich biodiversity of the sub-Antarctic forests. During the afternoon we will be transferred back to Punta Arenas for overnight. Hotel Diego de Almagro or similar, Punta Arenas (4*) (B,L,D)(G) Day 5 • Transfer to the airport
End of the trip after breakfast. Complimentary transfer to Punta Arenas airport. (B)
Codes: B=Breakfast; L=Lunch/Box-lunch; D=Dinner; G=Guide; *=Hotel Category
Humpbacks of the Magellan Straits (Trip Code PAT07)
Humpbacks of the Magellan Straits (Trip Code PAT07) Dates and Rates for scheduled departures: Trip Code | PAT06 | Trip Length | 5 days | 4 nights | 2010 Departures
| | January | 4 | 9 | 14 | 19 | 24 | 29 | | February | 6 | 11 | 16 | 21 | 26 | | | March | 3 | 8 | 13 | 18 | 23 | 28 | | April | 2 | 7 | 12 | 17 | 22 | 27 | | Price per person | $1,198 per person (app. £720, €825) | Single Supplement
| $560 per person (app. £337, €386) | Trips are guaranteed to depart with a minimum of 4 participants. Maximum group size 10-12 participants. |
Do you want us to arrange your flights from Santiago to Punta Arenas? Domestic flights Santiago – Punta Arenas – Santiago (from $150 per person). Duration of the flight: 3 hours (direct) / 4 hours (with a stop-over in Puerto Montt). What the trips includes/excludes The above prices are per person in US$, on double occupancy. The fee for the tours includes all meals, accommodations and guide services as stated in the itinerary, park entrance fees, transfers and private transportation during the tour. One bottle of mineral water per day. The trip price excludes domestic flights, tipping, personal medical and travel insurance, passport, excess baggage charges, à la carte dishes, snacks, drinks, laundry, telephone calls and anything else of a purely personal nature. Tour Registration: To register for this tour, complete the Fantástico Sur Expeditions registration form and return it with a deposit of $350 per person. Full payment of the tour fee (in US Dollars) is due 90 days prior to tour departure. Cancellation Policy: Notice of cancellation can only be accepted IN WRITING from the person who signed the booking form and takes effect on the day such noticed is received by us. Refunds are made according to the following schedule: If cancellation is made 120 days or more before departure date, the deposit less $250 is refundable. If cancellation is made between 120 and 60 days before departure, the deposit is not refundable, but any payments covering the balance of the fee will be refunded. If cancellation is made fewer than 60 days before departure date, no refund is available. This policy and fee schedule also applies to pre-trip and post trip extensions, as well as any transfers from one tour to another. We strongly recommend the purchase of trip cancellation insurance to protect yourself.
Humpbacks of the Magellan Straits (Trip Code PAT07) Check out our set of recent images from the Straits of Magellan and "Francisco Coloane" Marine Park.
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