This shorter Chile tour concentrates on the central region, allowing us to visit the most characteristically Chilean habitats, from dry Matorral to the temperate rainforests and montane habitats for highland species such as Andean Condor and the handsome Diademed Sandpiper-Plover.

This is the land that inspired the Nobel prize-winning poetry of Pablo Neruda, a man who understood that the Chucao Tapaculo, Magellanic Woodpecker, Slender-billed Parakeet, Green-backed Firecrown--all of which he wrote about--were special birds. With a backdrop of symmetrical volcanoes, the ancient Gondwanaland-age forests of Chile make for great birding. How about finding a Magellanic Woodpecker (as close to seeing an Ivory-billed as you'll ever come) in old-growth giant trees, dripping with moss?

Nowhere is there such an incredible biomass of seabirds as in the Humboldt Current off Chile's coast, and we'll go out into the southern end where the pelagic birding is second to none. We may see thousands of birds, from the huge Northern Royal Albatross to the diminutive Wilson's Storm-Petrel and Red Phalarope. Here, seabirds breeding in Chile mix with antarctic, subantarctic, and boreal breeders. Sooty and Pink-footed shearwaters are abundant, while the albatross show, which includes Black-browed, Buller's, Salvin's, and perhaps Chatham and Royal, is not only diverse but intimate, with birds coming in just a few feet from the boat. Humboldt Penguins may swim through for a bite, while a Masatierra or Juan Fernandez petrel may pop in for a quick look...seabirding at its best.

And we'll offer an extension to Easter Island to see the huge stone heads (Moai) and a wide assortment of tropical seabirds, including four Pterodroma petrels.

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