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Penguiinos de Humbolt Parque Nacional – 12th September



The earlier morning for some reason was much easier to get up to than the later more typical mornings; I presume this was due to the prospect of finally seeing a penguin in the most unusual landscapes of all- a desert. With excitement brewing in my blood our entire group got on the coach and set off south to reach the national park. The coach trip was much like that of any other one that we had been on. There is something about the comfort of the seats that sends you straight to sleep no matter how awake you feel. However, I luckily woke up at the right times and saw a multitude of wild endemic animals including guanacos, lama guanacoe, and wild donkeys, Equus asinus which before the coach ride I had no idea of their existence in the Atacama desert.

Finally upon arrival, I was presented with a bright orange life vest that thankfully provided a layer of warmth as the 4 layers including my favourite oversized knitted lama jumper were failing at their intended purpose… there’s just no defeating the freezing arctic winds it seems. Once all prepped and boarded on to the boat, we all set off across the Pacific Ocean on our way to the island. Not even a few minutes in to the ride and we already saw the multitude of different species of sea birds including one that I’ve wanted to see wild for a very long time, the Peruvian booby, Sula variegata! The name is what makes this species so intriguing! Still to this day I can’t figure out why it was named as such.

Once at the island, we were guided around it (from the boat as there were no real access points) and the diversity of species present was stunning. Cormorants, Phalacrocorax, kelp gulls, Larus dominicanus , sea lions, Otariinae, fur seals, Arctocephalinae, grey gulls, Leucophaeus modestus, turkey vultures, Cathartes aura, humbolt penguins, Spheniscus humboldti, pelicans, Pelecanus, and many others showed how such a seemingly uninhabitable place is like a garden of Eden (like much of Atacama itself, really) where each species uses it to its own advantage. The memories from this are something that will stay with me forever. Sadly, the prospects of spotting some of the many whale species that reside here was nothing but very slim as it isn’t the right season for them to be using this particular location ( a popular spot for breeding season).


With such an exhilarating experience coming to an end we all set back to our task at hand of revising for the looming ID test that we’d be having tomorrow morning. Luckily being surrounded by most of the species the we’d be tested on was a calming experience, after all learning happens quicker when your out there constantly interacting with the environment around you and experiencing everything first hand. You can say that it doesn’t feel like learning at all.


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