Arrival at Río Grande Airport, Governor Ramón Trejo Noel.
Río Grande City tour.
The tour begins with a visit to the Virginia Choquintel Museum, named after an important woman originally from the Selk’nam People. It showcases the local art while we learn all about the historical evolution of Río Grande city, the Shelk’nam indigenous people, industries, communications, and a section dedicated to local flora and fauna. The historical Houses in town exhibit the Fuegian architecture. As we strolled through the main streets, we found “Almirante Brown Square”, the city’s main square with its unique identity as its first tree-lined square. The iconic monument to the Heroes of Malvinas, in memory of the 649 heroes who fell in combat during the 1982 war. The “Salesian Mission of Our Lady of Candelaria”, architectural work highlights the important work carried out by the Salesian missionaries in the city of Río Grande.
Overnight in Rio Grande city
Departure heading north through the Atlantic Coast Provincial Reserve, which preserves the natural biodiversity of the region, including coastal cliffs, beaches, wetlands, and marine areas. These ecosystems support a large amount of flora and fauna, including seabirds. It is an internationally important site for migratory shorebirds, such as the Red Knot or Moonbird. This migratory bird nests in the Arctic during the northern hemisphere summer and then migrates south, reaching its final destination, Río Grande’s shores, during the southern hemisphere summer. After lunch, we will continue our journey through Chile, Tierra del Fuego, heading towards the Primavera region. It has the unique characteristic of being the Chilean region with access to the Atlantic Ocean and extensive Patagonian steppe, covered with native flora and its typical fauna, like Guanacos and numerous species of birds. Cerro Sombrero town, the capital of the Primavera region. Primarily known for its historical significance in the context of oil exploration and exploitation. Visit to Cerro Sombrero town.
Overnight in Cerro Sombrero town
Today we visited Porvenir Town. Driving along the coast of the Strait of Magellan, visiting the National Monument ‘Laguna de los Cisnes,’ (Swans Lake), to continue our journey to the historical Porvenir town, where the native population called Selknam (Ona) inhabited. The discovery of Porvenir Bay was made in 1880 by Navy officer Jorge Porter, driven by the intense search for gold. Later Porvenir town was founded on June 20, 1894, while the ‘Sociedad Explotadora de Tierra del Fuego’ a private Chilean company with over 1 million hectares between Chile and Argentina on the Island of Tierra del Fuego, was engaged in sheep farming and the export of meat. Despite all the growth, the town preserves its initial architectural style, reflecting the various events that have occurred throughout the establishment of the town, It has become a beautiful historical town, almost frozen in time since its beginnings, surrounded by picturesque landscapes.
Overnight in Porvenir town
Our journey continues along the coast of ‘Bahía Inútil’, (‘Useless Bay’) on the western and Chilean part of the Big Island of Tierra del Fuego. On the way to Pampa Guanaco, a special visit to The King Penguin Natural Park. Its primary goal is the conservation of the King Penguin colony, but the area is also rich in vegetation, fauna, and archaeological sites. Visiting the King Penguin Natural Reserve is a unique experience! After our visit, we continue towards Pampa Guanaco commune in Timáukel region. This beautiful region has the extensive “Lago Blanco” (White lake), known for sport fishing, with a great variety of species such as brown and rainbow trout.
Overnight in Pampa Guanaco
Departure to visit the spectacular Karukinka Natural Park. We will enjoy panoramic views of the Park, its vast protected area of 300,000 hectares cover with Magellanic forests, which begin to emerge, become the dominant vegetation, between in the wide valleys where peat bogs predominate. High Andean ecosystems, Patagonian steppe and coast, supporting a diversity of flora and fauna. Descending to ‘Lago Despreciado,’ (‘Despised Lake) and ‘Lago Fagnano,’ (Fagnano Lake), surrounded by the most pristine and remote landscapes of Tierra del Fuego. Until the end of the road “Caleta Maria”.
Overnight in Pampa Guanaco
Today we are leaving Chile, crossing the Bellavista border post, the southern border post in the world, and continuing through Argentina, Province of Tierra del Fuego. The road traverses the steppe covered with coirones and occasionally herds of guanacos surrounded by sheep and horse breeding farms. Through landscapes of great ecological importance, the forest gradually begins to appear and transforms from plateau to mountain, during this change, “Yehuin Lake” emerges, of glacial origin, and flows into “Fagnano Lake”, also known as “Lake Khami”, also formed by glacial activity during the last Ice Age. It is one of the largest lakes in Tierra del Fuego, surrounded by forests and mountains. On the shores of Lake Fagnano, Tolhuin Town was founded due to the forestry activity. Its history is part of an unexplored nature to be experienced!
Overnight in Tolhuin
