Uncommon Discoveries and Special Access in Patagonia and Beyond

Our voyages along South American shores are expertly curated to include unique experiences that allow you to uncover the hidden side of your destination. During our long history of responsibly exploring these wild regions, we have been granted special access to restricted places, like the wildlife reserves of Karukinka Natural Park and the mountain-backed shores of Argentina’s Staten Island.

Fernando de Noronha

We spend three days exploring the marine-rich waters of this Brazilian archipelago, recognized by UNESCO for its sea life and tropical birds. The star attraction is the large resident pod of spinner dolphins, known to leap and twirl above the water’s surface in a dazzling display of acrobatics.

Torres del Paine National Park

This stunning park’s iconic mountain range—with razor-sharp peaks resembling great granite horns—presides over the Patagonian pampas, home to solitary pumas and herds of guanaco. Discover gem-colored lagoons, glistening glaciers, and lush lenga forests in this UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

Karukinka Natural Park

With special permission from the Wildlife Conservation Society, Lindblad Expeditions has access to Karukinka Natural Park, a private reserve of wind-bent forests and wetlands harboring more than 90 animal species, including Chile’s largest populations of guanaco, culpeo foxes, and Andean condors.

Argentina’s Staten Island

Cape Horn

At the southern tip of South America, where the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans meet, Cape Horn marks the northern end of the infamous Drake Passage, where mariners have braved cross currents for centuries. In the rare event that conditions are conducive to landing, you will achieve an explorer’s milestone.

Off limits for nearly a century, this island is seldom seen by tourists. Lindblad Expeditions paved the way for sustainable tourism here: National Geographic Explorer was the first foreign-flagged vessel given access. Magellanic penguins and fur seals are among the wildlife that thrives in this untouched nature reserve.

The Chilean Fjords

Patagonia’s ice-carved coast is lined with spectacular fjords, locally called senos . Venture deep into this extensive maze of channels, dotted with tiny islands and framed by subpolar forests. The massive glacier Pio IX extends for nearly 41 miles here, and is one of the few advancing glaciers in the world.