Since the end of the last century, we have been observing and monitoring the whales that come to feed in this favored spot in the Strait of Magellan. We are privileged to have researched, enjoyed, and shared this place for so many years. As a team, we have aimed to add new experiences to this journey. Although our origins and expertise lie in natural sciences, learning about and studying this area has taught us various ways of inhabiting this maritime region, including fascinating sites that were certainly navigated repeatedly by the Fuegian canoeists and later by European vessels. The Fuegian archipelago, with its intricate fjords and channels, is home to a rich biodiversity and has witnessed significant social and environmental changes, continuing to do so.
We invite you to experience this journey with us, waking up to the possibility of observing majestic cetaceans feeding in front of our camp and exploring and interpreting the Fuegian Patagonian maritime region.
Main attractions:
Re-discovering the Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Strait of Magellan
Between 7:00 and 8:00 AM we will pick up passengers at their respective lodgings to go together to the boarding place: Punta Carrera, 50 km south of the city of Punta Arenas.
The navigation to the Eco Camp is approximately 8 hours, we will sail the famous Strait of Magellan, which has provided so many stories and myths to the world.
We will arrive at the camp in the afternoon, with time for our first sightings of the humpback whales that come to feed in this beautiful location.
The day will be dedicated to whale watching; we will explore the Marine Park and its surroundings to better understand this territory, abundant in marine life and natural beauty. We will navigate the Barbara Channel and visit the ice fields of Santa Ines Island, Kawesqar National Park. Albatrosses and petrels will likely accompany us throughout the day, and we will also visit sea lion and cormorant colonies.
We will wake up again at Carlos III. Depending on weather conditions, we will divide the day into two shorter navigations or one longer one, but with the goal of exploring the surroundings and the island where we have been staying.
We will visit various sites of high heritage value, frequented for centuries by the Kawesqar canoeists and historically by different types of vessels for various purposes, including scientific, strategic, commercial, and piracy. We will disembark to walk through the evergreen forests of the archipelago, allowing us to observe from land and better interpret how life was in these southern places.
After a good and quiet breakfast, we will return to Punta Arenas through the inland waters of the Strait, returning through the Otway Sound.
We will head east and then enter the Jeronimo Channel towards the great Otway Sound (weather conditions permitting). We will sail through the Kawesqar National Park, and we will be able to visit other important places in the region, several important sites historically occupied by canoeists until we reach Riesco Island, a territory occupied centuries ago by cattle ranching and of great biodiversity.
If the weather conditions allow us to take this route, we will arrive in Punta Arenas around 7:00 PM, otherwise we will arrive 1 or 2 hours earlier by the same route we took to the Marine Park, via the Strait of Magellan.
Interested in this route?
Base of Operations
WHALESOUND has a camp on Carlos III Island, in the middle of the Strait of Magellan, right in front of the Francisco Coloane Marine Park
The camp has 5 domes that allow the overnight stay of up to 10 passengers and a main dome of common space, where we will share scientific talks, conversations of the day's experiences, where we will eat and also where you will find bibliography of the regional history and about the nature of the fjords and channels.