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CHILE

Endemics, Seabirds & The World's Most Spectacular Scenery

Birdquest's Chile birding tour is a classic South American birdwatching trip. Our Chile tour is the most comprehensive available and records more Chilean specialities than any other, featuring remote Juan Fernández, the little known Chestnut-throated Huet-huet and an extra pelagic off Iquique, as well as all the traditional areas.

Sunday 20th November - Sunday 4th December 2011
(15 days)

Juan Fernández Pre-Tour Extension from Thursday 17th November (3 days)

Southern Chile Post-Tour Extension to Thursday 8th December (4 days)

Leader: Mark Pearman

Group Size Limit: 10

Tour Category: Easy to Moderate

The fantastic Diademed Sandpiper-Plover is one of those 'must see' birds, and Chile is one of the best countries to do so! (Andrew Moon) For more photos from Chile, please see our 2010 departure.

(Note: This is a summary of the tour. For more information please download the detailed itinerary. The button is at the top right of the page.)

Chile is surely unique amongst the countries of the world! Some 2700 miles (4300km) long, yet never more than 220 miles (350km) wide, this remarkable land snakes southwards down the spine of South America. Dominated throughout by the mighty Andes, Chile is home to many of the highest mountains in South America: a land of endless icy peaks that stand sentinel over vast glaciers and icefields. Chile is also a land of breathtaking variety, with many other habitats such as the Atacama desert (punctuated by strip-shaped oases along the rivers debouching from the Andes), puna grasslands and Patagonian steppes, primeval Araucaria and Nothofagus beech forests, isolated volcanoes of almost perfect symmetry that send out plumes of white steam into the blue heavens, and, of course, the long, deeply indented coastline with its surf-swept headlands battered by the cold waters of the Humboldt Current.

Chilean scenery is acknowledged to be amongst the finest in the world and indeed, once one has experienced its awesome magnificence, it is hard to imagine that it could be surpassed. Throughout the length of the country are some of South America’s most beautiful and well managed national parks protecting a diversity of habitats and wildlife. We shall visit several of these during the course of our stay as we seek out the many exciting endemics and restricted-range specialities, including numerous birds belonging to monotypic genera, an outstanding selection of seabirds, and puna and Nothofagus forest specialities, in this fascinating part of our world. Ours is the most comprehensive Chile bird tour itinerary available, producing more specialities than any other.

Not only is Chile a wonderful place for experiencing nature but also a modern, well developed country which makes exploring a pleasure. From the smallest town to the capital Santiago, everything is clean, safe and attractive, and well connected by good roads and a fine internal airline network, and this is not even to mention the good food and wine! This modernization has not resulted in any loss of character, however, as we shall find out when we encounter Chile’s bustling ports, small fishing villages and atmospheric Andean towns and villages.

We start our travels in the capital, Santiago, but are soon on our way to the nearby Pacific coast where we will see spectacular concentrations of seabirds, including several Humboldt Current endemics. Before returning to Santiago we visit the coastal mountain range where we will encounter our first Chilean landbird specialities including such marvellously-named endemics as Crag Chilia and Moustached Turca, not to mention the large, skulking Chestnut-throated Huet-huet (Chile’s least known tapaculo). Next we shall explore the rugged central Andes with special emphasis placed on finding the rare and enigmatic Diademed Sandpiper-Plover.

Leaving central Chile behind, we visit the northernmost part of the country, initially birding in the Atacama desert near Arica and in the oasis-like valleys of the Lluta and Azapa Rivers. From here we climb again into the Andes until we reach the bird-rich puna grasslands and lakes of Lauca National Park where the snow-capped Payachatas volcanoes form a formidable backdrop. Here we will concentrate on high Andean and puna birding, encountering Lesser Rhea, Puna Tinamou, Giant Coot, Andean Avocet and hopefully Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe, to mention but a few of the spectacular birds of this fantastic area.

On our way back south, we will visit the port of Iquique, where a second pelagic could turn up Elliot’s, Wedge-rumped, White-bellied, Markham’s and Hornby’s Storm-Petrels, as well as Stejneger’s and Juan Fernández Petrels, while inland we should find the localized Tamarugo Conebill.

We then head further south to the wind-swept Isla de Chiloé, haunt of Magellanic Penguins, the as yet undescribed ‘Chiloe Steamer-Duck’ and the rare Rufous-tailed Hawk, and the cool temperate southern beech (Nothofagus) forest in the lake district of southern-central Chile, home to no less than 19 species endemic to the Southern Cone of South America (and some restricted purely to Chile). Some of the most sought-after of these include the splendid Magellanic Woodpecker (South America’s largest woodpecker) and the curious Des Murs’s Wiretail (a tiny and enigmatic bird with just six elongated narrow tail feathers).

The optional pre-tour extension provides an unusual opportunity to visit the remote Juan Fernández archipelago, some 420 miles (670km) off the Chilean coast, in search of Masatierra Petrel, Juan Fernández Firecrown and the jaunty Juan Fernández Tit-Tyrant, species that very few birders have ever seen.

During the optional post-tour extension we will explore the far south of the country, including the windswept Patagonian steppes around Punta Arenas, spectacular Torres del Paine National Park, the veritable ‘Land of the Condor’ (where superlatives fail to describe the stalagmite-like granite massifs, the thundering waterfalls and huge glaciers), and finally remote and dramatic Tierra del Fuego, in search of handsome Upland, Ashy-headed, Kelp and Ruddy-headed Geese, the strange Magellanic Plover (the sole representative of its family), Tawny-throated Dotterel, Austral Canastero, Chocolate-vented Tyrant and many other special birds.

Birdquest has operated tours to Chile since 1990.

Accommodation & Road Transport: The hotels are of normal Birdquest standard almost throughout. The hotel at Porvenir, where we spend one night, is a simple, family-run establishment. Road transport is by small coach or minibus and roads are good.

Walking: The walking effort is easy to moderate.

Climate: In central and northern Chile, temperatures range from warm or fairly hot at lower altitudes, to cool and fairly cold at night and early in the morning at high altitude. Dry and sunny weather is the rule at this season. In southern Chile, temperatures are typically cool or quite cold, and it is frequently rainy (it can even snow occasionally in the far south).

Bird Photography: Opportunities are quite good.

Tour Price: $6120 Santiago/Santiago. Pre-Tour Extension: $1860. Post-Tour Extension: $1710. Price includes all transportation (including all flights inside Chile), all accommodations, all meals, bottled water, some drinks, all excursions, all entrance fees, all tips for local drivers/guides and for accommodations/restaurants, leader services.

Single Room Supplement: $720. Pre-Tour Extension: $135. Post-Tour Extension: $180.

Deposit: $620. Pre-Tour Extension: $180. Post-Tour Extension: $180. If booking more than 12 months before departure, the initial deposit is only $220.

Air Travel To & From The Tour: Our in-house IATA ticket agency can arrange your air travel in connection with the tour from a departure point anywhere in the world, or you may arrange your own air travel if you prefer. We can tailor-make your itinerary to your personal requirements, so if you would like to travel in advance of the tour (and spend a night in an hotel so you will feel fresh when the tour starts), or return later than the end of the tour, or make a side trip to some other destination, or travel business class rather than economy, we will be happy to assist. Please contact us about your air travel requirements.

The smart Peruvian Thick-knee is a localized species that can be found in the north of the country (Andrew Moon)

Giant Gunnera leaves on the forested volcanic slopes of Isla Robinson Crusoe, Juan Fernandez Archipelago (Mark Pearman)

The magnificent male Juan Fernandez Firecrown is endemic to Robinson Crusoe Island, here sitting in an endemic Cabbage Tree (Mark Pearman)

View Map Download Detailed Itinerary 451kb

Report From January 2009 Report From September 2005/October 2005

The endemic Moustached Turca is actually a huge, chicken-like, tapaculo! (Andrew Moon)

Chile is the place for exciting tapaculos, including the attractive Chucao Tapaculo (Andrew Moon)

The Crag Chilia, another endemic, is a member of the Furnarid family (Andrew Moon)

Another localized furnarid is Oustalet's Cinclodes (Andrew Moon)

The high Chilean Andes are excellent for Andean Condors (Andrew Moon)

The smart Grey-breasted Seedsnipe is easy to find (Andrew Moon)

The localized Giant Coot is another highlight in the north (Andrew Moon)

The smart Andean Flicker is always good to see (Andrew Moon)

Our pelagic will produce a wealth of seabirds, including Pink-footed Shearwater (Andrew Moon)

... and Salvin's Albatross, as well as a number of other exciting Pacific specialities (Andrew Moon)

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