Birds & Wines of Chile and Argentina

Argentina and Chile, two countries divided by the longest mountain range on Earth, are joined by a passion for making and drinking excellent wine! This new tour aims to take you to the wine producing regions of these two countries while showing you the exuberant natural world that surrounds them.

The main star of the tour is undoubtedly the Andes, the mountain range largely responsible for the megadiversity of South America’s avifauna. This geographical barrier is at the root of different cultures, terroirs, and distinctive bird communities that we aim to explore during our stay here. We’ll cross over this massif on a day that will prove to be one of the most memorable of the tour.

On the Chilean side, we’ll explore the region around Santiago, a vibrant city surrounded by not one, but two mountain ranges that cradle a variety of birds, including the odd-looking Moustached Turca (one really strange tapaculo!), the aptly named Giant Hummingbird, Chilean Mockingbird, White-throated Tapaculo, Dusky-tailed Canastero, Striped Woodpecker, Austral Pygmy-Owl, and the very handsome Rufous-tailed Plantcutter. Santiago is also home to some of the best wineries in Chile, and we will take time to visit them and learn how great wines are produced. We will also spend time on the coast, where we’ll take advantage both on our outings and in our meals of the rich marine life supported by the Humboldt Current. We’ll sample the wealth of seafood produced here, pairing it with the fine white wines of the Casablanca Valley, while scanning the ocean for Inca Terns, Humboldt Penguins, and more.

In Argentina, we will be in the world headquarters of Malbec, the province of Mendoza, where we will even spend two nights at a winery and explore this large province in search of Burrowing Parrots, Sandy and Crested gallitos, White-tipped Plantcutter, White-winged Black-Tyrant, White-throated Cacholote, and Correndera Pipit, and later on we’ll visit a large salt lake that is home to a breeding colony of Chilean Flamingos.

And although we’ll be in two different countries, we will always keep an eye on the sky for those incredible Andean Condors watching over us as we discover the true meaning of savoir vivre!

Salud!