• Español
• English

Birdwatching

Walk the trails and get close to the birds that populate Patagonia

If you wake up with a strong noise close to your cabin, it is not a gaucho who started early his job. It is the woodpeaker that is in a close tree around the lodge and is abundant in our area.

With its red head and black and white body, this big bird makes a hard noise that can be heard from frequently around the cabins. As this one, there is plenty of small and big birds that give life to the silence of Patagonia. The woodpecker and ibis are very common in the lodge and we will see other many birds in the surroundings.

ITINERARY

Day 1: Balmaceda – Lake General Carrera

After welcome in Balmaceda airport, we drive along the Carretera Austral in direction to the south, driving through valleys, forests, mountains and the shore of the enormous lake General Carrera. It will be a longer trip since we will stop many times along the road to observe condors flying over the mountains along the road. We will arrive in the evening to the lodge, reception and dinner in Mallin Colorado Ecolodge.

Day 2: Birdwatching up the hills in the lodge

After breakfast we will start a nice hike up to the mountains inside the lodge property on a winderful trail to the upper parts where we will have wonderful views and will cross native forests of coigues and lengas. Walking silently to hear different kinds and songs of birds we will be aproximately 4 to 55 to 6 hours walking. We will see parrots, ibis, the woodpecker and other small species of birds. We will have lunch in the forest and come back in the evening to the lodge.

Day 3: Delta river Leones and river Baker

After breakfast we will travel about 20 minutes to the huge delta of Rio Leones, making several stops to observe different ducks, swans and geese and also swallows and caiquen among wet vegetation typical of river deltas. We will be back for lunch in the lodge and continue our tour to the southern village of Puerto Bertrand. We will visit river Baker and its confluence with river Neff, where there is a spectacular combination of color of both rivers, coming from very different places. We stay here to enjoy the beauty and magnificency of one of the icon places in Aysen. Back to the lodge, dinner and lodging.

Day 4: Marble caves and Exploradores Glacier

After breakfast we will start a one-hour-drive north to visit the famous rock formations on the surface of lake General Carrera called Marble Caves. A peninsula of marble that we will visit on a boat and you will have the possibility to take very close pictures to the impressive spectacle of marble in combination with the clear calipso waters of the lake. After the visit to this unique place, we will continue on the newest road to the west, in direction to the Northern Ice Fields. The landscape changes slowly to a humid vegetation with incredible variety of birds and ducks along the road and over small lagoons and mallines At the foot of the glacier we will walk through an interpretative trail among humid green forest where you will see and hear small birds very close. At the end we will climb a morraine to arrive to a high place, from where we have an extraodinary view of a dry glacier, which tongue comes over a wide valley, coming from San Valentin, the highest peak in Patagonia. We have lunch on the road and come back to the lodge in the evening.

Day 5 Puerto GUadal and Mallin Grande

After breakfast we will start a drive along the southern part of lake General Carrera, making a first stop in the village of Puerto Guadal visiting its beautiful pier with amazing views. After a while we continue our trip in direction to the east, visiting the big Cascada El Maqui and meseta Cosmelli, a real pampa landscape on the shores of the lake. We will be back for lunch in the lodge and have a free afternoon.

Day 6 Tamango and Chacabuco Valley

Today we drive longer south to the town of cCochrane and visit Tamango Reserve where we will see lots of birds and the famous huemul deer. After a nice walk on the shore of the river, we start a walking silently to hear the birds, stop and make pictures, and hopefully we can see a huemul close. We have lunch in the forest and drive back to visit Chacabuco valley, where we´ll see lots of guanacos and several bigger birds like condors, caranchos, flamingos, caiquens and a variety of ducks. The landscape is amazing and completely different from others we have seen here. Back to the lodge for dinner.

Day 7 Transfer to Balmaceda airport

Early we start our drive back to the airport. We have box lunch on the road and arrive at the airport for the flight.