Torres del Paine National Park— Photo: Gordon Maxim-Kelley

Evocative landscapes and an enticing diversity of birdlife are hallmarks of this southern South American adventure. With a focus on the mountains, coast, and open grasslands of central and southern Chile, this tour promises a broad look at one of South America's most beautiful and modern countries.

Concentrating on the major habitats, birds, and other wildlife found from Santiago south to Patagonia, we will have plenty of opportunity to savor the richest parts of the country without feeling rushed for time. Besides dazzling scenery, we will seek out many of Chile's most remarkable birds, including Humboldt Penguin, Andean Condor, and Diademed Sandpiper-Plover.

From Santiago we will spend several days birding amid the mountains and coast away from the capital city, where a wealth of exciting austral (southern) bird species are reliably found. Field trips to the Farellones ski area and to the breathtaking Yeso Valley promise a host of special birds including Andean Condor, Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle, Giant Hummingbird, Crag Chilia, Moustached Turca, and the incomparable Diademed-Sandpiper Plover—and all while under the spell of towering snow-capped peaks, windswept crags, and gleaming white glaciers. An exciting excursion to Chile's dramatic coast promises a rewarding day of birding, one that will see us in pursuit of such South American specialty birds as Peruvian Booby, Peruvian Pelican, Magellanic Oystercatcher, Inca Tern, and, especially, the increasingly vulnerable Humboldt Penguin.
  
We will fly to Punta Arenas, gateway to world-renowned Torres del Paine National Park, a location known for its glaciers and unsurpassed mountain scenery. We'll explore the huge expanses of open steppe and majestic beech forests here, near the bottom of the world. Avian delights abound, with the ostrich-like Lesser Rhea, Great Grebe, Imperial Shag, Chilean Flamingo, Black-necked Swan, Torrent Duck, Dolphin Gull, Magellanic Woodpecker, and an absolutely dazzling array of waterfowl, shorebirds, gulls, ground-tyrants, rayaditos, cinclodes, and sierra-finches all competing for our attention. As an understatement, photographic opportunities abound.
 
Accommodations and cuisine very good to excellent throughout; warm weather around Santiago and cooler weather in the far south, with fog, wind, and rain possible.