Sailing through the Admiral Montt Gulf, we enter Guardramiro Fjord. At its far end lies Caleta Juárez, a beautiful beach of white sands and lush vegetation that has become home to a colony of southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina).
Here, we disembark using our excursion boats to approach the shoreline quietly and respectfully, allowing us to observe these magnificent giants up close.
Elephant seals are the largest pinnipeds on the planet, with males reaching more than 6 metres in length and weighing up to 4 tonnes. Their distinctive trunk-like proboscis gives them their name and is used during the breeding season to produce powerful vocalisations and assert dominance. During the mating season, males engage in fierce battles for control of their stretch of beach, leaving scars that bear witness to their history.
This is a unique opportunity to witness—in silence and from a respectful distance—the strength and majesty of these inhabitants of the end of the world.
