Cruise: Around Cape Horn

Buenos Aires, Argentina to Santiago, Chile (or reverse)

  • Mar 7-21, 2025
    Waitlisted

    Fabrice Schmitt and Stephen Menzie

    Ceibas Pre-Cruise Extension from Mar 6
    Santiago Post-Cruise Extension from Mar 21
  • Mar 2027

    Fabrice Schmitt and Steve Howell

    Ceibas Pre-Cruise Extension
    Santiago Post-Cruise Extension
On this cruise, you can expect to see up to 10 species of albarosses (here a Snowy Wandering Albatross)
On this cruise, you can expect to see up to 10 species of albarosses (here a Snowy Wandering Albatross)
Fabrice Schmitt
Up to 4 species of penguins including a visit to a King Penguin colony on the Falklands Islands...
Up to 4 species of penguins including a visit to a King Penguin colony on the Falklands Islands...
Fabrice Schmitt
... and more than 35 species of tubenoses from the  southern Atlantic and southern Pacific, like this Stejneger's Petrel.
... and more than 35 species of tubenoses from the southern Atlantic and southern Pacific, like this Stejneger's Petrel.
Fabrice Schmitt
During each landing, we will organize a birding excursion looking for local specialties, like this Elegant-crested Tinamou on the Valdez Peninsula, Argentina.
During each landing, we will organize a birding excursion looking for local specialties, like this Elegant-crested Tinamou on the Valdez Peninsula, Argentina.
Fabrice Schmitt
... and the iconic Magellanic Plover near Punta Arenas in Chile.
... and the iconic Magellanic Plover near Punta Arenas in Chile.
Fabrice Schmitt
The charistmatic Magellanic Woodpecker inhabits the Nothofagus forests near Ushuaia, Argentina.
The charistmatic Magellanic Woodpecker inhabits the Nothofagus forests near Ushuaia, Argentina.
Fabrice Schmitt
On this cruise we will use one of these huge cruise ships
On this cruise we will use one of these huge cruise ships
Fabrice Schmitt
... which offer very stable and comfortable seabirding conditions.
... which offer very stable and comfortable seabirding conditions.
Fabrice Schmitt
Sometimes too comfortable?
Sometimes too comfortable?
Fabrice Schmitt
We'll be sailing through the beautiful Chilean Fjords...
We'll be sailing through the beautiful Chilean Fjords...
Fabrice Schmitt
... where impressive glaciers run down to the sea.
... where impressive glaciers run down to the sea.
Fabrice Schmitt
We'll even round the famous Cape Horn!
We'll even round the famous Cape Horn!
Fabrice Schmitt
For the land excursions we'll use different kinds of vehicles, from comfortable buses...
For the land excursions we'll use different kinds of vehicles, from comfortable buses...
Fabrice Schmitt
...to 4x4 jeeps for the off-road drives on the Falkland Islands.
...to 4x4 jeeps for the off-road drives on the Falkland Islands.
Fabrice Schmitt
Every day we'll switch from beautiful seabirds, like this Black-browed Albatross...
Every day we'll switch from beautiful seabirds, like this Black-browed Albatross...
Fabrice Schmitt
...and this Juan Fernandez Petrel...
...and this Juan Fernandez Petrel...
Fabrice Schmitt
...to fantastic landbirds like Lesser Rhea...
...to fantastic landbirds like Lesser Rhea...
Fabrice Schmitt
...and Chucao Tapaculo.
...and Chucao Tapaculo.
Fabrice Schmitt
We have already seen 18 species of cetaceans on past cruises, such as this Sei Whale...
We have already seen 18 species of cetaceans on past cruises, such as this Sei Whale...
Fabrice Schmitt
and this Peale's Dolphin, a species often seen close to the ship.
and this Peale's Dolphin, a species often seen close to the ship.
Fabrice Schmitt
We'll learn a lot about seabird identification, biogeography, and even taxonomy (here two Pincoya Storm-Petrels)
We'll learn a lot about seabird identification, biogeography, and even taxonomy (here two Pincoya Storm-Petrels)
Fabrice Schmitt
We'll bird in mythical places like the Beagle Channel...
We'll bird in mythical places like the Beagle Channel...
Fabrice Schmitt
Fabrice Schmitt
Are you ready to join?
Are you ready to join?
Fabrice Schmitt
Cruise Time and Land Excursions Price
$3,350
Ceibas Pre-Cruise Extension $580
Ceibas Extension Single Supplement $80
Santiago Post-Cruise Extension $1,150
Santiago Extension Single Supplement $120
2027 Tour Price to be Determined
Maximum group size 14 plus leaders.
Tour balances paid by check/bank transfer may carry a 4% discount

Have you dreamed of taking an extended pelagic trip along the Humboldt Current and traveling to such legendary places as Cape Horn, the Beagle Channel, the Strait of Magellan, or the Falkland Islands? What about seeing 30 to 35 species of tubenose, 8 species of albatross, 4 species of penguin, 3 species of diving-petrel, among others? If so, you may not have imagined that this could be done on a comfortable and well-appointed Princess cruise ship, which also happens to be stable enough to permit telescope use even in these turbulent waters. We feel this cruise offers the best accessible seabirding experience in South America and probably one of the best in the world. 

If we have your attention, we should say that in addition to spending six full days at sea, we’ll arrange land-based expeditions to such wonderful areas as the South American Sea Lion colony on the Valdes Peninsula, penguin colonies on the Falkland Islands, the Patagonian steppe around Punta Arenas and the primeval Nothofagus forest near Puerto-Montt. During our landings we’ll look for highly sought-after specialties such as Chucao Tapaculo, Black-throated Huet-huet, Magellanic Plover, and Magellanic Woodpecker at stops in Chile, King Penguin, Brown Skua, and Ruddy-headed Goose on the Falklands, and Elegant Crested-Tinamou and Lesser Rhea in Argentina.

In 2025 the Ceibas extension will be led by Fabrice and the Santiago extension will be led by Fernando Diaz.

Details on booking space with both WINGS and Princess Cruises can be found here.

Note: This cruise can be taken in conjunction with our Santiago-Los Angeles cruise in 2025.

Tour Team
Itinerary (Click to see more)

Pre-tour extension: Ceibas, Argentina.

We’ll take advantage of being in Argentina by visiting the Ceibas area, a mix between pampas and Chaco habitat. This area is usually extremely birdy, and a visit there should not be missed.

Day 1: The pre-cruise extension begins this evening in Buenos Aires. Night in Buenos Aires.

Day 2 (Day 1 of the cruise): With an early start to beat the heat, we’ll drive north to the Ceibas area, where birding is excellent in a variety of habitats, especially wetlands and Chaco scrubland. In this remarkably rich area more than 100 species are often seen in a single morning, including such birds as Giant Wood-Rail, Long-winged Harrier, Nacunda Nighthawk, White-fronted Woodpecker, Scimitar-billed Woodcreeper, Lark-like Brushrunner, Chotoy Spinetail, White Monjita, White-naped Xenopsaris, and Red-crested Cardinal. Birding will be easy in this pampas-like open to semi-open habitat, and we’re certain to have some outstanding photo opportunities. After lunch we’ll board the ship and spend the afternoon familiarizing ourselves with the vessel. Night onboard ship in the Buenos Aires harbor.

Cruise Itinerary:

Day 1 (Extension Day 2): The cruise begins this afternoon in Buenos Aires, Argentina. We will meet in the evening for an introductory meeting and spend our first night onboard ship in the Buenos Aires Harbor.

Day 2: In the morning we’ll leave the ship as early as possible and drive to the Costanera Sur Reserve, close to the harbor. The number of potential species today is huge, and birding here (it will be hot!) will be very different from our forthcoming days in cold Patagonia. We’ll look for Giant Wood-rail, Gilded Sapphire, Checkered Woodpecker, Narrow-billed Woodcreeper, Masked Gnatcatcher, Red-crested and Yellow-billed Cardinal, Black-and-rufous Warbling-Finch, among many others. At day’s end we’ll drive back to the ship for our second night on board while sailing towards Uruguay.

Day 3: We’ll spend the full day in Montevideo’s immediate surroundings, where Monk Parakeet, Rufous Hornero, and Picazuro Pigeon are common. At nearby wetlands, we’ll scan for shorebirds and gulls, and in the reedbeds and shrubs we’ll look for Rufous-sided Crake, Great Pampa-finch, Firewood-gatherer, and the beautiful Spectacled Tyrant and Freckle-breasted Thornbird. In shrubbier habitat, we have a good chance of finding Green-barred Woodpecker, White-crested Tyrannulet, Short-billed Elaenia, White-throated Hummingbird, and (with some luck) even a Rufous-capped Antshrike.

Day 4: For our first full day at sea we’ll be heading south toward Puerto Madryn, Argentina. We’ll find our first tubenoses including Yellow-nosed Albatross and hopefully Cory’s Shearwater, and we may find a few Long-tailed or even Pomarine Jaegers. Compared to the forthcoming seabirding days farther south, it may be a quiet day, but that’s just what we need to familiarize ourselves with the different families of seabirds found during our trip.

Day 5: Upon arrival in Puerto Madryn we’ll leave the ship as early as possible as our drive to the wonderful Valdes Peninsula National Park is quite long. We may see Guanaco, Lesser Rhea, or Elegant Crested Tinamou along the way. The Valdes Peninsula is also well known for Orcas coming very close to the beach to catch young Sea Lions during their first swim, but we’ll have little chance of actually seeing this impressive hunt.

We’ll stop at a Sea Lion colony, where we’ll look for Snowy Sheathbill, Rock and Imperial Cormorants, and Cayenne Terns. Along the coast we’ll search for American and Blackish Oystercatchers, Chilean Flamingo and Crested Duck. The scrublands are interesting too, and we’ll walk into steppe habitat looking for Plain-mantled Tit-spinetail, White-throated Cachalote, Patagonian Mockingbird, Mourning Sierra-finch, and Lesser Shrike-tyrant. Around Puerto Madryn we may even find a flock of the fancy Burrowing Parakeet.

Day 6: We’ll now be sailing in the South Atlantic toward the Falkland Islands where we’ll begin to find a completely different species mix than we did the previous day: Soft-plumaged Petrel can be abundant, as well as Greater and Manx Shearwaters. We’ll also look for the elegant Atlantic Petrel and the minuscule Gray-backed Storm-petrel. We may also see a few Southern Right Whales.

Day 7: Just before we arrive in Stanley, several hundred Gentoo Penguins, breeding in the dunes, will welcome us to the Falklands. Once off the boat, we’ll immediately begin our drive to Volunteer Point. It will be a longish, off-road drive on a fairly rough track, but we’ll be rewarded by a huge mixed colony of King, Gentoo, and Magellanic Penguins. Other species that can be seen here include Upland and Ruddy-headed Geese, Two-banded Plover, Rufous-chested Dotterel, Southern Giant-Petrel, Falkland Steamer-duck, Dark-faced Ground-tyrant, and with some luck even a few Falkland’s (White-bridled) Finches. After our return to Stanley, we should have enough time to enjoy some shopping or a beer in a truly British pub. Our ship will depart in the evening toward Cape Horn in Chile, and we’ll want to be outside looking for Greater Shearwater, and possibly our first Slender-billed Prion.

Day 8: After breakfast, we’ll begin our journey toward the storied Cape Horn. We’ll carefully check the common Black-browed Albatrosses for the rare Gray-headed Albatross. We should also see a few Wandering and Southern Royal Albatrosses, and possibly even the very rare Light-mantled Albatross. Small seabirds will also be very interesting, and we have a chance of seeing Black-bellied Storm-petrel and Common Diving-petrel. In the afternoon, Black-browed Albatrosses and Sooty Shearwaters will probably be swarming around us when we sail around Cape Horn Island. We will then enter the Beagle Channel and continue toward Ushuaia, Argentina.

Day 9: We’ll arrive early in the morning in Ushuaia (the southernmost town in the world), where we’ll drive directly to the Tierra del Fuego National Park. The plan is to explore the fantastic Nothofagus forest in search of the impressive Magellanic Woodpecker. On this excursion we also have good chances for the beautiful Spectacled Duck and the loon-like Great Grebe. The landscapes surrounding Ushuaia are stunning.

On the way back to Ushuaia we’ll stop at a less scenic place (the garbage dump), looking for White-throated Caracara, usually found with its two relatives, the Chimango and Southern Caracaras. Additional stops on the coast should also provide excellent views of Kelp Goose, South American Tern, and Flying and Flightless Steamer-ducks as well as good numbers of the beautiful red-billed Dolphin Gull. We’ll leave Ushuaia in the afternoon, sailing into the Beagle Channel towards the Chilean town of Punta Arenas. As the sun fades we’ll pass by islands covered with hundreds of breeding Imperial Cormorants, and we’ll likely see good numbers of the elegant South American Tern and Chilean Skuas.

Day 10: We’ll have a full day to explore the Patagonian steppe around Punta Arenas, where our main target will be the pink-bubble-gum-legged Magellanic Plover, the lone species in its family. We’ll have a good chance of finding Lesser Rhea, Upland and Ashy-headed Geese, Two-banded Plover, Austral Negrito, and Black-faced Ibis, among many others. We’ll also visit lakes and wetlands where we expect several waterfowl species including Crested Duck, Yellow-billed Pintail, Red Shoveler, Flying Steamer-duck, Coscoroba Swan, and maybe even the uncommon Silver Teal.

After our birding in the steppe, we’ll make a few more stops along the Strait of Magellan looking for Kelp Goose, Flying Steamer-duck, Magellanic Oystercatcher, and groups of Peale’s Dolphin, which sometimes fish very close to shore.

Day 11: We’ll wake up at the exit of the Strait of Magellan and sail into the open sea, where seabirding can be excellent. Here we expect to see our first Salvin’s Albatross and our last Gray-headed Albatross, and perhaps also a few Slender-billed Prions. In the afternoon we’ll pause for impressive views of the Amalia Glacier in the Chilean Fjords. After absorbing this wonderful scene for about an hour, we’ll continue on through the Chilean channel. The landscapes are stunning, but in addition to the scenery we should be surrounded by Black-browed Albatrosses, Chilean Skuas, and Southern Giant-Petrels. We should see numerous Magellanic Diving-Petrels. We should also see a few Magellanic Penguins.

Day 12: During the day we’ll sail from Golfo de Penas towards Guafo Island, where a few million Sooty Shearwaters breed, which explains why the species will probably be the most common bird of the day. Stejneger’s Petrel is regular, and although they are very fast fliers and usually avoid the ship, we should have some good views. We will also hope to see the recently described Pincoya Storm-petrel amongst the numerous Fuegian (Wilson’s) Storm-petrel, as well as the (rare in Chile) Subantactic Little Shearwater.

Today could be an eight-albatross day. Black-browed, Salvin’s, and Northern Royal will be the most common, but we also have good chances of finding the huge Snowy and Antipodean Albatrosses as well as Southern Royal, and with good luck possibly even Chatham and Buller’s.

Day 13: This morning we’ll leave the ship as soon as it arrives in the Puerto-Montt harbor and drive south to the wonderful Alerce Andino National Park. We’ll be birding in impressive Nothofagus forest, looking for four species of tapaculo: Black-throated Huet-huet, Chucao, and Ochre-flanked and Magellanic Tapaculos. All of them should be easy to hear, but we’ll have to be lucky to see them! A common bird will be the migrant Chilean (White-crested) Elaenia, but there are lots of other species including White-throated Treerunner, Thorn-tailed Rayadito, Austral Parakeet, Patagonian Sierra-finch, and even the rare Magellanic Woodpecker. On our way back to Puerto-Montt we’ll make several stops and may see the splendid Black-faced Ibis or the local (sub)species of Ringed Kingfisher. We may also find a few Hudsonian Godwits that have come from northern Alaska or Canada to winter on the rich mudflats on Chiloé Island near Puerto-Montt.

Our ship will depart in the afternoon, and everyone will want to stay on the outside deck to look for Pincoya Storm-Petrel. This enigmatic species was discovered in 2009 by a group of birders making a similar cruise and officially described in 2013. For the most part this species has only been seen in the Gulf of Corcovado, and we have good chance of seeing it as we leave Puerto-Montt.

Day 14: During our last sailing day, the most common albatrosses will be Salvin’s and Black-browed, but we’ll probably also find a few Northern Royal Albatrosses as well. We’ll sail within a few miles of Mocha Island, where 90 percent of the world’s population of Pink-footed Shearwaters breeds. By now, we should all be able to separate White-chinned Petrel, Westland Petrel, and Sooty Shearwater; three very similar-looking seabirds. Amongst the Stejneger’s Petrels we have a chance of finding rarer Pterodroma petrels such as Juan-Fernandez and De Filippi’s and with a bit of luck we’ll see a few whales migrating north towards their breeding areas. Fin and Humpback are the most common here.

Day 15: We’ll disembark in the port of San Antonio, near Santiago, Chile, in time to catch international flights home, continue with the Santiago to Los Angeles Cruise, or join the 3-day Santiago area extension described below.

Post-cruise Santiago extension

The area around Santiago offers wonderful birding opportunities in amazingly varied habitats, from the wonderful scenery of the High Andes to the coastal wetlands and the dry scrublands in between. We will make a special effort for the Chilean endemics found around Santiago, and have a good chance of seeing seven of the 12 endemic species: Chilean Tinamou, Dusky and White-throated Tapaculo, Moustached Turca, Crag Chilia, Dusky-tailed Canastero and Chilean Mockingbird.

Day 1: The post-cruise extension begins this morning in San Antonio. We will leave the ship as early as possible, but our actual schedule for the day will depend of the disembarking procedure and timing. After meeting our driver at the San Antonio harbor, we will visit some scrublands, where we have a chance to find our first Chilean endemics, such as Chilean Mockingbird, White-throated Tapaculo or Dusky-tailed Canastero. We will have lunch at a nice restaurant by the rocky shore, where we may find a few Blackish Oystercatchers along with another Chilean endemic, the Seaside Cinclodes. In the afternoon, we will head towards a small wetland where Stripe-backed Bittern is sometimes seen, as well as Red-gartered Coot, Yellow-winged Blackbird or Plumbeous Rail. Night in Santiago.

Day 2: We’ll spend all day at high elevations (8000–9000 feet) in the Maipo and Yeso valleys, where the delicate Diademed Sandpiper Plover, one of the most beautiful shorebirds in the world, will be our main target. Other interesting species include Crag Chilia, a stunning ovenbird endemic to Chile. In the high-elevation bogs we should see Gray-breasted Seedsnipe, Greater Yellow-finch, Rufous-banded Miner, White-sided Hillstar, White-browed Ground-tyrant, and we have a chance for the rare Creamy-rumped Miner. The scenery here is absolutely stunning and is as much of a reason to make the journey as the birds. Night in Santiago.

Day 3: We’ll leave early for the ski resort of Farellones, stopping at different elevations, from the Mediterranean matorral shrublands to the alpine zone at 8250 feet. Our route is excellent for several Chilean endemics, including the cryptic and difficult-to-see Chilean Tinamou and the charismatic Moustached Turca. At high elevations we’ll almost certainly find Rufous-banded Miner, Black-winged Ground-dove, Band-tailed Sierra-finch, and Greater Yellow-finch, but the Andean Condor will probably attract most of our attention—we have good chances of seeing a few of these giants during our picnic lunch near Farellones. After lunch we will reach the highest point of our excursion, Valle Nevado at 9,850 feet, where we usually have excellent views of condors. The rare Creamy-rumped Miner and Black-fronted Ground-tyrant are also often here.

The post-cruise excursion ends at 5 pm at the hotel near the Santiago airport.

Last updated Apr 20, 2023
Tour Information (Click to see more)

Note: The information presented below has been extracted from our formal General Information for this tour.  It covers topics we feel potential registrants may wish to consider before booking space. The complete General Information for this tour will be sent to all tour registrants and of course supplemental information, if needed, is available from the WINGS office.

Booking your place on our Cruise around Cape Horn should be done in two steps:

1. Participants should book on-board birding time and the seven land excursions directly with WINGS.  Please do this first to insure there’s space on our tour. Details follow.

2. Participants should book their ship berth directly with Princess Cruises. Details follow.

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BOOKING WITH WINGS: WINGS space should be booked through the WINGS on-line booking system or directly through the WINGS office. The all-inclusive per person cost for the seven days of land arrangements plus the leaders’ on-board services is as listed on the main itinerary page. Our standard 4% discount applies to invoice balance if payment is by cash, check or wire. Applicants will be sent registration and release forms, deposit, payment and cancellation schedules and related information. The deposit for this tour’s WINGS services is $10% of tour cost ($200 non-refundable) with the balance of payments due a 3-5 months prior. Please wait for confirmation of space from WINGS before booking your berth with Princess. Note: You will have a seven-day window from the date of your WINGS booking to cancel without a WINGS penalty should Princess not have the berth accommodation you require.

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RESERVING YOUR CABIN WITH PRINCESS CRUISES: Your berth on this cruise should be booked over the phone with Princess Cruises to make sure your booking is added to our group number (see details below). All cabins will work equally well with the planned activities. Price depends largely on cabin class with cabin base prices beginning around $2500s (including Port Fees).  Note that deposits and payment to Princess are completely refundable if cancelled according to the payment schedule they list in your cruise registration.

Note: Because we’re a group, all bookings from North America should go through our group organizer with Princess Cruises, Melissa Mesker at 1-800-901-1172 ext. 21678 or [email protected]. Her hours are 7:00 am-3:45 pm Pacific Time, Monday – Friday. It’s best to book your cabin through the number above and not through a standard travel agency or website such as Kayak, Expedia, or Travelocity (or over the Princess website). If you get her voicemail leave a message with the following information (or dial 0 during the message for one of her support team):

      1. I’m booking into a group.

      2. Our agent is Melissa Mesker.

      3. Cruise information:

          a.    7-21 March 2025 (Buenos Aires to Santiago)
                   i.    Group Name: WINGS SA 2025
                   ii.    Group code: TPF
                   iii.   Our cruise number or voyage code: H506
                   iv.   Ship: Sapphire Princess
                   v.    Cruise Route: Cape Horn & Strait of Magellan (From Buenos Aires to Santiago/San Antonio or reverse)

You can also book through the standard Princess Reservation Telephone at 1-800-774-6237 (From the US and Canada) and 0-843-373-0333 (UK). When you connect with a Princess reservations agent, begin by telling them the above (including our agent’s name) before booking your cabin.

Choosing a cabin on the Sapphire Princess (Open Bow): The closest interior (non-view) cabins to the birding spot are on Deck 5, in the bow of the ship, between the lift and laundromat. This area is 2 floors from the birding spot and should also be quiet. If you are worried about the movement of the ship then more stable interior cabins are on Deck 5 near the Fine Arts Gallery (though these are also near the Casino and may be noisy late into the night), or midship on deck 9 and 10.

If you prefer a more expensive cabin with an ocean view the closest cabins to the birding location are on Deck 8, in the bow of the ship. Cabins on deck 8 mid-ship are also close to the birding location and more stable than in the front.

Additional information to have at hand before calling to make your booking:

• Your name(s) as they appear on your passports (first, middle and last)

• Your date(s) of birth

• Captain’s Circle Member numbers (for past Princess Cruises passengers) for all persons who may have them

• Phone numbers, mailing addresses, and email addresses for all persons who do not have Captain’s Circle member numbers

• Preferred bed configuration (queen vs. twin) for all staterooms – please note for cabins of 3 or more bed configuration may not allow a queen bed. Princess can provide specific bedding configuration details for each cabin as needed.

• Family stateroom configurations planned in advance (i.e., for families exceeding 4 persons; maximum stateroom occupancy is 4) or ask about Family Suite accommodations for up to 8 passengers.

• Dining selections (early, first, or late Traditional Dining, or Anytime dining) WINGS Note: Select “Anytime” dining.

• Any Special Requirements, including but not limited to: special dietary requests like food allergies and dietary restrictions (i.e., vegetarian, kosher, vegan, etc), or medical considerations.

• Any birthdays, anniversaries or other special occasions that you would like celebrated while onboard

SUPPLEMENTAL NOTES

1. Our cruise is limited to 14 birders due to the difficulty in showing seabirds to a larger group and to limits with certain of our land based services. Non-birding companions are permitted, and no WINGS deposit or payment is required, but such companions should not expect to join the daytime birding activities on board ship or on land (one or two days excepted: Falkland Islands and Valdes Peninsula/Puerto Madryn).  Non-birding companions should of course book their cruise berth with Princess. If you’re planning to travel with a non-birding companion, we suggest you contact the WINGS office for a review of the limitations of such a booking.

2. Shortly after you’ve booked your berth, you’ll get an e-mail booking confirmation from Princess.  Please forward a copy of that e-mail to the WINGS office and we’ll make sure all your data is transferred to our group.

3.  Cruise Itinerary:  Princess tells us that there is no direct web link to our cruise.  To view the itinerary one has to enter the main website, http://www.princess.com/ , and go through the “Plan a Cruise” link. Select “South America” as a destination, the proper cruise ship as above as a vessel, and month/year as a date. Click on “View Details” to see cabin prices, itinerary, and other details. Note: even though it’s possible to book the cruise through the website, we recommend doing so over the phone. On the website there’s no place to add your booking to our group block and you’ll have to call them anyway.

4.  Anyone who is unable to make a booking through Princess can request assistance from the WINGS office.

ENTERING ARGENTINA: A valid passport is required. U.S. citizens do not need a visa for visits of up to 90 days for tourism and business. U.S. citizens who arrive in Argentina with an expired or damaged passport may be refused entry and returned to the United States at their own expense. Citizens of other countries should consult their nearest Argentine consulate for entry requirements. If required by the embassy or visa-granting entity, WINGS can provide a letter for you to use regarding your participation in the tour.       

No vaccination certificates are necessary in order to enter Argentina.     

ARGENTINA RECIPROCITY FEES: Citizens of the United States, Canada, U.K, and Australia do not have to pay the entry reciprocity fee. However, it’s a good idea to check the current status as the requirements around this fee are subject to change. Citizens of other countries should check their embassy website.

ENTERING URUGUAY: A valid passport is required. U.S. citizens do not need a visa for visits of up to 90 days for tourism and business. Citizens of other countries may need a visa, and should check with the Uruguayan embassy or consulate.

ENTERING FALKLAND ISLANDS (UNITED KINGDOM): A valid passport is required. U.S. citizens do not need a visa for visits of up to 90 days for tourism and business. Citizens of other countries may need a visa, and should check with the Falkland embassy or consulate.

ENTERING CHILE: A valid passport is required. A visa is not required for U.S. citizens. Citizens of other countries may need a visa, and should check with the Chilean embassy or consulate. If required by the embassy or visa-granting entity, WINGS can provide a letter for you to use regarding your participation in the tour.

CHILE RECIPROCITY FEES: Currently citizens of the United States, U.K., and Canada do not have to pay the entry (“reciprocity”) fee. As of 2018, Australians (USD $120) are still required to pay. Payment is due upon arrival in Santiago; a receipt will be stapled into the passport.  These fees may change annually and can be paid in cash (but be warned you need pristine bills) or credit card.

TRANSFER BETWEEN AIRPORT AND HARBOR: If you do the cruise only (not our extensions) the transfers to the Buenos Aires harbor (from the airport) and back from the port of San Antonio to the Santiago airport are not included in the WINGS quote. We highly recommend that you organize your transfer to/from the airports through Princess Cruises. It is easier to do it this way. If you join our pre- or post-tour extension that transfer is included as the extensions end near or at the airport (see below).

Important: Princess will not allow you to take one of their shuttles between the airport and harbor if your flight time for your arrival/departure is under the 6hr minimum before/after your embarkation/ disembarkation. In this case you will be obliged to organize your transfer by yourself (by taxi for example), but we highly recommend considering at least 6 hours between your flight and embarkation/disembarkation.

Extensions: If you participate in the extension to Ciebas, you will travel be picked up at the airport upon arrival and at the end of the extension will travel with the group and your leader to the ship and board together. If you participate in the Santiago extension, the last day’s birding will end around 5pm at our airport-area hotel (free shuttle).

COUNTRY INFORMATION: You can review the U.S. Department of State Country Specific Travel Information here:  https://travel.state.gov/content/travel.html and the CIA World Factbook here:  https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/. Review foreign travel advice from the UK government here:  https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice and travel advice and advisories from the Government of Canada here:  https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/advisories

HEALTH: The most current information about travelers’ health recommendations can be found on the Centers for Disease Control’s Travel Health website here: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/list. Specific vaccinations and proof thereof may be required to enter the country. We strongly recommend contacting your doctor well in advance of your tour’s departure as some medications must be initiated weeks before the period of possible exposure.

Princess Cruises places a strong emphasis on keeping healthy and many Purell hand disinfectant are provided throughout the ship. Unfortunately with 2000+ customers on the ship (plus a crew of over 1000), it is always possible to catch a bug, and we recommend bringing cough and cold medications.

There are no major health risks during our cruise, and no cholera, malaria, typhoid or yellow fever where we will be. A tetanus booster is always a good idea before traveling. You should also be sure that your routine vaccinations are up to date for measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine, diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus (DPT) vaccine, etc. As some of these inoculations cannot be given concurrently please contact your doctor well in advance of the tour to start your course of treatment.

Water supplies are good, but bottled water is also widely available. Immodium or Pepto Bismol in tablet form can be recommended as the best treatment for occasional traveler’s diarrhea. For mosquitoes, which we may occasionally encounter, we recommend using insect repellents with a high concentration of DEET. However, care must be taken to avoid getting the DEET repellent on optical equipment, as DEET dissolves rubber and plastic and can damage coated lenses. Camping supply stores and outfitters carry some reasonably effective alternatives that contain natural products and aren’t corrosive.

Since it may be impossible to obtain personal medications while on tour, please bring what you will need.

SMOKING: Smoking is prohibited in the vehicles or when the group is gathered for meals, checklists, etc. The ship is generally non-smoking, with areas provided for smokers. If you smoke in the field, do so well away and downwind from the group. If any location where the group is gathered has a stricter policy than the WINGS policy, that stricter policy will prevail.

ALTITUDE: On the land excursions organized during the cruise we won’t be at elevations higher than about 1,500 feet, so altitude sickness will not be a concern during the main tour. If you opt for the extension around Santiago we may reach briefly the altitude of 10,000 feet (3,000 m) but most of the birding will be below 7,000 feet.

PACE OF THE TOUR: The tour starts after meeting on the cruise ship in the late afternoon in the harbor. The tour is divided in two different types of birding: the sailing days and the land excursions days. The location of the group for birding while on board the ship will depend on the weather conditions and time of the day. This will be explained by your leader during the first meeting. When sailing, the leader will indicate exactly where and when he will be birding, and you can join or not as you wish.

Because of the high latitude there is plenty of daylight, and because of the nature of the birding being out at the crack of dawn is not as much a prerequisite as on hot tropical tours (though there is usually more seabird activity early in the morning). During the sailing days, the leader is usually on deck birding from dawn to 6:00 p.m. and you can join him when and as long as you want. There may of course be special areas during which we’ll want to be on deck regardless of the time. The leader will brief you on these well in advance.

For the land excursions, the whole group will meet half an hour before the official landing time to be able to leave the ship quickly as a group and have as much as possible on our land excursions. We usually leave just after breakfast and depart for a day of birding and/or travel with box lunches and a supply of snacks (fruit, cookies, etc.) and drinks to keep us going. Most of the walking is on level to gently sloping terrain, and there are no long hikes; we do a lot of birding from in or near the vehicle.

Note: On occasion weather (or other uncontrollable circumstances) may force the last-minute cancellation of a land excursion. In most of these cases a refund won’t be available. This happens rarely but is worth mentioning.

CURRENCY: During the land excursions, there are usually stands with people selling handicrafts or wine before re-boarding the ship, and payment can be done in US dollars. It’s a good idea to bring smaller US$ bills (10s, 5s, and 1s, rather than 20s and 50s). 

CLIMATE: The climate will vary greatly from one day to the next as we are traveling through a wide latitudinal range. Around Santiago, Uruguay and Buenos Aires, it will probably be quite warm (expect temperatures at mid-day around 85°F/29°C). Weather near Puerto Montt can vary from bright and sunny (though not warm) to cold (50°F/10°C) and rainy. In Patagonia and Falkland Islands it tends to be windy and cold; sometimes very cold with temperature around 32°F/0°C.Since we don’t move much when we are seabirding on exterior decks, you should be very warmly dressed when it is cold and windy outside.

ACCOMMODATIONS: During the cruise, you can choose between several levels of accommodations, see https://www.princess.com/ships-and-experience/ships/  to learn more. During the Ceibas extension we will stay in a standard comfortable hotel in downtown Buenos Aires. For extension around Santiago, we stay at a standard, comfortable city hotel close to the airport.

INTERNET: Internet is available on the cruise ship but is quite expensive and often very slow. Internet will possibly be available on some land excursions if time permits, but birding is obviously the priority. If you use internet off ship, be sure to re-board with plenty of time to spare. We will likely have time to for an internet stop during the land excursions in Montevideo, Ushuaia and Punta Arenas, and possibly during one of the other land excursions. Internet will be available at the land-based hotels during the extensions.

FOOD: An impressive variety of food is served on board ship. Food is served 24 hours a day, and there is no obligation to eat all meals with the group. For lunch, the easiest option is usually to eat at one of the buffets or have a pizza or sandwich. The buffet option is available for dinner as well, though some participants may opt to have a more formal dining experience at one of the ship’s restaurants. Each day the leader will let you know where and when the group will meet for the daily list round-up, and at which restaurant the group will take dinner.

On most on-shore days during the cruise picnic lunches will consist of make-your-own sandwich fare.

During the Chile extension, you will have a taste of Chilean food, which is actually a European-style cuisine featuring good steaks, seafood, empanadas, salads and other dishes, plus of course its “endemic” and justly famous wines.

WINGS tours are all-inclusive, and no refunds can be issued for any tour meals participants choose to skip. While our restaurants and ground agents make every effort to insure the comfort of all participants, we cannot guarantee that all food allergies can be accommodated at every destination. Many restaurants offer set menus and are unable to accommodate all special requests within a group. Thus, participants with significant food allergies or special dietary needs should bring appropriate foods with them for those times when their needs cannot, regretfully, be accommodated. Our tours are carefully scheduled to insure the best possible birding experience. Meal times generally cannot be adjusted; any participant who needs to eat earlier or later than the times scheduled for the group should bring supplemental food with them. Please contact the WINGS office if you have any questions.

DRINKS ON BOARD: Princess offers at no charge water, ice tea, or lemonade. When on board, WINGS doesn’t cover other drinks. Therefore, any other drinks such soft drinks, mineral water, or any kind of alcoholic beverage will be charged to you. Luggage is scanned every time we go on board, and only one bottle of wine, for the entire cruise, is accepted per passenger. If you bring more than one bottle (or another bottle at another landing) Princess will charge you a corkage fee (approximately 20 US$ per bottle).

TRANSPORTATION: Most of our land transportation will be in 20-seater coaches. We will often be on dusty gravel roads in the South. The road used on Falkland Islands is in bad shape and anyone susceptible to motion sickness should bring an appropriate remedy.

Last updated Aug 09, 2023
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Narrative (Click to see more)

2023 Narrative

This was our eighth cruise around the Horn, and once again it was a wonderful trip. On what other trip can you see both giants, Wandering Albatross and Andean Condor? Or spend one day with thousands of seabirds, and the next day go into dense bamboo looking for tapaculos? Let’s start by naming some of the ‘best sightings’ of our tour to give a sense of the diversity encountered: the fantastic colony of colorful King Penguins with their young chicks, the hundreds of Black-browed Albatross seen on every sailing day, the impressive numbers of De Filippi’s Petrel seen on our very last day, the few Snowy Sheathbills foraging between impressive South American Sea Lions, the Black-throated Huet-huet, elusive, even if one gave us a great and close show, the very long tailed DesMur’s Wiretail, and the vocal Chucao Tapaculo. Besides plenty of wonderful birds we also had several groups of dolphins, and no less than six species of whales and three species of dolphins. Definitely a very enjoyable trip — visiting  four countries and navigating on two oceans, sailing to legendary places such Cape Horn and the Magellanic Straight, all without having to change rooms!

The eBird trip report for this trip can be seen here: https://ebird.org/tripreport/112420

EXTENSION TO CEIBAS AND IGUAZU FALLS: We left the hotel early and drove two hours to the small town of Ceibas, in the province of Entre Rios, located east of the famous Parana River, a long river in east-central South America that flows south, east and southwest through Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. It has a length of 2,546 kilometers (4,001 km from the source of the Rio Grande), making it the second longest river in South America after the Amazon. Today we had a warm morning with a little wind and clear skies. Our first stop was very productive, including a family of Little Thornbird, a stunning male Blue-and-yellow Tanager, Tufted Tit-Spinetail, and two Chotoy’s Spinetails were easily seen on top of some bushes. After walking a few minutes, more targets appeared: a pair of White-naped Xenopsaris (a rare austral migrant) remained exposed for several minutes, and a male of White-tipped Plantcutter appeared briefly. With a little work, we also spotted two large ovenbirds, first the Brown Cacholote and later a stunning Scimitar-billed Woodcreeper! In the sky we saw several species including flocks of American Golden Plovers, Brown-breasted and Gray-breasted Swallows, many Crested Caracaras, some White-faced Ibises in their classic V formation, Plumbeous Ibis (a rarity here), as well as many Southern Screamers flying at different heights and easily mistaken for birds of prey. Later, we came across a Pantanal Snipe walking beside the car, a Giant Wood Rail, and the delicate White Monjita. In some open woods we found a Freckle-breasted Thornbird and the unique Lark-like Brushrunner, one of the prettiest ovenbirds. At our last stop, dozens of Southern Screamers were found by a pond, a solitary Collared Plover and two beautiful Roseate Spoonbills. After this successful morning, we had lunch on the way back to our hotel in Buenos Aires.

Our next few days will take place in the far northeast of Argentina, near the city of Puerto Iguazu, one of the most visited areas in the country for the famous Iguazu Falls. Here we will be surrounded by National Parks and large area of Atlantic Forest. We landed mid-morning and settled into our very comfortable hotel. In the afternoon, we headed to a famous hummingbird garden in the city where we spent over an hour admiring the effervescent activity of dozens of Versicolored Emeralds, Black-throated Mangoes, Gilded Hummingbirds, Violet-capped Woodnymphs, Glittering-bellied Emeralds and even a splendid pair of Swallow-tailed Hummingbird. At the end of the day, we visited the Iguazu River coast, where we were able to see some birds of the open and scrubby habitats, such as a cooperative female Barred Antshrike, various species of Tyrant Flycatchers such as Variegated Flycatcher, Yellow-bellied Elaenia, Tropical Kingbirds, the small colorful Common Tody-Flycatcher and others, concluding this lovely day..

After an early breakfast, we drove 25 minutes to Highway 101, a dirty road through Iguazu National Park, where the characteristic red soil is rich in nutrients for this ecosystem. The birding began with two small birds, the Yellow Tyrannulet seen a few meters from the car, and the Rufous-crowned Greenlet, followed by a pair of Toco Toucans flying over us and stopped atop a tree… what a beak! Depp in the forest, a male Surucua Trogon was seen well but stayed quiet, while an Eared Pygmy-Tyrant was singing but never offered good views. Other birds here included Creamy-bellied Gnatcatcher, Wing-barred Piprites, Ochre-breasted Foliage-gleaner and the Atlantic subspecies of Olivaceous Woodcreeper. In the late morning, White-spotted Woodpecker, Green-winged Saltator and Sibilant Syriste were seen in the canopy, and few family groups of Guira Tanager, Chestnut-winged Conebill and Blue Dacnis were the last species on this productive route.

After a good lunch at the hotel, we drove to Iguazu National Park where we spent a full afternoon. The national park is an impressive place to visit. We had amazing views of the falls, both from the bottom as well as from above. What a wonderful scenery; wild rivers surrounded by tropical forest with falls plunging 250 feet (75 meters) down with an indescribable roar. We also had some birds during the visit of the falls. On the way to the ‘Devils Throat’ we found a pair of Yellow-chinned Spinetail, Plush-crested Jay and Toco Toucan, some Social Flycatchers visiting Cecropia trees and other common birds including White-winged Swallows, Anhingas and Neotropic Cormorants. When we arrived back at the central station, with pouring rain, our last species on this incredible day was a group of noisy Chopi Blackbirds.

For our third morning we drove to the Urugua-í Reserve, about 1h30 from the hotel. The forest here is fantastic and quiet in comparison with the hustle and bustle of people visiting the waterfalls. As soon as we arrived, we spotted a Black-fronted Piping-Guan, a species highly threatened by hunting and habitat destruction. In just three hours we found lot of new species such as Blond-crested Woodpecker, a pair of stunning Black-throated Trogon, a nice male Chestnut-headed Tanager, Southern Bristle-Tyrant, White-winged Becard and plenty of White-browed Warblers. Later we walked through a large stand of spiny bamboo where we saw Rufous-capped and Gray-bellied Spinetails at close range, a quiet male of Rufous Gnateater, and after some effort a Southern Antpipit was fund walking on the ground between ferns. On the way back to the entrance area, a White-throated Spadebill came straight to us, and we also found a beautiful and rare Red-ruffed Fruitcrow! We had a nice picnic near the stream between lots of colorful species of butterflies and then we decided to drive back to our hotel for some rest. After a good nap we visited a patch of Araucaria, a tree considered as a living fossil since there are records of it from the Mesozoic period about 250 million years ago. There we found the endemic Araucaria Tit-Spinetail and some other birds like Yellow-headed Caracara, Bran-colored Flycatcher, a group of Cobalt-rumped Parakeets, Purple-throated Euphonia, and just to end the day, Ed fund a nice pair of Lineated Woodpeckers.

On our last morning, we looked for Rufous-capped Motmot near the hotel and rapidly found one at close range for a few minutes! It was now time to fly back to Buenos-Aires, to embark the Sapphire Princess for two weeks cruising!

- Julian Quillen Vidoz

MAIN CRUISE AND LANDINGS: After our first night onboard the Sapphire Princess, we visited the Costanera Sur reserve with the help of our local guide, Quillén Vidoz. Unfortunately, the reserve is closed on Mondays, but we could bird the wetland bordering it, finding an amazing variety of waterbirds including two Cocoi Herons, dozens of Silver Teals and Rosy-billed Pochards, a pair of Yellow-billed Teals, no less than five Southern Screamers, a dozen White-tufted Grebes, a beautiful adult Rufescent Tiger-heron capturing a small snake, and several families of Wattled Jacanas. We could study the local coots very well, finding Red-gartered, White-winged and Red-fronted Coots together and very close to the shore. We even found a lovely Spot-flanked Gallinule swimming between the floating vegetation, close to two pairs of the secretive Black-headed Duck (the only parasitic duck in the world!)

In the trees bordering the main avenue we had great views of a pair of Narrow-billed Woodcreepers, the small Checkered Woodpecker and the handsome Green-barred Woodpecker, flocks of Monk and Nanday Parakeets, and the fancy Red-crested and Yellow-billed Cardinals, competing with the lovely Black-and-chestnut Warbling-Finch for the ‘cutest’ bird of the day! We also had great looks at a Wren-like Rushbird foraging on water hyacinth, a reactive pair of Yellow-chinned Spinetails coming to the tape, and a pair of Masked Gnatcatchers.  and Ed even spotted a Sooty Tyrannulet (rarely seen on this tour).

After a successful birding morning, we boarded our ship for lunch, an afternoon rest, and a chance to familiarize ourselves with the huge vessel that would be our home for the next two weeks.

We arrived early in Montevideo (Uruguay) but our ship was slightly delayed by one hour so we used this extra sailing time to do some seabirding from the bow. Arriving into the harbor, we had great views of Kelp Gulls, as well as a few Cayenne and Sandwich Terns. Once at the pier, we disembarked, met our driver and immediately drove towards Colonia Wilson. In the agricultural fields and shrubs, we found Picui Ground-Dove, the lovely White Monjita, a pair of Black-capped Warbling-Finches, large flocks of Saffron Yellow-Finches and Hooded Siskins, and a few Masked Gnatcatchers. At the Kurtz wetlands, actually completely dry after two years drought, we found a pair of Freckle-breasted Thornbirds, a beautiful male Chestnut Seedeater, a female Glittering-bellied Emerald with two Gilded Hummingbirds, a very cooperative Spix’s Spinetail and had a distant view of a Campo Flicker.

We had a succulent picnic lunch close to the shore of the Rio de la Plata Estuary, enjoying views of a pair of Hepatic Tanagers, Red-crested Cardinal and several Rufous Horneros. After lunch we had another great stop just by a small pond, where we found a Giant Wood-Rail, a superb Whistling Heron, and a Greater Yellowlegs together with a White-backed Stilt. A stunning male Long-winged Harrier flew close over the group, carrying  freshly caught prey, when an Aplomado Falcon suddenly appeared from nowhere and mobbed the harrier perhaps trying to get his food! What a sight!

After one more stop to admire a cute Burrowing Owl perched on a telephone post, we headed towards the Playa Penino area. There, we first stopped at a small lake filled with waterbirds, including 150+ Lake Ducks, a dozen or so White-tufted Grebes, nine Roseate Spoonbills, 20+ Hudsonian Godwits, a few Black Skimmers and even a (rare here) White-cheeked Pintail. In the nearby shrubland we had great looks at a pair of Rufous-capped Antshrikes, a nice group of Long-tailed Reed-Finches, a female Ultramarine Grosbeak and a few Blue-and-yellow Tanagers. On the beach itself we found hundreds of Snowy-crowned and Cayenne Terns, together with less numerous Royal and Common Terns, Brown-hooded Gulls and even two Gray-hooded Gulls. At one point a dark morph Parasitic Jaeger flew by and chased a Cayenne Tern. A few shorebirds were also present here, including 20+ Lesser Yellowlegs, 50+ American Golden Plovers and three White-rumped Sandpipers.

Before driving back to the ship, we made a last stop at a small pond where 40 Black-necked Swans were found together with a few Red-fronted Coots and Common Gallinules. Scanning the shore, we had amazing views of two Rufous-sided Crakes walking along the edge of the vegetation edge, often coming out in the open, as well a beautiful male Spectacled Tyrant. A pair of Plumbeous Rails also came to the tape, running towards us! A fantastic way to end a wonderful day in Uruguay!

We had a brilliant first sailing day, traveling from Montevideo to Puerto Madryn (Argentina), spending the day seawatching from the exterior decks! All day long, we continuously saw Yellow-nosed and Black-browed Albatrosses, Great and Manx Shearwaters, as well as good numbers of White-chinned Petrels, our first Magellanic Penguins and a few Long-tailed Jaegers. At one moment, we even had a massive group of 4,000+ Greater Shearwaters and 1,000+ Manx Shearwaters, frenetically feeding together with a few dozen albatrosses. In addition to these great seabirds, we also had a large group of 200+ Short-beaked Common Dolphins, and at the end of the day another pod of 300+ Dusky Dolphins. What a wonderful introduction to our forthcoming seabirding days!

After arrival at Puerto Madryn, and meeting up with our driver and our local guide Mabel, we headed towards the Valdez Peninsula, stopping at a lagoon surrounded by Patagonian steppe. There, we found many Red Shovelers and had excellent views of Chilean Flamingoes, while two Hudsonian Godwits and a Greater Yellowlegs were resting on the shore. A group of 12 Least Seedsnipes suddenly appeared in flight and landed close. In the shrublands, we had fantastic views of two Tufted Tit-Tyrants, a Plain-mantled (Patagonian) Tit-Spinetail, numerous Mourning Sierra-Finches, no less numerous Patagonian Mockingbirds and even found a responsive pair of White-throated Cacholotes. Apart from the birds, we had brief sighting of two Lesser Grison, and also caught a young Mousehole Snake.

After this productive first stop, we headed towards Puerto Piramides, making a few stops on the way to enjoy close looks at Lesser Rheas and herds of Guanacos. Our main birding spot was a South American Sea Lion colony, where we had good looks at 20+ Dolphin Gulls, Imperial and Rock Cormorants, a few Cayenne (Sandwich) Tern and our first Blackish Cinclodes and Southern Giant Petrel. At that time of the year, the Sea Lion pups are doing their first swim and we enjoyed seeing the young seals swimming together with their mothers. Amongst the seals we also spotted six Snowy Sheathbills, a very unique species that we all got to see well!

We then headed to ‘Isla de los Pajaros’ or ‘Birds Island’ where we enjoyed fantastic views of 250+ Magellanic Penguins, a pair of Flying Steamer-Ducks, Crested Ducks and Great Grebes, a flock of White-rumped Sandpipers mixed with Baird’s Sandpipers and Two-banded Plovers, and even an elusive Sharp-billed Canastero. We could also study the three species of Oystercatcher (American, Magellanic and Blackish) almost side-by-side.

It was now time to drive back to the ship, with a last stop on our way back to admire the well named Elegant Crested Tinamou. On the pier, we also had very close views of a group of resting South American Terns. After a beautiful day at the Valdez Peninsula, we departed towards the Falklands Islands.

We started our sailing day towards the Falklands Islands with a few Black-browed Albatross and Great Shearwaters, and with numerous small groups of Peale’s Dolphins jumping out of the water. The most numerous bird species of the day was the Soft-plumaged Petrel, with increasing numbers during the day and reaching a total of several hundreds. We also spotted a few Gray-backed Storm-Petrels, Brown Skuas and Long-tailed Jaeger. At the very end of the day, a White-capped Albatross and an Atlantic Petrel flew by, rewarding those who stayed outside most of the day! It was also an excellent day for mammal watching, with 20+ Southern Right Whales, a great view of Sei Whales, and 100+ Peale’s Dolphins.

We had a beautiful day in the Falklands Islands! We arrived in Stanley with nice weather and after the short tender ride, we met the two jeep drivers who took us to Volunteer Point, where no less than three species of penguins are breeding.  It is a two-and-a-half hour ride, half of it off-road, to reach Volunteer Point, but our drivers were charming characters and their stories about their life on the islands, sheep farming, or the war made the trip much shorter.

At Volunteer Point we enjoyed very close views of the three species of penguins (King, Gentoo, and Magellanic) breeding there. The breeding season of the Magellanic and Gentoo Penguins was already finished, and the adults were all molting. But most of the King Penguins were now raising large chicks, while other ones were still incubating eggs. Between the hundreds of penguins, we also saw numerous Upland and Ruddy-headed Geese, 50+ Double-banded Plovers, 100+ White-rumped Sandpipers, and even four of the uncommon White-bridled (Falklands) Finch!

During our drive between Stanley and Volunteer Point, we  made a few stops to watch Rufous-chested Dotterel and Correndera Pipits, and even found a young Peregrine Falcon during one of our restroom breaks. At one of our stakeouts, we had incredible close view of a pair of Falklands (White-tufted) Grebe and a pair of Falklands Steamer-Ducks also came very close to the shore, offering fantastic photo opportunities! After a lovely day in British territory, we arrived back in Stanley early enough to have a short city tour or a beer at one of the local pubs, and to catch one of the last tenders to get back on the Sapphire Princess. Leaving these wonderful islands and charming people, we were followed by thousands of Sooty Shearwaters, a few Sei Whales, and some jumping Peale’s Dolphins.

We had another nice day at sea, sailing between Falklands and Cape Horn (Chile). We began our day with close looks at numerous Black-browed and Southern Royal Albatross, a Gray-headed Albatross flying close to the bow, two Slender-billed Prions, the minuscule Gray-backed Storm-Petrel, a Cape Petrel and our last Greater Shearwaters. Amongst the numerous albatrosses, we also spotted a Northern Royal Albatross and a few Snowy (Wandering) Albatross! Beside these giants we looked for tiny seabirds, and happily found plenty of Fuegian (Wilson’s) Storm-Petrels as well as a few Magellanic Diving-Petrels.

We ended our day sailing by the legendary and scenic Cape Horn Island, and then headed towards Ushuaia (Argentina; the southernmost city in the world) through the ‘Mar del Sur’ channel and spent the night sailing into the Beagle channel, another legendary place.

After disembarking in Ushuaia, we met our local guide Marcelo, and immediately drove toward Tierra del Fuego National Park where we spent the whole morning. We had amazing weather — no wind and beautiful blue sky — to walk in the National Park and its impressive forests! At our very first stop we had an excellent view of Spectacled Duck and a charismatic Great Grebe. Excited by our imitation of the Austral Pygmy-Owl, we were often surrounded by dozens of Thorn-tailed Rayaditos, Patagonian Sierra-Finches, Austral Thrushes and a few Tufted Tit-Tyrants. At one point we even attracted a Pygmy-Owl, and had prolonged and stunning view of this little predator. This morning we also saw the smart Fire-eyed Diucon and a flock of Austral Parakeets, and even spotted two Andean Condors soaring high in the sky. We had our picnic lunch in the spectacular National Park, and then headed back towards Ushuaia with a stop at the shoreline of the Beagle channel where we found 25+ Rufous-chested Dotterels, a few Flying Steamer-Ducks together with a Flightless Steamer-Duck, our first Black-faced Ibises, a group of Kelp Geese, several Crested Ducks and Chiloé Wigeon, and spectacular Dolphin Gull close-ups. It was now time to end our day with a visit to a well-known local birding spot: the scenic Ushuaia garbage dump! That’s where we observed 25+ White-throated Caracaras, and their commoner relatives the Chimango and Southern Caracaras, as well as at least a dozen of Black-chested Buzzard-eagles!

Back on board, we departed during mid-afternoon and sailed in the scenic Beagle channel. This was one of the most scenic navigations of the cruise, with impressive landscapes on both sides of the channel, hanging glaciers here and there, Black-browed Albatrosses following the ship at close distance, and Humpback Whales all along!

Because of strong wind and too much swell, we couldn’t land in Punta Arenas. The ship stayed anchored in front of the Chilean city all morning, with the hope that the weather conditions would improve, but at one point the Captain made the decision to cancel the landing.

After lunch, we started to navigate in the Strait of Magellan, where the magnificent landscapes follow one after the other, and for the rest of the day we would be encircled by mountains whose slopes are forested with impenetrable forests, and the sharp peaks covered with snow. Hundreds of Black-browed Albatross would accompany us, along with Chilean Skuas, Imperial Cormorants and Humpback Whales.

We started our day in open sea, surrounded by a few Black-browed Albatrosses and Sooty Shearwaters, and soon the ship entered the majestic scenery of the Chilean channels. What an experience to travel through these most inaccessible islands, covered by stunted forests, and creating an incredible labyrinth. Sailing into these protected waters can also be good for birding, and we saw a handful of Magellanic Diving-petrels and Chilean Skuas.  In the afternoon the ship stopped in front of the impressive Amalia Glacier for a spectacular view of the glacier and the surrounding area.

Our second day at sea toward Puerto-Montt (Chile) was a great seabirding day and the best ‘albatross day’ of the cruise with no less than six distinct species. The Black-browed obviously outnumbered the other ones, but we also had five Northern and ten Southern Royal, 50+ Salvin’s, 30 Antipodean (Wandering) and five Snowy (Wandering) Albatrosses. Expected here, we also found our first Stejneger’s Petrel and great numbers of White-chinned Petrels. Arriving at the end of the day near the Guaitecas archipelago and Guafo Island, where one of the world’s largest Sooty Shearwater colonies is located, we found thousands and thousands of these. At the very end of the day, we also saw a few huge Blue Whales, almost together with the minute Fuegian Storm-Petrels.

For our last landing we had a day near Puerto Montt, spending all morning in the splendid Nothofagus forest of the Alerce Andino National Park. Lots of trees such as Ulmo (Eucryphia cordifolia) and Arrayan (Luma apiculata) were blooming white, while the numerous Green-backed Firecrowns were mostly attracted by the red and purple flowers of the Fuchsia magellanica. In the forest, the explosive voice of Chucao Tapaculo accompanied us all morning, and we had some nice views of that beautiful bird. We also enjoyed an unforgettable encounter with a Black-throated Huet-huet, coming very close to us and offering a great photo opportunity. While whistling the song of Austral Pygmy-owl, we attracted a few Chilean (White-crested) Elaenia, Thorn-tailed Rayadito and Patagonian Sierra-finch. Another bird seen very well was the unique Des Mur’s Wiretail: a tiny little brown bird, followed by an excessively long tail. Usually staying deep in the dense vegetation, two of them decided to entertain us by coming out in the open at the edge of some chusquea bamboo.

After a productive morning it was time for lunch, and Arturo and Jonathan, our local drivers/guides, prepared a superb picnic. Among the various food and drink was even included some Chilean wine. During our travel between Puerto Montt and Alerce Andino, we made a few stops on the way, finding Peruvian Pelican, numerous groups of Black-faced Ibis, an Austral (Ringed) Kingfisher and an impressive flock of 1000+ Hudsonian Godwits! Leaving Puerto-Montt in the evening, we saw a few coastal birds such as Imperial Cormorant, Franklin’s Gull, as well as 30+ Parasitic Jaegers, finishing the day with a distant view of Pincoya Storm-Petrel.

We finished our cruise between Buenos-Aires and San Antonio (Chile) with another amazing seabirding day. We had no less than 500+ Salvin’s, 500+ Black-browed and 100+ Northern Royal Albatrosses. Sailing close to Mocha Island, where most of the world population of Pink-footed Shearwater breeds, we saw hundreds of these long migrant seabirds. At one point, Ed even spotted a rare Chatham Albatross that we saw very well passing the bow not far from the ship. We also had hundreds of White-chinned Petrels and thousands of Fuegian Storm. Now, the best memories of that day are probably the increasing numbers of Masatierra/De Filippi’s Petrel seen during the day. Seeing the first ones around mid-day, we counted 200+ before 5 PM and the numbers exploded at the end of the day, finding at one point 120+ in just one scan of the horizon, and finding several flocks of 20-30 birds seated on the water. We estimated 850-1,200 birds seen during the last hour of the day, and perhaps up to 2,000 birds for the day! Considering the actual estimated population is around 20,000 birds, we not only saw a huge portion of the world population but can also question the accuracy of the estimation of the world population. Besides these wonderful bird sightings, we also found three Sperm Whales and around 20 Fin Whales! It was now time to end our fabulous cruise around Cape Horn with a great farewell dinner, just before arriving at San Antonio.

- Fabrice Schmitt

 

SANTIAGO EXTENSION: After disembarking at the San Antonio’s harbor, the whole group did the three-day Santiago extension. We started along the coast, with our first stop at the Río Maipo Wetland Nature Sanctuary, one of the most important in Central Chile where many resident and migratory birds are found. Among the dense thickets we encountered our first Chilean endemic, a cooperative Dusky Tapaculo seen well by all! We also found some large concentrations of migratory birds such as Franklin’s Gulls, several species of shorebirds, and Black Skimmers. In the reeds we searched successfully for Many-colored Rush-Tyrant, definitely the most colorful bird of the day. We had lunch on the terrace of a coastal restaurant right by the sea, from which we found our second Chilean endemic of the day: Seaside Cinclodes. After lunch we visited a small Humboldt Penguin colony, finding 15 of them, along with hundreds of Peruvian Booby, Peruvian Pelican, and Guanay Cormorant among other seabirds. Some of us even got a brief glimpse of a Marine Otter.

On our second day in Central Chile, we left the hotel very early so we could be in the upper part of the Yeso River Valley at dawn. During the ascent we made a few stops to scan the river and found a striking male Torrent Duck standing on a rock in the middle of the river. In a shrubby area, we found several male White-sided Hillstars feeding on mistletoe flowers. On our way up, some high elevation specialists such as Greater Yellow-Finch and Gray-breasted Seedsnipe became more and more common. At the upper part of the Yeso Valley, the mountainous landscape became very impressive with imposing colorful mountains and hanging glaciers. After a few kilometers on a narrow road we finally reached the Termas del Plomo area, where we found three Diademed Sandpiper-Plovers, two adults and one juvenile. Here we had our picnic lunch surrounded by impressive landscape, and then started our return towards Santiago.

On our last day we visited the Farellones route, a mountainous and scenic road that reaches the High Andes and along which are found many endemic and high-altitude species. Before starting the ascent to high elevation, we first visited a secondary valley looking for White-throated Tapaculo, finding one atop a large rock, as well as a larger relative but no less endemic, the Moustached Turca. Continuing along, we found a Dusky-tailed Canastero in some bushes, and at the Farellones ski resort we discovered a Lesser Horned Owl on his day roost. We had lunch in a small mountain hotel, enjoying our meal and a beautiful landscape. We continued ascending this route until we reached 9,800 feet. Upon our arrival we had an incredible spectacle of 20 condors flying just over our heads. And before starting our way back, we experienced a 5.6 Richter Scale earthquake of about 3 seconds duration! After this full and memorable Chile experience, it was now time to make our way back down towards the airport for international departure.

- Fernando Diaz

 

 

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Tour Notes

* The cruise price noted above covers only the seven land excursions during the cruise plus the leaders’ time on-board ship.  It does not include your berth on the ship, which must be booked directly with Princess Cruises. Details on booking space with both WINGS and Princess Cruises can be found here.

** In 2025 the Ceibas extension will be led by Fabrice and the Santiago extension will be led by Stephen Menzie.

*** This cruise can be taken in conjunction with our Santiago-Los Angeles cruise in 2025 & 2027.

Maximum group size 14 plus leaders.

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