Full day (2 - 8 participants) Season: November - March

A day trip to the southern extreme of the Atacama Region – a place that surprises.

We leave early in direction to te “Pingüino de Humboldt” National Reserve crossing on our way the wide desert landscapes and Atacama’s coastal mountain range.

Arriving to the small fisherman-village Chañaral de Aceituno, we start a 2 hours boat-tour through the marine reserve Isla Chañaral and its impressive and fragile ecosystem which is direcytly related to the humboldt current.

The Chañaral Island and its surroundings are habitat of a great variety of resident and migratory species of marine fauna, such as dolphins, sea lions, sea otters and many different birds – among the latter the humboldt penguin which also gives the name to the archipelago that forms the National Reserve. Further, during Summer season, it’s possible to observe diverse marine giants as for example the humpback whale, the fin whale and the blue whale – beeing the last two the largest animals on planet earth.

Back on the mainland there’s time to enjoy lunch in one of the restaurants of the fisher-cove (not included).

Before we return to Vallenar, we take the opportunity to learn in the small local museum about the Chango culture which is straight related to the “Little North´s” the coastal strip. On our way back we take us time for some brief stops e.g. in the small, picturesque oasis of Carrizalillo and we’ll enjoy an afternoon tea or ground coffee in middle of the desert. With some luck, we can observe native terrestrial fauna such as foxes and guanacos.