From the 16th to the 20th of January, the second internship on interpretation in ecotourism and nature guides, took place in Chile. The internship was organized within the framework of the Erasmus+ NATOUR project

From the 16th to the 20th of January, the second internship on interpretation in ecotourism and nature guides, took place in Chile. The internship was organized within the framework of the Erasmus+ NATOUR project (Joint Postgraduate Program in Ecotourism and Nature Guides). About 30 people from 7 countries participated in it, including two members of the University of the Azores. The natural and scenic richness of Chilean Patagonia served as a backdrop to this excellent internship.

Among the ecotourism activities carried out, there was a visit to the penguin colonies of the Islotes de Puñihuil Natural Monument, and the observation of other shorebirds on the island of Chiloé, in addition to visits to the Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park and Alerce Andino National Park. In the national parks, it was possible to observe a unique fauna, a captivating landscape, and an exuberant flora characteristic of the humid temperate forest of this southern region. The alerce, an ancient tree, was the King of the visit to the second park, while in the first it was possible to appreciate how a forest resists the arrival of volcanic ash, emanated by the abundant volcanoes in these parts.

The presence of guides specialized in transmitting an interpretive message of the environment that surrounded us, was the climax of the visits carried out within the scope of this internship, and it was also an important lesson for the postgraduate course in ecotourism that will open in the next academic year, at the Faculty of Science and Technology at the University of the Azores.