Flipper and the Penguins

When on Isla Grande de Chiloé, you can't miss the penguins. In the north of Chiloé, in Ancud, there is a small island that the penguins have taken over. You can take a fishing boat there with a hundred other tourists. The whole tour only takes 45 minutes. In our hostel, we found out that there is also an island with penguins in the south. There are not as many of the little waddling creatures there, but you can see dolphins on the journey. The tour is supposed to last 2 hours and there is supposed to be a small snack. Booked!

Originally, the tour starts at 11 a.m. Because of the weather, the tour was moved to 2 p.m. No problem for us. So, we were at the harbor in Queilén at 2 p.m. and got on the small boat. There were maybe 10 tourists and 5 crew members on the boat. We set off and passed through large mussel farms. The captain explained everything in Spanish, but she had invited a friend who is an English teacher on vacation to translate it into English. We learned a little bit about the farms that breed mussels and salmon, which is a big environmental problem. The pontoons where the ropes hang and the mussels hang from are sometimes still simple styrofoam blocks, from which the individual beads come loose and pollute the beach. Salmon farming is a problem because the fish receive antibiotics, which they excrete and "contaminate" the wild fish. The salmon is not a native fish here, so it is fed with many medications.

Then the first dolphins appeared. Everyone was excited and the captain slowed down and made a few rounds, which thrilled the dolphins. They swam happily next to and under the boat. Everyone stood armed with a camera on the railing and took pictures and videos. We continued towards the penguins and encountered more dolphins. The last pair we saw was a mother with her little one. They swam alongside us for a while.

Then we arrived at the island where the penguins are. But other birds also found the island beautiful. There were pelicans, seagulls, and many other birds on the island. Unfortunately, the water was very shallow around the island, so we couldn't get very close. That's why the pictures aren't very sharp. But we could still see the little ones waddling around. A very funny sight.

Then we headed back home. Now there was the promised snack. It consisted of a huge pot of mussels with 3 delicious homemade sauces and crackers. There was also a glass of white wine. We really didn't expect that. The mussels with the sauces were really delicious. It was a great way to end the tour.

After 2 ½ hours, we were back at the harbor. We did everything right! Not only did we see penguins, but also dolphins and had a delicious meal. It cost only slightly more than the tour in the north, which we can now skip.