INTRODUCTION

Trip Highlights

• In-depth visit to Robinson Crusoe Island, the main of the Juan Fernandez Archipelago.

• The endemic and formerly considered extinct Juan Fernandez Fur Seal.

• Endemic landbirds including the spectacular Juan Fernandez Firecrown and Juan Fernandez Tit-Tyrant.

• Pelagic boat trips to see endemic and rare seabirds such as Stejneger's, Kermadec, Juan Fernandez and Defilippi's petrels as well as the endemic breeder Pink-footed Shearwater.

• The fascinating array of endemic flora to the unique Juan Fernandez subtropical forests.

This program is operated as a custom trip (flexible option which runs on a date you choose giving you more privacy), available upon request for individuals or small private groups.

The Difference of Traveling with FS Expeditions: 

• Great accommodation, superb dinning cuisine and memorable picnic lunches.

• Each of our trips have a maximum of 8 participants.

• Each vehicle and boat and driver we use has been authorized by the Chilean Transportation Authority.

• The service and expertise of a professional local naturalist guide, who will look after every logistical aspect of “your” holiday.

• You will receive a free, signed copy of one our natural history books.

• …plus an useful pre-departure information package.

 
Robinson Crusoe Island can be combined with one of the following optional extensions:

• Grand Atacama (4 days | 3 nights), exploring the world's driest desert and its surprisingly diverse landscapes and rich wildlife;

• Patagonia Explorer (8 days | 7 nights), journey of discovery to the end of the world, Patagonia!.

ITINERARY

Day 1 • Tuesday • Flight to the Juan Fernandez Archipelago (c. 2 hours) | Boat trip to San Juan Bautista (c. 1.5 hours)

We begin our journey with an early 2-hour flight from Santiago de Chile to Robinson Crusoe Island. After our arrival we will take a 90-minute boat trip to Cumberland Bay where we shall land at the village of San Juan Bautista, the only settlement on the islands.

Crusoe Island Lodge, San Juan Bautista (4*). (L,D)(G).

Day 2 • Wednesday • Forests of the Robinson Crusoe Island | Walk to Alexander Selkirk viewpoint

During these two days, we will explore the hills covered with Fernandezian forests, looking for the two endemic land birds of the island, the gorgeous Juan Fernandez Firecrown and the Juan Fernandez Tit-tyrant. Also we will look for Austral Thrush, Short-eared Owl and the endemic race of the American Kestrel. The views from the vantage lookouts on the island are simply breathtaking and we will enjoy our many observations of the diversity of the endemic plants as we walk the island trails.

Crusoe Island Lodge, San Juan Bautista (4*). (B,L,D)(G).

Day 3 • Thursday • Pelagic Trip

This remote archipelago attracts the attention of the experienced sea birder, as it is renowned as the nesting location of some of the world's rarest petrels and shearwaters. We will be looking for pelagic birds including four species of Pterodroma or gadfly petrels including the Juan Fernandez, De Filippi's, Stejneger's and Kermadec. To seek the Pink-footed Shearwater, we shall visit a coastal cliff during the afternoon when these birds return from their long daily feeding trip to attend to their nestlings. Other seabirds will include Southern Giant Petrel, Black-browed Albatross and White-bellied Storm-Petrel. Our regular trips along the coasts will provide excellent opportunity to observe the endemic, and formerly almost extinct Juan Fernandez Fur Seal.

Crusoe Island Lodge, San Juan Bautista (4*). (B,L,D)(G).

Day 4 • Friday • Flight to Santiago

After visiting the village and learning more about the interesting history of pirates, explorers and sea battles, we will return to the air strip by boat to join our afternoon flight to Santiago, where our journey will end. (B,L)(G).

If you have chosen the 5-day option (Friday through Tuesday), we will keep exploring the Fernandezian forests and the discovery and study of it wealth of endemic plants. We will walk this afternoon to the dense and pristine woodlands of Plazoleta El Yunque, with commanding views to the impressive mountain that surround this flank of the island.

Day 5 • Flight to Santiago

Codes:  B=Breakfast; L=Lunch/Box-lunch; D=Dinner; G=Guide; *=Hotel Category.

NOTE: Flights scheduled may vary depending on weather conditions and trip participants should be prepared to extend their stay in the island if weather conditions prevent return flights; consider this fact if you have flight combinations or additional trips after this program.

MAP

DATES & PRICING

2011-2012 Dates:

Available year-round.

Meet / Depart: Santiago, Chile. Every Tuesday and Friday.

Rates for Custom departures (you choose the date):

Notes:

The above prices are per person in US$, based on double occupancy in classic room.

The above price is per person in US$, based on double occupancy.

About the flights from Santiago to Robinson Crusoe?

Duration of the flight: 2 hours plus 1 hour boat trip from airstrip to the village of San Juan Bautista.

Baggage weight allowance: 1 bag or small suitcase of 10 kg (22 lbs) per person. Each additional kilo (2,2 lbs) has an extra charge of USD 5.00.

Flights to Robinson Crusoe Island are operated by Lassa airlines and leave approximately at 9:00am from Aerodromo de Tobalaba, located at Avenida Larraín 7941, La Reina, Santiago. 

What the trip includes/excludes

Single supplement will be added if single accommodations are requested.

The trip price includes: All accommodations, meals and local guide services as stated in the itinerary, domestic flights (Santiago - Robinson Crusoe Island - Santiago), private transfers in Santiago to domestic airport, boat trips to San Juan Bautista, two pelagic trips / scenic boat trips (c. 2 hours each), plus park entrance fees.

The trip price excludes: Tipping, travel insurance, à la carte dishes, snacks, drinks, laundry, telephone calls and anything else of a purely personal nature.

Tour Registration:

To register for this tour, complete the FS Expeditions registration form and return it (by fax or email) with a deposit of US$ 500 per person. Full payment of the tour fee is due 90 days prior to tour departure.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Cancellation Policy:

 Notice of cancellation can only be accepted IN WRITING from the person who signed the booking form and takes effect on the day such noticed is received by us.

Refunds are made according to the following schedule:

If cancellation is made 120 days or more before departure date, the deposit less US$ 200 is refundable.

If cancellation is made between 120 and 60 days before departure, the deposit is not refundable, but any payments covering the balance of the fee will be refunded.

If cancellation is made fewer than 60 days before departure date, no refund is available.

This policy and fee schedule also applies to pre-trip and post trip extensions, as well as any transfers from one tour to another. We strongly recommend the purchase of trip cancellation insurance to protect yourself.

THE LODGE

Robinson Crusoe Lodge

This excellent lodge is located at Bahia Pangal, a lovely cove situated a short distance from 'San Juan Bautista', the island's only village.

The lodge has been recently refurbished, counting with splendid new accommodations for our guests. The lodge has 15 rooms all with en-suite facilities and ocean-view verandas. This will be our center of explorations in the island and a rewarding base of relax after our land and sea excursions. The lodge has a world-class restaurant where we will enjoy samples of the local seafood including Juan Fernandez Lobster and Mahi-mahi (vidriola).

See gallery of the lodge here:

PHOTOS

Check out our photo gallery gallery with images from our recent nature trips and photo tours to the Robinson Crusoe Island

FACTS

ROBINSON CRUSOE ISLAND

Introduction from the book 'Robinson Crusoe Island, Wildlife and Landscapes' by Enrique Couve and Claudio F. Vidal, FS Editorial (2007).

 
On February 12, 1709, the British corsair fleet composed by the Duke and Duchess set anchor at Masatierra Island, the easternmost of the Juan Fernandez archipelago. That day, the expedition rescued the Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk, who survived a voluntarily accepted exile on that island lasting more than four years. In November of 1704, the tough Selkirk was left by himself, being left only with a trunk with tools, a musket, an axe, a knife, a pound of powder and ammunition, a cauldron, a small amount of tobacco and a Bible. Back in England, his accounts inspired the writer Daniel Defoe, who in 1719 published his well-known classic “The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe.” Selkirk’s epic saga, the history of this lonely exiled figure on that remote oceanic island, later immortalized on the amazing adventures of the literary character, was enough good reason in 1966 to justify the name change of the two main islands of that Chilean archipelago: Masatierra became known as Robinson Crusoe while the formerly called Masafuera was named after Alexander Selkirk.

The Portuguese Joao Fernandez accidentally discovered the archipelago on November 22, 1574 while searching for a faster route between Callao and Valparaíso. The human history of this yet pristine oceanic island started that day. Between the XVII and XVIII centuries, the island was seldom visited; only by corsairs and pirates looking for a seasonal shelter in order to restore food and water after their long journeys through the Cape Horn and Spanish ports in the Pacific.

Robinson Crusoe Island is located in the Pacific Ocean at 33º13’S and 78º50’W, some 415 miles west from the central Chilean coast. This abrupt island has an east-west orientation and occupies a small surface of 37 sq. miles. It is dominated by the presence of a central range of jagged hills, with a maximum elevation of 3,000 feet. Robinson Crusoe, together the small island of Santa Clara, situated a short distance from its southwestern end, and Alexander Selkirk Island, located some 110 miles westwards, comprise the Juan Fernandez Archipelago. In 1935, this territory was declared a National Park by the Chilean Government, which protects a total surface of nearly 25,000 acres. Later, in 1977, in order to preserve the biodiversity of this temperate forest ecoregion, it was conferred the rank of World Biosphere Reserve.

Its diverse native flora is the evolutionary product of air- and water-carried colonizers, which started to establish on the islands right after their formation, estimated to have occurred between 1 and 5.8 million years ago. This flora has ancestral connections with distant regions such as New Zealand, Hawaii and Patagonia. Today, the higher plants are represented by 211 native species, from which 135 are endemic species. This corresponds to a high rate of endemism, above 60%; there are 12 genera and one family entirely endemic to these islands. Two species recently became extinct, 63 face an imminent threat of extinction and 38 are highly vulnerable.

Robinson Crusoe bird life comprises endemic land birds such as the Juan Fernandez Firecrown and Juan Fernandez Tit-Tyrant. The archipelago is also an important breeding site for a wide array of seabird species, only nesting on its islets and forests. On the other hand, its complete isolation from continental masses has prevented the occurrence of land mammals, reptiles and frogs. The only endemic marine mammal of the whole archipelago is the Juan Fernandez Fur Seal, which luckily has survived an extremely long period of hunting and extermination, in which millions of individuals were decimated for the value of its skin. Unfortunately, this fragile island ecosystem, which has slowly generated an array of exclusive plants and animals, has severely suffered since the human arrival. Its native creations are helpless and unable to compete against abundant and competitive new plant and animal colonizers. The ancestral castaways of Robinson Crusoe face today a serious fight against their own disappearance, from this evolutionary stronghold, one the last in the South Pacific.

Read these interesting articles:

• Unique wildlife of the islands at risk

• Juan Fernandez Archipelago: The 'Galapagos' for plants.