ATTRACTIONS

The fauna treasure stretches to the birds and seabirds, with charming species such as the Magellanic penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus), the Chilean skua (Catharacta chilensis), the grey seagull (Larus scoresbii), the cormorants (Phalacrocorax sp.) and the albatrosses (Diomedea sp.), amongst other flying marvels.

But that is not all either; the zone also stands out for its variety of fishes and sea invertebrates such as the Austral hakes, the trout, salmons, squids, spider crabs and sea urchins, just to cite a few of the life forms hosted by the ocean's immensity.

The Island's natural potential also includes cold resistant vegetation made up of species such as the Antarctic Beech trees (Nothofagus antárctica), the False Beech (Nothofagus dombeyi), and the cinnamon trees (Drimis winteri). Besides is the characteristic turf, as the green mantle formed by small plants such as ferns, mosses and decomposing flora residues that covers most of the land area on Carlos III Island is known.

The amazing and notable biodiversity in the place justified the creation of the Francisco Coloane Marine Park, the first marine area to be under protection in Chile, since August the 5th of 2003. Carlos III Island and Rupert Isle, the Jerónimo and Barbara Canals, the Tortuous Pass and the Bays of Cordes and Fortescue, amongst other sectors, are part of this protected area.

With an extension of 67000 hs, the Park has amongst its goals the protection and conservation of the humpback whale, which usually arrives between October and March, extending the protection to its variegated ecosystem and all the creatures dwelling in its large portions of sea, and on its shorelines, beaches and imposing glaciers, where temperatures are very low and the winds blow very strongly.

In order for the authorities of the Park to accomplish their aims and objectives, they have put restrictions on the number of visitors to the areas with the most concentration of whales, where only a serene observation of the animals is permitted. Such severity is more relaxed in other sectors where it is permitted to practice trekking or to ride a kayak.

The only agency operating in the Marine Park is Whale Sound, a society created by a group of investigators and scholars of the zone. With their vast experience and knowledge they have created a campsite that tries to reduce as much as possible its environmental impact.

Carlos III Island is sited in the Strait of Magellan, in Chile's XII Region, at approximately 190 km from Punta Arenas. The best time to visit the area, one of the coldest in the country, is from December the 15th up to May the 15th. The trip by sea takes 60 hours, so weigh anchor for the show of the humpback whales is not to be missed.