Travel Log (Bitรกcora) january 11 to 17 - 2018 expedition
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Day 1 – Punta Arenas Our second expedition Patagonia Photosafaris 2018 season begins. We are fifteen adventurers and nature lovers that prepare for lifetime experiences and freeze with our cameras great moments that will provide us this second trip to Tierra del Fuego and the Magellain Strait. We leave in the morning from the city of Punta Arenas, the capital of the Magellain Region to the Carrera Bay, located 52 Kms. South. We are awaited there by the M/N Forrest and its crew, after setting up and receiving the security talk. We cross the Magellain Strait where we are accompanied by peale dolphins, black brow albatros and giant petrels. We navigate through the Whiteside canal in direction to Maria cove, at the back of the Almirantazgo Sound, where we will experience dawn around the Albatros Islet.
Day 2 – Parry Fjord We start the day with a lot of wind, a condition which forbids us to go out in the boats. And in order to avoid wasting the morning, we decide to navigate towards the Parry Fjord. Around 10:30 we disembark and walk in front of the beautiful Luis de Saboya Glacier. After passing by a hidden valley and arriving to the glaciers feet, we return onboard to enjoy our national drink a Pisco Sour, while the lunch is prepared. While we eat, the Forrest continues its navigation to the depth of the Parry Fjord, in front of the Darwin Glacier. To our great surprise we are awaited by three Leopard Seals, which rest over the ice, laying majestically to pose for our cameras. In view that the wind has diminished some, the captain returns to Caleta María, to disembark in the Albatros Islet, a distant place from the Almirantazgo Sound which is known for its beautiful pelargic bird nesting.
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Daniel Bathaver
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Our expectation is big since this tiny colony´s maintenance has been unsuccessful upon the arrival of the species called American mink. Soon, we return happily on board; together with watching some onehundred Albatros we have been able to observe a dozen chick pigeons which will continue to keep this colony alive. We keep our joyful mood in direction to Brookes Sound, a site of glaciers that come into being in the Cordillera Darwin, where we look forward to wander through unvisited places. We experience a lot of anxiety while waiting for this excursion since it is one of the challenges of this season.
Day 3 – Brookes Fjord We start with another rainy morning but with all the desire to explore unseen places. At the beginning, we disembark in the Gallegos Glacier, located in the sound of the same name, and a part of Brookes Fjord. We first arrive to a moraine glacier, located in the south side after visiting the site at the north. When we return on board the rain has ceased and we are confronted with an immeasurable view which we enjoy while having lunch (after a good Pisco Sour.) We disembark again in the boats, and enter the Finland arm, where we observe cascades, forests, floating glaciers and the prettiest ones in the bottom of the bay, which are Finland and Finland West. To immortalize this moment, we disembark in a beach with a glacier in the bottom. We continue towards the Auer arm, where we appraise splendid mountains and a glacier, as well as an important number of Imperial cormorant with chick pigeons. We return more than happy onboard. We then continue navigating to reach the next objective of our expedition: the De Agostini Fjord. For this purpose we must navigate ten hours across the Gabriel Channel, the Magdalena Channel and the Keats Sound, and reach the first glacier at dawn; à guila Glacier.
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Day 4 – De Agostini Fjord First thing in the morning, we arrive at the depth of the Agostini Fjord, to anchor in Serrano Sound. The boats are prepared to start the excursion to its glacier, a giant of ice that has its origin in the Darwin Range. We get closer and are able to observe its pitiful regression in only one year; approximately 30 meters. Between showers we can capture better with our cameras this moment. We then go back aboard for lunch, after which we reinitiate our hike with Águila Glacier as the target. From this one we carry out a two-hour walk, still around the glacier, and the most courageous passengers are offered to experience a trip by kayak, in the entrance of the lake. We are ready to depart from Tierra del Fuego towards the second part of the expedition, the Francisco Coloane Marine Park, a place of sighting of birds, sea lions, and the feeding zone of the humpback whale. We must navigate ten hours to the Dighton dock, near the Santa Inés island, and the Barbara Channel. Strong winds accompany us, therefore the captain decides to anchor in Queta, at the feet of Sarmiento mountain.
Day 5 – Bárbara Channel At 10 a.m. we meet at the Bárbara Channel and continue travelling towards the Shag Passage. On the way, we encounter five hunchback whales which are feeding themselves between birds and sea lions. We cannot stop watching these gigantic mammals which have evolved to the ocean. They can reach 35 tons, 16 meters long and can live over forty years. We anchor to have lunch and in the afternoon we go again in search of the whales but in boats, in order to have a more intimate contact of these beautiful animals.
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We regain our marvelous route to get to know the Kaweskar National Park, and the Santa Inés island. The crew concentrates in water chores and we get ready for the afternoon excursion. This one comprises the awesome glaciers of Sarmiento and Helado, where we stop. In the cliffs we observe seagulls, ducks, steamerduck, kaltgoonse and Imperial cormorant. Before the journey is over, we keep on watching whales in the Shag passage to stop pin Dighton, in the banks of Santa Inés island. Around 7 p.m. our barman, Fernando, has the pisco sours and some munchies. Someone sets the music higher. There s an omen of a moved night. Our kayak guide, Titi, starts motivating the passengers with a “let s dance, let s dance”. I ask our British friends if they want to listen softer music or the Beatles and the answer is unanimous: No! the Rolling Stones. In ten minutes they were dancing rock & roll with an enviable energy. It was a good end for a great day.
Day 6 - Carlos III Marine Park We start with another rainy day, which prevents us the departure in boats, so we make the decision to visit the Francisco Coloane Marine Park, Isla Carlos III and Rupert island with its Magallain penguins. There are few whales, so we return to the Bárbara Channel, where we find seven of them also feeding themselves. The conditions are optimal for the excursion by boat. It is amazing to watch them from the sea level. We also visit two colonies of sea lions, a species that reproduces in this area. We go back aboard for the last views of the whales. At 5 30 p.m. we start navigating back, to settle in El Águila Bay, where we wait for our last excursion.
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Day 7 - Aguila Bay At 9 a.m. we leave the ship in the boats in direction to the beach of the bay. Between 1905 and 1915, this place was used by the Sociedad Ballenera, a company of Punta Arenas that for a decade dedicated itself to the chase of cetaceans. Part of the dock, of a boiler and whale bones serve as witness. We here begin the hike to reach the furthest lighthouse in the American continent, Lighthouse San Isidro (1904). We keep walking for around two hours between a coastal planitude and an evergreen forest. After arriving at the lighthouse, we head back to the boats. We travel towards Carreras bay, where this beautiful life experience comes to an end at 3 p.m. We have eased a wonderful, unknown and still primeval corner of Chile. We disembark with our mind full of memories, and new friends which have shared this trip with us.
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Group 2ª Expedition january-2018 Patagon ia P h otosafaris Julie Olin Christopher Grace Rocío Diez Stephanie Knight William Knight Ashley Moffett Michael Bate Fiorella Repetto Jorge González Graciela tejeda Susana Chauriye Roberta Alvim María Beatriz Castro Claudio Almarza Luis Bertea
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SECOND EXPEDITION GROUP - JANUARY 2018 www.patagoniaphotosafaris.com