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Patagonian forest tour

Scenic route | Spectacular landscapes | Iconic birds

Trip overview

This tour combines scenic routes with wonderful views of the Andes, mountain villages, “wizarding” Nothofagus forests flourish on the “rain shadow” of those mountains and vast lakes that irrigate the Patagonian Steppe while they go to the Atlantic Sea. This corner of Patagonia captivates travelers, climbers, hikers and nature lovers from the entire world every year.

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Iconic birds of the area are the Andean Condor, Magellanic Woodpecker, Black-throated Huet-huet, Magellanic Tapaculo and White-throated Treerunner, but also the Torrent Duck, Spectacled Duck and Rufous-legged Owl. In addition to this, there are several other fantastic creatures of this sub-Antartic forest hiding and waiting to be discovered for example the enigmatic Patagonian deer locally known as Huemul (South Andean Huemul | Hippocamelus bisulcus), which is a seriously threatened species, or the Wolffsohn´s Mountain Chinchilla (Lagidium wolffsohni).

 

Join this birding tour and find out this “wizarding” forest and its fantastic creatures.

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Tour details

Target birds for the area
Torrent Duck, Flying Steamer-Duck, Spectacled Duck, Chiloe Wigeon, Ruddy Duck, Lake Duck, Chilean Flamingo, Magellanic Plover, Magellanic Snipe, Least Seedsnipe, Andean Condor, Cinereous Harrier, Variable Hawk, Lesser Horned Owl, Austral Pygmy-Owl, Striped Woodpecker, Magellanic Woodpecker, Chilean Flicker, White-throated Caracara, Black-throated Huet-huet, Magellanic Tapaculo, White-throated Treerunner, Buff-winged Cinclodes, Gray-flanked Cinclodes, Thorn-tailed Rayadito, Plain-mantled Tit-Spinetail, Rufous-tailed Plantcutter, Tufted Tit-Tyrant, Dark-faced Ground-Tyrant, Cinnamon-bellied Ground-Tyrant, Fire-eyed Diucon, Chilean Swallow, Grass Wren, Patagonian Mockingbird, Austral Blackbird, Patagonian Yellow-Finch, Gray-hooded Sierra Finch, Patagonian Sierra Finch, Diuca Finch and more.

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Number of expected species: 75 - 80.

Mammal highlights
Guanaco, Huemul, South American Gray Fox, Humboldt´s Hog-nosed Skunk, Large Hairy Armadillo.

What’s included?
This tour includes:

  • All ground transportations in a private vehicule

  • Guided services: local birding guide

  • Spotting scope: Vortex Diamondback HD 65mm

  • Accommodations: Confortable cottages or 3-star hotels

  • Three meals a day: breakfast, box-lunch and dinner (3-course meal)

  • Drinking water for refill private bottles

  • Entrance fees

  • Personal insurances

It does not include:

  • Flight tickets

  • Alcoholic drinks

  • Tips or anything not mentioned in this page

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival at FTE. Overnight in El Chaltén.
Arrival at El Calafate Airport "Cte. Armando Tola" (IATA: FTE). Transfer to Laguna Nimez Natural Reserve and visit to Redonda Bay. Lunch. Transfer to El Chaltén with some birding stops. Check-in Hotel. Dinner. Night in El Chaltén.

Day 2: Full day birding in El Chaltén.
AM transfer to Lago del Desierto with some birding stops along the way in the Patagonian forest. Lunch. Full day birding in the area. Dinner. Night in El Chalten.

Day 3: Full day birding in El Chaltén.
Transfer to a natural park in search of birds and mammals. Lunch. Second full day birding in the forest area. Dinner. Night in El Chalten.

Day 4: Transfer back to FTE. End of the tour.
Check-out Hotel. Morning birding in El Chaltén. Land transfer back to El Calafate with a box lunch service. Drop off. End of the tour.

Notes
Itinerary can be changed due to force majeure and accommodation availability.

More information

Habitats
Sea coast, marshes, lagoons, shrublands, grasslands
(Argentine Sea and Magellanic Steppe)

Climate
Cold, semi-arid

Tour category
Birdwatching, with good opportunities to take photographs

Max group size
6 + 1 local guide (ask for larger groups)

Physical requirements
The physical difficulty of this tour is low (easy to moderate terrain).

Recommended equipment
Woolly hat, cap, sunscreen (+30), polarized sunglasses, warm and waterproof clothing, trekking shoes.

Departures
This tour is available anytime from October to March. It requires prior reservation.

Price
If you want a quote for this tour, please send an email to: info@southernpatagoniatours.com

Combined with
This tour can be combined with:

  • Hooded Grebe tour (5 days / 4 nights) | Read more [+]

  • Puma & wildlife safari (5 days / 4 nights) | Read more

  • Monte León NP (4 days / 3 nights) | Read more

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