January 2020 we returned to Chile, part of the deal Liza made with Robert for her 60th birthday (party or trip? trip!). We wanted to return to the lakes district and stay in Puerto Varas, where we had finished a cycling tour in 2017. Building on that idea we also wanted to go birding and do some wine tasting. Our itinerary took us from central Chile to southern Patagonia, and over the Andes to Mendoza, Argentina.
Continue reading “Chile (and Argentina) – Jan 2020”
Chile is an enchanting country with a unique long and narrow shape and a sea-to-sky topographic profile that gives it a great variety of climates and landscapes. From the deserts of the north, the vertiginous Andes and its glaciers to the east, the vast Pacific Ocean to the west, and the unforgiving Drake Passage and Antarctic to the south, Chile is isolated from the rest of South America. When it comes to bird species, Chile may not have the diversity of the neotropics to the north, but instead it offers endemism with an array of unusual birds. From large tapaculos to a backyard cotinga, Chile offers an offbeat birding experience. The highlights of this particular trip included a four albatross day at sea and a four tapaculo day in the Andes! Read more below or visit the photo galleries.
Continue reading “Birding South-Central Chile – Jan/Feb 2017”
In January we were happy to return to Chile for an extended vacation, this one combining just about everything we love – birding, cycling, traveling with friends, enjoying fine wine – and as a bonus briefly escaped winter (such as it is for us in Arizona) for beautiful summer weather.
We had been thinking for some time of a trip to Chile – birds and wine, what’s not to like? Our usual tour companies didn’t quite go where we wanted to, so in late October 2014, we embarked on a trip on our own to central Chile, preceded by five days or so in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Timing had the benefit of being their late spring, being as far south of the equator as Los Angeles is north. Click here for a trip summary and links to lots of photos! There is also a trip report Birding Argentina and Chile.
