Rounding the Cape: Chilean Patagonia & Argentina s Staten Island 18 Days Nat Geo Explorer 148 Guests Expeditions in: Oct/Nov AU$23,740 to $38,740 Remote and largely inaccessible, Patagonia is the essence of wildness a maze of channels and islands. Venture deep into Chile s glorious fjords past incandescent icebergs and massive glaciers. From the land of fire, Tierra del Fuego, to the jagged spires of Torres del Paine National Park, experience Patagonia at close range aboard National Geographic Explorer. And, thanks to our special access, we ll enjoy the privilege of visiting the far-off, stunningly beautiful natural parklands of Karukinka and Yendegaia. DAY 1: Home/Santiago, Chile Arrive in Santiago, Chile and check in to the Grand Hyatt Hotel. Santiago is nearly surrounded by the Andes, which form an inspiring backdrop to our afternoon guided overview of this vibrant city. We explore the Plaza de Armas, the main square, and nearby Presidential Palace, enjoying wonderful views from the many hills that dot the city. (D) DAY 2: Puerto Montt/Embark Today we fly from Santiago to Puerto Montt, Chile s northern gateway to Patagonia. Time permitting, we ll explore the city and its environs before embarking National Geographic Explorer. (B,L,D) 2016 Departure Date: Oct 9 Advance Payment: $3,000 Cost Includes: One hotel night in Santiago, shipboard accommodations; meals indicated; services of Lindblad Expeditions Leader, expedition staff and expert guides; entrance fees; all port charges and service.
DAY 3: Castro (Chiloé Island) We spend the day exploring Chiloé s culture and natural history, seeing its attractive palafitos, colorful fishermen s houses precariously built on stilts along the water s edge. The town is full of little shops and a large open-air market where the Chileans show their indigenous wares, such as alpaca sweaters and lapis jewelry. You may choose to visit Chiloé National Park to see its forests, wetlands and wildlife, with a selection of longer or shorter walks. Magnificent alerce trees here may grow to over 200 feet tall. Alternatively, visit some of the welcoming small communities that dot the countryside and learn about a unique way of life. One of the unique features of the island s history and culture is its wooden churches, collectively designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. The churches and many of the houses are covered in a protective shell of wooden shingles in artistic designs. (B,L,D) Not Included: Immigration fees, air transportation; personal items such as alcoholic beverages, emails, laundry, voyage DVD, etc. Gratuities to ship s crew at your discretion. DAY 4: Pumalín National Park Pumalín s 750,000 acres in Chilean Patagonia are protected as one of the last areas where the unusual alerce forest remains. These huge trees are similar in dimension to California redwoods, with some specimens 2,000 years old. The Pumalín Project was established in 1995 by Doug Tompkins, an American conservationist, who wanted to preserve some of the remaining virgin forest in Chile. Have a choice of walks in the park with naturalists in the forest, visit a hidden waterfall, or, for the energetic, climb along a rushing stream and look for forest birds along the trail. In the afternoon we head for the Golfo de Corcovado in search of marine wildlife, looking for Magellanic penguins, sooty shearwaters, dolphins, and with luck, whales. (B,L,D) DAYS 5-8: The Inland Passage & The Chilean Fjords This large region of incredible scenery provides days of adventure for us. A vast area of snowcapped mountains, gigantic glaciers, thousands of islands covered with vegetation, lakes, soaring granite walls, and waterfalls, the archipelago is untouched by man, except for a few fishing villages which perch at the end of the world. We will make good use of our Zodiacs, kayaks and undersea technology to explore the beautiful protected waters and quickly run out of
suitable adjectives to describe all we are witnessing. With a National Geographic photographer and a photo instructor by your side, you ll have boundless photo options. One of the many highlights is the Pio XI Glacier, the longest glacier in the southern hemisphere outside of Antarctica. We explore by Zodiac and in the afternoon may hike on land exposed by the receding glacier. Be on deck to look for condors and other wildlife as our ship transits the Kirke Narrows on our way to Puerto Natales. (B,L,D) DAY 9: Puerto Natales/Torres del Paine National Park From Puerto Natales, drive to monumental Torres del Paine National Park, a UNESCO Biosphere. The landscape is big, wide and sprawling, with razor-backed ridges, Andean condors, flamingos, and rheas. It s hard to imagine that the park could top the drive, but the Torres del Paine are an amazing sight, jagged granite mountains topped with a thick layer of dark slate. Discover one of the most spectacular and wildlife-rich areas in the Americas, covering 450,000 acres of glaciers, forests and grasslands, rivers and colorful lagoons. Chileans themselves dream of visiting this magnificent park. You ll be able to choose whether to hike or else to drive to some of the most scenic places in this great setting. (B,L,D) DAYS 10-12: White Narrows/Exploring Tierra del Fuego, Chile: Karukinka Natural Park Be on deck to look for condors and other wildlife as our ship transits the breathtaking 200-foot-wide White Narrows, a dogleg between unforgiving rock bluffs, on our way out of Puerto Natales. Tierra del Fuego is one of Patagonia s crown jewels. We transit the White Narrows, then on November 2 visit its newest and largest protected area: Karukinka Natural Park. We re thrilled to have special permission from the Wildlife Conservation Society to visit this private reserve, which spans 1,160 square miles and harbors endangered culpeo fox and Andean condors. (B,L,D) DAY 13: The Chilean Fjords, Beagle Channel & Yendegaia We ll explore more stunning wilderness as we see the fjords and glaciers of the region by Zodiac, kayak and on foot. A vast area of
soaring, snowcapped mountains, gigantic glaciers, thousands of verdant islands, serene lakes, and waterfalls the archipelago is scarcely touched by man. Take Zodiacs out to explore these protected waters and rugged shores, the blue and white of ice contrasting with greens of the forest highlighted by splashes of late-season flowering plants. Look for the Andean condors, albatrosses, grebes, petrels, fulmars, shearwaters and many other birds that inhabit this otherworldly realm. Then we sail the Beagle Channel to Yendegaia, a stunning wilderness that covers 95,000 acres on Tierra del Fuego. This newly established national park was formerly a private reserve. It has beech forests, mountains and wild rivers. (B,L,D) DAY 14: Cape Horn Today we visit Cape Horn, near the southernmost tip of the South American continent, named in 1616 for the Dutch town of Hoorn. These waters are famously difficult to navigate, and over the centuries have been the graveyard of many ships which before the opening of the Panama Canal had to round the cape to sail between the Pacific and Atlantic. Of course, we ll use our modern equipment and decades of experience to explore safely. Weather permitting, we ll take our Zodiacs ashore and walk to the top of a hill for panoramic views and to see the memorial placed there in 1992, showing an albatross in silhouette. (B,L,D) DAYS 15-17: Isla de Los Estados (Staten Island), Argentina We have been given special permission to visit extraordinary Staten Island, and National Geographic Explorer will be one of the only expedition ships ever been allowed here. It s a place of superlatives, barely touched in recent decades and visited primarily by a few scientists and those who man the tiny naval observatory. The island was named by Dutch explorers in 1615. Its mountainous, forested landscapes and rugged fjords are beautiful, and we ll find a great deal of interest here. Our exact schedule will remain flexible to take best advantage of conditions. We ll see colonies of southern rockhopper and Magellanic penguins, many other water birds, and large assemblages of fur seals and sea lions. We ll also look for otters on our landings ashore, and we ll see the 1884 San Juan de
Salvamento lighthouse at the end of the world, which inspired Jules Verne s novel by the same name, along with the ruins of a penal colony, and perhaps an archaeological site occupied 1,500 years ago by Native Americans. There will be chances to walk in the southern beech forests. These days are bound to stand out as a unique chance to explore a very remote place. (B,L,D) DAY 18: Ushuaia/Disembark/Buenos Aires Disembark in Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. Take a charter flight to Buenos Aires and connect to your flight home. (B,L) National Geographic Explorer All pricing in AU Dollars COST PER PERSON DOUBLE OCCUPANCY 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 2016 $ 23,740 $ 25,520 $ 26,560 $ 28,150 $ 33,290 $ 38,740 $ 44,370 COST PER PERSON SINGLE OCCUPANCY SA SB 2016 $ 31,900 $ 33,200
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