It was difficult to escape the rain at Seno Glacier, our first stop for the day. Part of the Gran Campo Nevado ice field, this glacier has receded over one kilometer since 2016, and the bare walls of the channel were proof. The Zodiac cruise was chilly but magnificent as we entered the channel that towered hundreds of feet above us. Dikes of dark mineral streaked the channel walls in long, vertical swaths against the clean surface, and small icebergs were strewn at the base of the receding glacier, giving all a sense of polar awe.
The afternoon’s Zodiac cruise offered no respite from the rain, but the wildlife at Estero Cordova was plentiful. Condors, flightless steamer ducks, kelp geese, night herons, and South American sea lions were spotted, as were many shags. We even had a brief visit from a diving petrel. Though the wind was steady, the hotel boat provided many warm treats as we paused from our cruise amongst the giant kelp and the Nothofagus forest that surrounded us.
