T07 / TREKKING ON NAVARINO ISLAND

TREKKING ON NAVARINO ISLAND

The Southermost Trekking at the End of the World

Code

T07

Region

Southern Patagonia, Chile

Duration

12 Days

Prices

From 3.150 USD

Next trip

No fixed dates

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Introduction

Chile is a country of extremes. It extends almost 5000 kilometers from North to South while it’s average width is 180 kilometers. This strip of land is bordered by the Pacific Ocean on the West and the Andes mountain range to the East. All this together gives Chile a crazy, unique and contrasting geography. The climate, nature, culture and the people’s way of life are very different and multi-faceted depending on each region. Our trip will take us to the extreme south of Chile. From the port city of Punta Arenas we will fly to Puerto Williams, the southernmost city in the world and the capital of the Navarino Island. Here we start our trek through the “Dientes de Navarino” mountain range lasting four days. This area is located a little north of Cape Horn and is full of the magic and nostalgia of the end if the world. An excursion by kayak on the Beagle Channel and exploring the flora and fauna particular to the “Antarctic Province” complete this trip full of unique nature and wonderful trekking.

Highlights

Punta Arenas is the gateway into the Antarctic. Here scientists and nature lovers from all over the world get together. The busy street life of the historic centre invites us to explore and enjoy the streets.
Between 30.000 and 40.000 pairs of Magellanic Penguins reproduce each year on the Magdalena Island. Here we will enjoy a magnificent natural show put on by the birds.
The world’s most southern trekking circuit of four days around the “Dientes de Navarino” mountain range.
We experiment the forces of nature during our intense time spent at the “end of the world”, north of Cape Horn.
At the Ethno-Botanical Park “Omora” we will learn about the sub-antarctic ecosystem and using a magnifying glass will explore the micro world of lichen and moss.
With kayaks we will navigate the Beagle Channel, following the old routes used by the indigenous people, the Yaghan and learn about their fascinating culture.

Level of difficulty

Header	For everybody	Medium	Difficult	For experts
Physical Level	Cell		Cell	Cell
Technical level	Cell		Cell	Cell

Season

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
			Cell	Cell	Cell	Cell	Cell	Cell	Cell	Cell

4-6 participants	3.690 USD/Person
7-8 participants	3.250 USD/Person
9-12 participants	3.150 USD/Person

Itinerary

DAY 1: PUNTA ARENAS (IN)

On our arrival at the Punta Arenas airport we will be met by our local guide. We will drive to our hotel located in the best part of the capital of the Magallanes and Chilean Antarctic. After our long trip we will have an easy afternoon and take a walk through the city centre and the port. During dinner we will go over our travel program and talk about what awaits us during the following days.

Accommodation: Guest House
Meals: Lunch

DAY 2: PUNTA ARENAS / EXCURSION MAGDALENA ISLAND & BULNES FORT

Nature and history are our topics for today. After breakfast we walk towards the port and board our boat that will take us across the Strait of Magellan to the Island of Magdalena. This is a natural reserve and a bird watchers paradise; albatross and the Magellanic Penguins to name a couple. About 16 nautical miles from Punta Arenas, a great natural spectacle awaits us, 30.000 to 40.000 nesting penguin couples that reproduce on the island. We will enjoy this unique natural scenery while exploring the island and visiting its famous light house. During the afternoon we will enjoy another excursion and visit the Bulnes Fort, founded in 1843. This is a trip that transports us back in time to the epoch when the young Chilean Republic colonized this region of South America.

Accommodation: Guest House
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 3: PUNTA ARENAS – PUERTO WILLIAMS

This morning we will take a drive to the airport. Our plane will take a southerly route and after about 50 minutes we will arrive at Puerto Williams, “the world’s southernmost city”. This term is controversial, it all depends on what defines a city. While Puerto Williams has just 2300 inhabitants, in the neighbouring Argentinian city of Ushuaia they have a population of approximately 57000. At Puerto Williams, we will install ourselves into our comfortable lodging and enjoy a tasty lunch. After lunch we will explore the city on foot, visiting the important spots and chat with the local residents. Special attention will be payed to the important historic sites; the Martín Gusinde museum, the old yacht club and the fishing port. After visiting Villa Ukika, we will finish this interesting city tour with a visit the Café Puerto Luisa on the shores of the Beagle Canal.

Accommodation: Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 4: PUERTO WILLIAMS / VIRGEN NATURE

Today is dedicated completely to nature. The two excursions that we will do will also help us as a prewarmer for our trekking that we have planned starting the next day. The first walk will take us to the river, Los Bronces and its waterfall. Water quality studies have shown that this and other rivers on the Navarino Island have the world’s purest water. The path takes us through a beautiful forest following the river until we reach the 10 meter high waterfall. We will walk around it and from a view point enjoy an amazing Vista over the Beagle Canal. From here we descend back down to the river mouth and walking on the beach return to our starting point. Then we will visit the ethno-botanical Omora Park. “Omora” means hummingbird in the tongue of the indigenous Yaghan people. The sub-antarctic ecosystem holds 5% of the world’s lichen and moss. With expert guidance and equipped with magnifying glasses we will explore and discover a new and fascinating unique micro-world.

Accommodation: Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 5: TREKKING DIENTES DE NAVARINO / DAY 1

The circuit that we start today is known as the world’s southernmost trek. Commercial names like this can be a bit superfluous, but one has to agree on one point: we are very south! Of course this has an impact on the climate and will play an important role during our trek over the next days. Quick changes in the climate, strong winds, rain and snow can accompany us in each step that we take. Never the less, the rewards for our efforts are more than paid. We will experience a unique ecosystem full of amazing landscapes and the feeling of being in absolute isolation. We will be accompanied by porters that will help us carry the communal equipment, (tents, kitchen utensils, etc.) and food. Each participant is responsible for their personal equipment, (including sleeping bag and mattress). In the morning we will be taken to the Róbalo River, from her we will start walking at about 9:30am. We walk through a forest. Firstly we will climb about 600 meters in altitude. Once we get to the top we can enjoy views of the city and the Beagle Canal. From here we continue to the Róbalo Valley, finally arriving at the lake El Salto. Here we will set up our first camp.

Accommodation: Camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 6: TREKKING DIENTES DE NAVARINO / DAY 2

After breakfast, we take our camp down and prepare for our march. The route takes us to the Australia pass. When surrounding the Dientes de Navarino mountain range, we are able to see the extreme south of the island as well as the Wollaston islands towards the north of the Cabo de Hornos Archipelago. These are impressive moments! “Is there an end of the world? If this is true, then it must be somewhere here”. During the afternoon we will arrive at our camp site, this lies between the Escondida and the Dientes Lagoons.

Accommodation: Camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 7: TREKKING DIENTES DE NAVARINO / DAY 3

Today we trek by lakes and through forests until we get to the other side of the Dientes de Navarino range. Through the Ventarrón Pass we will arrive at the beautiful Guerrico Valley. Here we will find an adequate spot to enjoy our picnic. After another four hours we finally arrive at our camp site, this site also is located between two lakes.

Accommodation: Camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 8: TREKKING DIENTES DE NAVARINO / DAY 4

Today we must have a good breakfast, due to the fact that this last stage is difficult. From our camp we will climb up to the Virginia Pass (almost 850 m.a.s.l). This is the highest point of the circuit. Once again the views are just breath taking! Beyond Lake Guanaco, we will walk until we arrive at the edge of a forest, a perfect spot for lunch. From here we carry on descending until we reach a road that is located nearby a fish factory. Shortly we will achieve our final goal, only 2 kilometers separate us from our lovely accommodation near the city. We settle into our rooms, exhausted but happy and enjoy a delightful shower. But the day has not yet ended, one or two glasses of wine accompanied by a delicious dinner awaits us.

Accommodation: Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 9: PUERTO WILLIAMS / EXPLORANDO LA ISLA NAVARINO

We have successfully completed our trekking circuit but our stay at Puerto Williams has not finished. We still have lots to see and do. Today we will mainly make use of the vehicles. We will practically explore all of the area near the main road of the island towards the east along the northern coast. The amazing beauty invites us to stop the vehicle to take a photo once and once again. Puerto Navarino is the final point of our route. Here the shores of the Murray Canal invite us to take a stroll. In the afternoon we will return to our accommodation.

Accommodation: Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 10: PUERTO WILLIAMS / KAYAK – FOLLOWING THE OLD ROUTES OF THE YAGHAN

An excursion by kayak will be our activity for today. The Beagle Canal, for many hundreds of years, was the territory of the Yaghan people. Using tree bark they construct canoes and navigated the canals in very harsh and extreme climatic conditions. When Charles Darwin, on his travels in the first half of the 19th century visited this land and saw the Yaghan people, wrote, “One day navigating towards land we rowed together with a canoe that had six people on board. They were the most miserable and wretched creatures that I have ever seen. They were quite naked, and even one full grown woman was absolutely so. It was raining heavily, and the fresh water, together with the spray, trickled down her body. They are poor and miserable creatures, their ugly faces painted white, their greasy skin, their tangled hair, their dissonant voices and their violent gestures. If you see these people, you can hardly believe that they are our companions and inhabitants of the same world”. A sad judgement considering it came from this natural scientist. During our kayak trip it will be a good idea to reflect on how much fortitude these people must have had. Following their routes, we navigate and every now and then we will land and rediscover the tracks of the disappeared Yaghan people.

Accommodation: Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 11: PUERTO WILLIAMS – PUNTA ARENAS

Once again, we enjoy a tasty breakfast and then we are driven to the airport. Around midday, we take off and try to catch the last views so that nothing escapes us. On arrival at Punta Arenas, we will be taken to our hotel. Over a group dinner we will say goodbye to our local expedition staff.

Accommodation: Guest House
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner