Fireland

We were in Fireland. We need to correct our statement in the last blog: Fireland has an Argentine side, but also a Chilean one. On the Chilean side lives a colony of king penguins. We want to visit them.

Fireland is an archipelago at the southern tip of South America. Magellan saw smoke rising from the Chilean mainland and (at night) campfires. The indigenous people used fire for warmth and smoke for communication. Magellan therefore named the land 'Land of Fire'.

After we crossed by ferry, we drove through Porvenir and the 'Pampa' to see the king penguins. The roads here are mostly unpaved, and the landscape is very barren. In a pampa, there is moss, lichen, grass, small shrubs, occasionally a bush - that's it.

The colony of king penguins in Fireland is the smallest colony in the world. Unlike the lively Magellanic penguins, they are very quiet. They spend most of their time just standing around, occasionally squabbling. The eggs are laid on the ground, and a parent is always there to incubate them. These penguins do not need food every day, as their digestion is very slow. They molt twice a year.

On our way back, we crossed at the narrowest point the strait between Fireland and the mainland, the distance is only 4km.

Today, we spontaneously booked a dolphin observation trip. In a small motorboat, we traveled along the coast. The Chilean dolphin is black and white in color. They are very fast, and combined with the wobbly boat, the photos were not very sharp - but the trip was great.

Tomorrow, we will take the public bus to Puerto Natales in 3 hours. From there, we will visit the Torres del Paine (National Park).