29 March 2008: The Magellanic Penguin is the most common and numerous penguin species found in South America. The size of its population is estimated to be a total of 1.5 million couples. 2500 couples can be found in Seno Otway which we visited yesterday, and 62,000 couples can be found on Magdalena Island (85 hectares). Magdalena Island and Martha Island (12 hectares) were declared Natural Monument in 1982.

So we got tickets for the ferry to Magdalena Island and went on 29 March, a Saturday, which luckily for us, was the last day people could visit the uninhabited island, till September. The penguins leave the island between March-April every year towards Atlantic and Pacific coastal waters to feed, so with no penguins around, it is not permitted for people visit the island between April and September.

This double-deck ferry awaited us in Punta Arenas

Taken from the ferry as it left the shore

The ferry captain

 After a 2-2.5 hour ride in the ferry, we were eager and excited to disembark

 At least a hundred other people were also on the ferry to see the penguins

 Monumento Natural Los Pinguinos

Penguin paradise for these Magellanic penguins!

The penguins we saw were the last ones still remaining on the island, and have not yet departed the island for the faraway waters to feed. All the young ones have left, and those remaining were finishing their molting or were trying to fatten themselves more before the voyage. So what we saw was only a fraction of the entire colony.

Penguins guarding their nests

We could only walk along the designated dirt path so as not to disturb the colonies.

Penguins coming onto shore after a swim to find fish. Don’t they look so cute!

Magellanic Penguins are medium-sized penguins which grow to be 70-76 cm (28-30 in) tall and weigh between 3 kg and 6 kg. Each has a pink ring around their eyes.

 Coming in from the sea

 This one peeks out from its cave nest

The rope separates inquisitive humans from the penguins. We are in their territory, so we can’t make any loud noise.

They are monogamous! Magellanic Penguins mate with the same partner year after year. Males reclaim the burrow from the previous year and wait to reconnect with their female partners. The females are able to recognize their mates through their call alone.

 Have I already mentioned they look soooo cute? 

There are only penguins on the island

While we saw more penguins here, we preferred the observation experience in Seno Otway even though there are fewer penguins there. Over here, we were herded along the path in a hurry by the guide (the same guide for everyone), with little time to observe the penguins at a leisurely pace. In Seno Otway, we could wander around at our own pace.

Feeling sleepy?

 During breeding season, two eggs are laid inside the nest

 Molted fur are scattered everywhere

 Leaving the island on the same ferry

A wonderful sight to behold

27 March 2008: After a long flight from Mexico to Santiago de Chile, we then flew on the same day from Santiago, the capital of Chile, down south to Punta Arenas. Punta Arenas is by the Strait of Magellan, in Brunswich peninsula, and was once called “Sandy Point” by J. Byron, who discovered it in the XVII century. Punta Arenas is the continental city farthest south in the world (although Argentina insists that Ushuaia is a city and thus the southernmost in the world) and it is the southernmost place both of us have ever been. We were really so happy and excited when we arrived -it must have been the feeling of being at the end of the world!

Punta Arenas is cold all year round, being situated so south. When we were there, it was drizzling and the temperature was less than 10 deg Celsius. Still, nothing dampened our mood!

It was a short drive from the airport to town where our hotel was located. This is one of the scenery that greeted us along the way.

Here is a “busy” street

A quiet street in town on a weekday. See the shop sign saying “CruzVerde” (meaning Green Cross)? It is one of the biggest pharmacy chains in Chile.

Quiet town

Colonial-looking building

Memorial to Fernão de Magalhães (Ferdinand Magellan), a Portuguese maritime explorer (sent by the Spanish King) who was the first European to discover the Strait of Magellan in Punta Arenas.

This cute little pavilion is actually a tourist information center

We are in Patagonia - a truly magical place

Patagonia is a geographic region comprising the southernmost portion of South America. It is mostly located in Argentina and partly in Chile. The name Patagonia comes from the word ‘patagon’ used by Ferdinand Magellan to describe the native people who his expedition thought to be giants. It is now believed the Patagons were actually Tehuelches (native tribal people) with an average height of 1.80 m (~5′11″) compared to the 1.55 m (~5′1″) average for Spaniards at that time.

That white building houses a Spanish restaurant, but we have not come to Punta Arenas to eat Spanish food.

Trying out Patagonian food for the first time at one of the few restaurants in town

We love to eat salmon, so we were delighted that salmon is a big part of the Patagonian diet here in the south. For lunch, we had salmon pudding with potato croquets.

A fruity sorbet as dessert

Jerkus, the local restaurant where we ate

Menu del dia: Menu of the day

Two local restaurants on this street. We’ve tried both but preferred the one on the left.

Public transport is in the form of the colectivos, which are shared “taxis”. Each colectivo has a number signboard at the top which represents the specific route taken. You hail it like a taxi from anywhere and can alight anywhere along the route. Fares are fixed within the town (less than US$1 per person). We even took the colectivo twice: once to a ferry terminal and another from the ferry to the hotel.

Here is another colectivo

As we showed you in the previous post, Torres Del Paine has some amazing scenery. And we were lucky that we got to see not only the scenery but some of the amazing wildlife that lives there.

At one of our first stops, we saw a pair of greyish-brown Andean Foxes that have made their home by the side of the road. Their usual diet consists of largely of rodents, rabbits, birds and lizards. According to the park rangers though, some careless tourist thought these foxes looked cute and decided to feed them. After that the foxes waited by the side of the road for more handouts, and since they got them, they stay there waiting for more. If people give them food, they no longer hunt or teach their children to hunt and thus can’t survive on their own.

Watching and waiting for food

While his partner naps

They seemed playful enough, and would look over at us while throwing all sorts of poses

 

 

Another animal that can be found all over Patagonia is the Guanaco. Guanacos look a lot like llamas and are from the camel family. On the way to Torres Del Paine, we saw several groups along (and on) the road, and once in the park there were plenty of them.

Farmers put these fences up (outside of the national park) but the guanacos just jump over them

The guanacos don’t seem to mind people much

This one was from the inside of a moving car. The guanacos were climbing a very steep wall of stone and gravel as if it was nothing but a flat plane.

And ever present in the skies above us was the Andean Condor. It’s really a glorified vulture, but it is the largest bird in the Western Hemisphere and it is truly majestic in flight.

 

 

We were so excited when we saw Chilean flamingos moving so gracefully in the lake and looking for shrimps. You can see their black big beak.

 

More flamingos! So gorgeous!

 

 

Another large bird is the nandu. It’s a bit like an ostrich or emu, and just like them, it can’t fly. These birds seem a lot more shy of humans than the guanacos, but you still see them along the roads in the fields.

 

 

 

 

2nd April 2008: The Torres del Paine National Park is one of the main reasons why we traveled to Puerto Natales. Torres del Paine is a Chilean National Park consisting of mountains, glaciers, lakes and rivers, and it spans an area of 2,400 km². It was declared a Biosphere Reserve by the UNESCO in 1978. To get there, we went on a day trip with a guide and several others in a van. Since this park is located 112 km north of Puerto Natales, it took us around two hours to get there. Most of the way there we drove along unpaved roads, and every so often there would be a herd of guanaco blocking the road.
A huge portion of the park is made up of Southern Patagonian Ice Field mantles. Glaciers in the park include the Dickson, the Grey and the Tyndall. Most of the rivers and lakes of the park drain into Última Esperanza Sound via Serrano River.

This is one place you must visit at least once. It is unspoiled and truly amazing. We felt as if we were in a different world. Even once is not enough. If we do go there again, we’ll definitely rent a car, and spend at least a week exploring the park ourselves.

 

Shrubs, lakes, mountains in Torres Del Paine National Park

Snow-capped mountains

A beautiful green lake behind

Light-emerald colored Lake Pehoe

The whitish part is actually made up of calcium deposits

Pebbles, calcium deposits, green lake, snow-capped mountains

The guanaco (Lama guanicoe) is a camelid animal native to South America, and can be found in high altitudes. We saw so many guanacos here.

A stop sign with the majestic mountain behind the cabin which marks the entrance to the park

Curious and gentle guanacos turning to look at us

You must see it to believe it…

We got lucky and saw some Andean foxes here!

This magnificent setting is surrounded by high mountain peaks. Here you can see the impressive Paine’s famous horns (known as Cuernos del Paine).

A hotel in the middle of the lake..and the mountains and glaciers

 

 

Magnificent dreamscape