Patagonia

The Magellanic penguin is a South American penguin, breeding in coastal Argentina and Chile . it was named after Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who spotted the birds in 1520.The male and female penguins take turns hatching, as they forage far away from their nests. Magellanic penguins mate with the same partner year after year. The male reclaims his burrow from the previous year and waits to reconnect with his female partner. The females are able to recognize their mates through their call alone.

“Man's real home is not a house, but the Road, and that life itself is a journey to be walked on foot.” ― Bruce Chatwin, What Am I Doing Here?

Punta Delgada is a locality on the Valdes Peninsula on the Atlantic Ocean. The peninsula is an important nature reserve which was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999. Punta Delgada main attractions are a big colony of elephant seals and an active 14-metre-high lighthouse built in the 1905. Best enlarged

About 20.000 elephant seals are estimated to live in the Valdes Peninsula Elephant Seal colonies . Due to the high sensitivity of this environment, access is only authorized to small groups escorted by park rangers and specialized guides . The elephant seal pups, born in the end of September beginning of October , have a short nursing period. The pups will nurse for approximately three weeks, to then be abandoned by the mother and begin their life entirely independent of their mother´s care. It was an unforgettable emotion to walk on this beautiful beach, so close to these pups(how many of them!) , the four of us and the guide, in silence.

The Beagle Channel is a strait in Tierra del Fuego Archipelago on the extreme southern tip of South America. It was named after the ship HMS Beagle whose captain took Charles Darwin along as a self-funding supernumerary, giving him opportunities as an amateur naturalist. While navigating the Channel, we saw la Isla de los Pájaros (Birds' Island), so called due to the large amount of birds dwelling on it, ideal to appreciate king cormorants.

Les Eclaireurs Light House stands on a small island in the archipelago of the same name. This old light house dating back from 1919 is known as the Faro del fin del mundo (Lighthouse at the End of the World). It was the farthest point of our navigation along the Beagle Channel. I did have the impression that I was truly at the end of the world...

We sailed around Isla de Los Lobos (Sea Lions Island) to observe quite closely these sea mammals.

HFF everybody! :-)