Patagonia and the Falkland Islands
Nov 28 to Dec 12, 2025 (15 days)
Itinerary:
Nov 28: Arrive Punta Arenas (PUQ), Chile where you will be met by your guide and transferred to your hotel located on the City’s main plaza. Afternoon free to look around the historic city center, stroll along the Straits of Magellan or visit the Maggiorino Borgatello Natural History Museum. Welcome diner in the evening. (Overnight Hotel Jose Noguiera).
Nov 29: Following breakfast, we will transfer to the Punta Arenas airport (PUQ) where we will connect with our AM flight to the Falkland Islands (MPN). Our arrival port there is Stanley where we will be staying at the Lafone House B&B operated by a lovely lady by the name of Arlette Betts. In the afternoon if time allows, we may make a short drive out of town to Gypsy Cove where we may be able to see our first penguins! Dinner at a local restaurant in Stanley.
Nov 30: Today we depart early for a full-day photography excursion to Volunteer Point about a 2 hour drive away by Land Rover. The highlight at Volunteer is the large King Penguin colony of nearly 2,000 individuals along with many other types of birds. Here we may also find some fur seals resting on the beach. Return to Stanley to Lafone House with dinner at a local restaurant in town.
Dec 1: In the AM we will transfer to the Stanley airport to board our 9 passenger FIGAS Islander aircraft for the flight to Carcass Island where we will spend the next 2 nights. Carcass has a full-service lodge and we will be within walking distance of several penguin and cormorant breeding areas. There is also a colony of breeding Elephant Seals close by and there should be lots of breeding activity at this time of the season. We hope to see Alex who has been the dominant bull breeding here for many years and is known to form a harem of as many as 200 females.
Dec 2: Today we have a full day to explore Carcass Island. We will likely head out to shoot before sunrise returning to the lodge for breakfast. We will then make a several hours hike (weather dependent) to a more distant areas for penguins and native birds.
Dec 3: After an early AM shoot near the lodge and followed be breakfast, we will prepare for our FIGAS flight to the “Settlement” on Saunders Island. Timing for this is variable and scheduled by FIGAS the day prior and we will be ready for when they tell us. Upon arrival to Saunders we will be met by Suzan and David Pole-Evans, the colorful owners of this private island. Following a lunch, we will stop by the store to purchase our food for the next 2 days and then transfer by Land Rover for roughly 1 hr to “The Neck” where we will spend the next 2 nights at the self-catering base camp (we prepare our own meals). Being at The Neck one feels as if they have just been dropped into the middle of an episode of Planet Earth. The Neck is a narrow isthmus of sand that adjoins Saunders to another smaller island. Here we will be just a short walk from thousands of breeding penguins (Rock Hopper, Gentoo, Magellanic, King Penguins and occasionally a Macaroni can be spotted hanging out with the Rock Hoppers. There is also a large Black-browed Albatross colony a short walk away. Commerson’s Porpoise are often seen surfing along the beach and Leopard Seals can occasionally be encountered resting on the beach.
Dec 4: Full day of photography at The Neck.
Dec 5: Following breakfast we will be picked up by Land Rover and transported back to the settlement to meet our FIGAS flight back to Stanley. We will again check into the Lafone house and go for dinner at a local restaurant in town.
Dec 6: Following a relaxed breakfast, we will transfer to the MPN airport to board our flight back to Punta Arenas. Upon arrival to PUQ we will transfer to our hotel and perhaps go out for a final farewell dinner in the evening. (Overnight Hotel Jose Noguiera).
Dec 7: After breakfast we will begin making our way North towards Torres del Paine National Park. We will likely stop in Puerto Natales on the way to refuel and afterwards continue driving north towards the national park. Depending on timing, we may stop by Laguna Sofia where Condors can often be sighted soaring along the cliffsides. Here we can have a picnic lunch and perhaps do a hike depending in weather conditions. Later there is another small lake we pass where we often encounter the “Huala” or Great Grebe and it is also quite common to come across local gauchos going about their business along this section of road. Eventually we will make our way into Torres del Paine and will check into our hotel on a small island along the shore of Lago Pehoe. Here we are treated to a truly commanding view of the Paine Massif and will make our base here for the next 4 nights. (Overnight Hosteria Pehoe).
Dec 8-10: Each morning we will head out early for first light on the Paine Massif, our specific location chosen based on the weather and light conditions. We will return to the hotel for breakfast and later depart to explore the National Park by road or on foot. There are several hikes of varying difficulty we can consider and will choose which of those we may like to do depending on weather and light conditions. These may also be days to consider taking the optional boat tour across Lago Grey to the terminus of the Grey Glacier. (Overnight Hosteria Pehoe).
Dec 11 : Today we will have a relaxed morning to catch up on our rest. We will then drive back through Puerto Natales stopping for a leisurely lunch. From there we will travel another hour south to the historic Estancia Rio Penitente. This ranch was established in the late 1800’s by Scottish immigrants and still remains in the hands of the 5th generation descendants of the original pioneering family. The ornate main ranch house where we will stay is adorned by many antiques and historic photographs. This is still a working sheep ranch and they also raise a small herd of llamas. We will have the afternoon to wander and explore the ranch grounds and or a stroll along the Rio Penitente which flows through the property. We may be treated to a traditional “Asado” of roast lamb as a final farewell dinner. (Overnight Estancia Rio Penitente).
Dec 12: Following breakfast, we will transfer about 1 hour to the Punta Arenas airport (PUQ) where you will connect with your flight home. End of tour…….
Price: US$9,260 per person based on double occupancy (shared room). US$10,980 per person single occupancy (private room). *note: for the Saunders Island portion in the Falklands, single accommodations may not be available.
Included: All hotels, meals, ground transportation, park entrance fees, inter-island flights in the Falklands and guiding.
Not included: International airfare or flights between Punta Arenas and the Falkland Islands, Excess baggage fees for Falklands (over 20kg), alcoholic beverages, laundry service, gratuities for hotel/restaurant staff and guides.