Pumalin, Chile
This morning the National Geographic Endeavour arrived off the small village of Chaitén. Home to a population of about 3,000 people, this small village is becoming best known as the main point of access to Parque Pumalín. This remarkable conservation effort is the result of the work of an American philanthropist who has purchased nearly 300,000 hectares of land in an attempt to create a conservation area dedicated to sustainable use of resources while encouraging ecotourism. In particular, the area protects an area of temperate rainforest containing about one-third of the remaining Alerce trees in Chile. These impressive trees, the oldest examples of which may be over 3,000 years of age, were once widespread in Chile but extensive exploitation for timber has resulted in their numbers being greatly reduced and all Alerce are now completely protected by law.
We entered the park and hiked on trails through the verdant rainforest. The forest floor and every branch seemed covered by epiphytes: mosses, lichens and ferns. Lakes, rivers and waterfalls defined the landscape in this region that receives about 3 metres of rain annually. The red flowers of the Chilean firebush were visited by the local hummingbird species – the typically hyperactive green-backed firecrown. The call of the Chucao tapaculo was heard throughout the forest but this elusive and skulking species was seen by only a lucky few.
In the afternoon we cruised south. Snow-capped volcanoes played hide-and-seek, with 2,000 metre peaks peeking out from behind little fluffy clouds. A watch from the bridge resulted in sightings of numerous seabirds typically associated with the southern oceans, including sooty shearwaters, Magellanic penguins and black-browed albatrosses. Protected as we are by the islands between us and the open waters of the South Pacific, we enjoyed a calm evening and night as we journeyed further south.
This morning the National Geographic Endeavour arrived off the small village of Chaitén. Home to a population of about 3,000 people, this small village is becoming best known as the main point of access to Parque Pumalín. This remarkable conservation effort is the result of the work of an American philanthropist who has purchased nearly 300,000 hectares of land in an attempt to create a conservation area dedicated to sustainable use of resources while encouraging ecotourism. In particular, the area protects an area of temperate rainforest containing about one-third of the remaining Alerce trees in Chile. These impressive trees, the oldest examples of which may be over 3,000 years of age, were once widespread in Chile but extensive exploitation for timber has resulted in their numbers being greatly reduced and all Alerce are now completely protected by law.
We entered the park and hiked on trails through the verdant rainforest. The forest floor and every branch seemed covered by epiphytes: mosses, lichens and ferns. Lakes, rivers and waterfalls defined the landscape in this region that receives about 3 metres of rain annually. The red flowers of the Chilean firebush were visited by the local hummingbird species – the typically hyperactive green-backed firecrown. The call of the Chucao tapaculo was heard throughout the forest but this elusive and skulking species was seen by only a lucky few.
In the afternoon we cruised south. Snow-capped volcanoes played hide-and-seek, with 2,000 metre peaks peeking out from behind little fluffy clouds. A watch from the bridge resulted in sightings of numerous seabirds typically associated with the southern oceans, including sooty shearwaters, Magellanic penguins and black-browed albatrosses. Protected as we are by the islands between us and the open waters of the South Pacific, we enjoyed a calm evening and night as we journeyed further south.
