The fjords and coast of southern Chile are swathed in lush green forests. The landscape is superficially similar to other glaciated terrains but quite different in its covering of vegetation. In addition to being spectacularly beautiful this maze of islands and channels has few villages or towns and access is mostly and has historically been by sea. So what better way to explore the Chilean Fjords than aboard National Geographic Explorer? This voyage is the first time in over 10 years that Lindblad Expeditions has traveled the archipelago, and today we came into a small port that had never been visited in previous decades of travel through the area.
Puerto Aysen is one of the handful of places in the fjords where there is a connection by road to the rest of the continent. Aysen and nearby Chacabuco have become important centers for the booming salmon farming industry of Chile and also serve as a portal to the Andes inland. Today once the ship was secured to mooring buoys we discovered our visit was the very first to use a newly dedicated visitor pier. After passing through the small new facility and the required agricultural inspection station we were treated to some lively local dancers and musicians welcoming our arrival.
About half of us chose to start the day a bit early in order to have time driving inland to the mountains. The drive itself was amazingly beautiful as we followed the Aysen River deep into the Andes. Our day’s destination was one of Chile’s national parks named after the nearby town of Coyhaique. Our hike began at the entrance to the park. Much of the trail was a steady uphill well worn path. Local guides told us that a massive forest fire burned for about 20 years after 1935 and approximately 50% of the native forest had been damaged. To reduce erosion the government planted trees of non-native species to provide a ground cover. These trees are now mature and are being managed for wood products. Guests made their way up the trail at their own pace taking in the occasional scenes of the Andes across the valley where the town is nestled. One of the highlights for many people was a pair of the largest woodpecker in Chile, Magellanic. After reaching a small blue lake the group was transported to the edge of the town for a delightful lamb asado lunch at a typical quincho meeting hall. Then it was time to quickly visit the town’s center—a park and pedestrian shopping area before heading down to the ship in Puerto Aysen.
The other half of the guests decided to travel a shorter distance from the port to a private reserve, Aiken. Here they walked slowly along an interpretive trail searching for birds and learning about the history, culture and natural history of the area. A traditional asado was also the treat of the mid-day meal. Then the group returned to the ship for the rest of the afternoon. In the evening we cruised out of Estero Aysen and continued our exploration of the fjords southward.
