We awoke on National Geographic Resolution ready to start our South American adventure. We began on Staten Island off the southern tip of South America, east of the mainland into the Atlantic. This island, known in South America and Chile as Isla de los Esatados, is rich in wildlife, fjords, and history. Today’s adventures began on the northern side of the island, just east of its midpoint in Puerto Cook. This beautiful fjord extends into Isla de los Estados, the deep south. We landed on the rocky beach and began hiking farther south, reaching the opposite side of Isla de los Estados and Puerto Vancouver – one of the few easy hikes that allows for access to both the northern and southern shores of this majestic, kelp-circled island. After enjoying the hike and learning more about the flora and fauna of the island, we returned northwards, back to our landing beach and back to our home, National Geographic Resolution. After a lovely morning, we had a wonderful lunch, crafted with care and expertise by the hotel department. We scurried north out of the fjord and then east, continuing along Isla de los Estados. Eventually, we came upon our afternoon destination, Puerto San Juan del Salvamento. Puerto San Juan del Salvamento is another large fjord, one of the most easterly fjords of all of Isla de los Estados. We boarded Zodiacs for cruises to explore the wildlife found all around Puerto San Juan del Salvamento as well as to enjoy the beautiful kelp forests. Then we turned our Zodiacs southwest to make a landing on the beach and to again walk amongst the shrubbery on the island. Meanwhile, our undersea team ventured deep into the abyss to document kelp forests in all their glory, bringing back footage to showcase while we sailed west to our next day of adventure on this island.
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 11 Mar 2023
Staten Island and Puerto San Juan del Salvamento, 3/11/2023, National Geographic Resolution
- Aboard the National Geographic Resolution
- Patagonia
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Patagonia: Chilean Fjords and Argentina's Staten Island
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Staten Island (Isla de los Estados)
We left the Beagle Channel in the middle of the night to cross from Tierra del Fuego to the rarely visited Staten Island. Less than 1,000 people visit this island which is frequently referred to as ‘the end of the Americas.’ At the mouth of Franklin Bay on the northwest of Staten Island, we spent time among thousands of rockhopper penguins. Across the entire island, there are an estimated 130,000 breeding pairs of rockhoppers on the island, making the total population over half a million individuals! Several species of seabirds took advantage of the brisk winds around us and we had our first look of the striated caracara, one of the rarest in the group. We have many naturalists and guests on this trip who are passionate about birds of prey, so we enjoyed watching their skillful soaring overhead. In the afternoon, the weather cooperated nicely which allowed us to Zodiac to shore for a wet landing. Once ashore, we removed our life vests, donned our packs, and trekked along the ridge above Elgor Bay. The reward at the end of the trail was a historic lighthouse considered to be the southernmost lighthouse on the continent. This lighthouse inspired the adventure novel, The Lighthouse at the End of the World by Jules Verne, a tale which includes pirates and survival in one of the harshest environments in the world.
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Garibaldi Glacier and the Beagle Channel
Although offshore waters were windy, we found nice protection in Garibaldi Fjord, a long and beautiful glacial cut into the Cordillera Darwin. The towering cliffs were lined with waterfalls, and southern sea lions were hauled out on shore. We took to the Zodiacs and spent the morning weaving through brash ice and watching imperial cormorants prepare their nests. The Garibaldi Glacier did not disappoint! The cloudy and drizzly day enriched the deep blues of the glacier itself. Small calvings (bits of falling ice) kept our interest during our visit. Then, just as we needed to move on, the glacier showed signs of a larger spectacle, and BOOM! Towers of ice the size of buildings came crashing down at once, much to the delight of all. Finally, our Naturalists Shel, Isai, and Ezra enlightened us with tales of Patagonia.