CAU > Seminars and Study Tours > Wild Lands of Patagonia: A Family Expedition

Wild Lands of Patagonia: A Family Expedition

December 22, 2008-January 3, 2009

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Overview

Charles Darwin hated Patagonia. But that was because he traveled to the wrong places, ate wretched food, and didn't stay at one decent hotel. Nonetheless, his specimen collecting helped lay the base for evolutionary theory, as we shall see as we explore both the wild and the civilized faces of southern Chile and Patagonia. Among fantastic mountain formations, rugged volcanoes, giant waterfalls, placid pools, and massive glaciers, with condors circling above, llamas grazing, and penguins tending their chicks, we'll hike, float, and ride in amazing places that very few people ever see. And led by our talented faculty team, Amy McCune and David Winkler, both professors of evolutionary biology at Cornell and leaders of previous family forays in the Galapagos Islands, we'll do much more than look. We'll gain a rich appreciation for the geological, climatic, and biological forces shaping life and landscapes near the southern tip of South America. And we'll also learn a lot about Charles Darwin, evolution, the voyage of the Beagle, and the challenges Darwin faced in Patagonia.

Itinerary

Arriving in Santiago--an absolutely beautiful city set among the rugged volcanic peaks of coastal Chile--we'll settle in at the Sheraton, meet the faculty, our Cornell student counselors, and one another, and take a quick look at colonial and contemporary sections of the city as well as its terrific Museum of Pre-Columbian Art.

Then we'll really get moving. Chile is three thousand miles long and about two miles wide (perhaps a bit more), and we'll be covering more than a thousand miles of this fabulous terrain. About four hundred miles to the south of Santiago, in Temuco, the capital of the Araucan�a region, we'll get a taste of the life and culture of the Mapuche, the indigenous people of Araucan�a and Patagonia. We'll also enjoy a short stay at our hotel overlooking the shores of Lake Villarrica and the Villarrica volcano.

From Temuco we'll head east to Huerquehue National Park, a complex of rivers, waterfalls, alpine lakes, lagoons, hot springs (we'll take a dip, if you like), and Araucaria forests, where we'll hike mountain trails, climb through giant lava tubes, and seek out Darwin frogs, foxes, puma, and possibly spot our first condors (the flying tankers of the bird world). We'll stay at the delightful Huife Hot Springs Resort and spend a day at Huifquenco Farm horseback riding, hiking, fishing, canoeing, and consorting with the farm's five thousand head of cattle, wild boar, and llamas. Last but not least, we'll take a full-day whitewater-rafting trip along the Trancura River.

A highlight of our journey, literally and figuratively, will be our next destination: the area including Puerto Montt, Puerto Natales, and Torres del Paine National Park. With its awesome mountain formations and splendid wildlife (ranging from herds of guanacos, condors, and black-necked swans to the not-so-timid Andean fox), this is possibly the most beautiful alpine national park in the world. During the day, we'll hike and ride from Grey Glacier (with its stunning blue iceberg, Salto Grande) to the amazing torres del paine (giant granite towers rising ten thousand feet from the Patagonian plain). At night, we'll gather around campfires with our baqueano (Magellanic region gaucho guides).

Back near the coast in Puerto Natales, we'll make yet another memorable foray--to the shoreline of the Strait of Magellan where a large colony of Magellanic penguins returns each year between October and March to lay eggs and raise their young. Here we'll enjoy the penguins' antics (the adults squabble just like their human counterparts). Reluctantly, we'll then fly back to Santiago and connect to our homebound flights.

Program Cost and Travel Arrangements

The adult program fee of $7,490 (per-person, double-occupancy) includes all ground and air transportation in Chile, all lodging, meals, site visits, admission fees, escort and guide services, taxes and gratuities, emergency medical-evacuation insurance, and the full educational program. The supplement for single occupancy (limited availability) is $1,590. The inclusive program fee of $6,480 for youngsters ages eight to seventeen (per-person, double-occupancy) includes supervision and programming with Cornell student counselor-leaders. International airfare from New York will be an additional cost (the current price is $1,360), although you are free to make your own international air arrangements if you prefer.

Program Notes

This is a physically active program. We will be walking and hiking for several miles over hilly, uneven trails, traveling in several places at high elevations, and driving over rough roads. Contact us if you have questions about the physical demands of the program. Please also note that children must be eight years of age or older to participate.