Today we visited the beautiful Aysén Fjord in Central Patagonia. This fjord is about 60km deep but reaches 200km from the Pacific coast into the Andes and we anchored National Geographic Explorer off the port city of Puerto Chacabuco. From Puerto Chacabuco we enjoyed two options: the first was a day-long visit to the Coyhaique National Park where we took a walk through the pampas and the dense forest. The highlight was the sighting of magellanic woodpeckers. This excursion included a Patagonian barbecued lamb lunch and was altogether a lovely day including a visit to the town of Aysén. The second excursion visited the Parque Aikén del Sur where we also had a lovely walk through the dense forest where we were able to understand the complex forest ecosystem and have good sightings of the ringed kingfisher and striking Chucao which announces its presence with a very loud call for such a small bird, but is, even so, very difficult to spot in the dense forest cover. This walk ended at a beautiful lodge overlooking Lake Riesco where we also were treated to a Patagonian barbecue lamb lunch complete with local folk dancers. At the end of our excursions we re-joined the ship and sailed west out of the fjord to continue our exploration of the complex fjord country of southern Chile.
3/15/2018
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National Geographic Orion
Bernal Glacier and the White Narrows
Our morning was somewhat relaxed, in that the distance we were due to cover meant some necessary time onboard. During our time at sea, we had the opportunity to enjoy a presentation by Krista Rossow, our National Geographic photographer, about her work on assignment. Our time onboard, however, was due to be short lived. Having made good time so far, we were able to aim for an additional stop that was outside of what was previously planned. Along our route, the spectacular Bernal Glacier flows down from its mountain source, stopping a few hundred meters short of the sea. Its receding state, and the fact that it does not reach the ocean, allows a rare opportunity to walk up so close that you can touch it without the fear of collapse that would normally keep viewers at a very great distance. The blue pools of glacial till along each side of the path to its snout add a surreal and otherworldly feeling to the approach. We landed, and walked up to its face. After returning to the ship, we made our way onwards towards Puerto Natales. This transit is in itself remarkable, as it took us through the White Narrows. This tight waterway weaves its way through a group of islands that would stop a larger, less nimble vessel dead in its tracks. For us, it just means a little more care and focus on the part of our bridge team, who took us through with ease and grace. The spectacle of the ship twisting its way through made for a remarkable finale to an all-round remarkable voyage through the southern extremes of South America.
