Karukinka
Exploring, documenting and preserving the southern worlds
A non-profit organization of general interest founded in 2014, Karukinka brings together sailors, scientists, artists, and members of the Yagan and Selk’nam communities to explore, understand, and transmit the memory of the southern lands.
Friendly – Meaningful – Committed
KARUKINKA’S 4 PILLARS
EXPLORE / Expeditions on land and by sailboat since 2013
For more than a decade, Karukinka has organized maritime and land expeditions in polar and subpolar regions: the Patagonian channels, Tierra del Fuego, Cape Horn, Antarctica, and the Arctic. Aboard the sailboat Milagro or on trekking expeditions, we explore inaccessible territories to collect scientific data, document biodiversity, and map Indigenous knowledge. Every voyage is a collective adventure, open to all enthusiasts members, whatever their level of experience.
SUPPORT / Accompany Indigenous peoples and researchers
Karukinka is committed to members of the Yagan, Selk’nam, and Haush communities of Patagonia. We digitize historical archives preserved in Europe, organize visits to France to reconnect them with their memory, and support the transmission of languages and traditional skills. We also facilitate scientific and artistic expeditions in polar environments by providing logistical, administrative, and financial support to researchers and creators.
RAISE AWARENESS / Share knowledge and alert people to key issues
Through lectures, traveling exhibitions, educational workshops, and online publications, Karukinka shares the results of its research and raises awareness of environmental and social issues in polar and subantarctic regions. We share exploration stories, sound recordings, travel journals, and photographs to reveal the beauty and fragility of these territories. Our goal: to inspire respect and commitment to protect them.
TRANSMIT / Train and bring together an engaged community
Karukinka is affiliated with the French Sailing Federation and offers sailing courses at all levels in Patagonia, Scotland, and Norway. We train our members in offshore cruising, validate logbooks, and pass on a wide range of skills (meteorology, mechanics, seamanship). Beyond sailing, we create spaces for dialogue between scientists, artists, sailors, and local communities, fostering collective learning and the emergence of projects.
The sailboat Milagro
Our floating base camp at the service of exploration
The Karukinka association owns its own expedition sailboat: Milagro, a 20-meter steel ketch built in Sweden and perfectly suited to high latitudes. Insulated, heated, and equipped to sail safely in polar waters, Milagro can accommodate up to 12 people on board.
A true floating scientific and artistic platform, it has a specialized library, data collection equipment (underwater acoustics, wildlife observation), and energy autonomy enabling voyages lasting several months.
Milagro has already completed two round-the-world voyages and continues to write its story between the Strait of Magellan, Cape Horn, the Antarctic Peninsula, and the subantarctic islands.
OUR EXPLORATION TERRITORIES
Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego
At the heart of our work since 2013
From the Strait of Magellan to Cape Horn, we explore the Patagonian channels, the Beagle Channel, the Darwin Range, Navarino Island, and the Wollaston Islands (including Cape Horn!).
Traditional territory of the Yagan and Selk’nam peoples, this region is the setting for our scientific expeditions, artistic residencies, and partnerships with local communities.
2027 goal: a first atlas in Indigenous languages
Antarctic Peninsula
Heading to the Antarctic Peninsula in 2026
After authorization from the TAAF, Milagro and six members of the Karukinka association set sail for the Antarctic Peninsula in January 2026 for a one-month expedition.
On the program: wildlife observation (penguins, seals, cetaceans) and the collection of information for a future scientific project on the impact of tourism on Antarctic wildlife
2028 goal: setting up an autonomous data collection system
The association’s main projects
“Voces de las abuelas” / The grandmothers voices
Making archives accessible to the Yagan and Selk’nam
José Germán González Calderón (Yagan) and Mirtha Salamanca (Selk’nam) consulting archives directly linked to their family histories and preserved in France.
Since 2017, Karukinka is working on digitizing and restituting historical archives preserved in France (sound recordings, photographs, ethnologists’ notebooks) concerning the Yagan, Haush, and Selk’nam peoples. This project aims to give these communities direct access to these valuable documents, which are essential to rebuilding their collective memory.
In 2019, we co-organized the first visit to France by Indigenous members, creating unprecedented encounters with European heritage institutions.
Mapping in Indigenous languages
Restoring the names of places at the end of the world
The area concerned by our work, with the Strait of Magellan in red, called Hatitelen or Atlelili by the Selk’nam.
Since 2017, Karukinka has been leading a collaborative mapping project of the south of the Strait of Magellan in Yagan, Selk’nam, and Haush languages. Working with the last speakers and their descendants, we collect the original place names of bays, islands, capes, and mountains, erased by colonization.
This living map preserves an essential part of Patagonian intangible heritage and restores identity to these territories.
Kreeh Chinen Festival / the Fuegian cultural festival
Partner since its creation
Lola Boffo (musician and composer) during the Kreeh Chinen festival in May 2025 (photo: Ignacio Boreal).
The Kreeh Chinen festival, initiated by poet Alejandro Pinto and held every year in Argentine Tierra del Fuego, brings together artists, musicians, poets, and puppeteers to celebrate contemporary Fuegian culture.
Karukinka has supported this independent event since its first edition by providing logistical support, taking part in musical performances, and helping local creators gain visibility. An artistic adventure that makes the spirit of Tierra del Fuego resonate!
Citizen science & biodiversity
Collecting data to understand and protect
Southern right whales during a crossing from Ushuaia to Puerto Williams through the Onashaga Channel (Beagle Channel) during the 2018 expedition.
Depending on the expedition, the crew of Milagro observes marine mammals (whales, orcas, dolphins), carries out a localized bird inventory, systematically collects stranded/abandoned plastics, records acoustic data on land and underwater, and discovers and records archaeological sites.
This data contributes to knowledge of and protection for subantarctic and Antarctic ecosystems.
Latest news from Patagonia
With a little more than 500 thematic articles in three languages, the Karukinka blog is a vast repository of information on Patagonia, Indigenous peoples, past and current scientific research, places, portraits of local actors, and our expedition accounts. If you want to learn, marvel, and/or travel with us, these articles are waiting for you!
Strait of Magellan : Legendary passage between the oceans
At the heart of Chilean Patagonia stretches one of the planet’s most emblematic sea passages: the Strait of Magellan. This 570-kilometre natural waterway, separating continental Patagonia from…
Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve: an exceptional subantarctic sanctuary
The Cabo de Hornos Biosphere Reserve (Cape Horn Nature Reserve), established in 2005, is one of the southernmost and largest protected areas in the world, covering more than 4,884,000 hectares of…
Where is Cape Horn? Location and the Characteristics of a Mythic Geographic Landmark
Cape Horn (Cabo de Hornos in Spanish, Kaap Hoorn in Dutch, Loköshpi in the Yaghan language) is far more than just a geographic point. Located at 55°58′ south latitude and 67°16′ west longitude, this…
Signs of hope as elephant seals rebound from avian flu in remote Chilean fjord (Mongabay, 04/06/2025)
by Barinia Montoya An outbreak of avian flu in 2023 hammered a colony of southern elephant seals in Chile’s Tierra del Fuego region, leading to a 50% decline in its population. But over the…
The Pacification of Araucania or Mapuche genocide ? (01/06/2025, conociendo.cl)
The Pacification of Araucania: a comprehensive analysis of invasion, dispossession, and Mapuche genocide Chile’s history contains a chapter written with euphemisms and blood: the misnamed…
What role does the new 20-meter sailboat play in enabling Karukinka’s activities?
The new vessel, Milagro, serves as a cornerstone for Karukinka’s operations. More than a means of transportation, this 20-meter steel ketch is a fully equipped, autonomous floating base that…
How to join us
Joining the Karukinka association is much more than becoming a member of an organization: it means embarking on an extraordinary human and maritime adventure in the heart of the Patagonian channels and the Big Island of Tierra del Fuego.
Whether you are passionate about sailing, drawn to wide open spaces, curious about history, or eager to support the preservation of the cultures and ecosystems of the ends of the earth, Karukinka welcomes you.
By becoming a member, you join a community of more than 100 enthusiasts from 12 different nationalities, support solidarity-based projects, and gain access to exclusive expeditions and activities.
Become a member of the association
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Annual fee: €30 per year
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Access to documentary resources, photo/video gallery
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Participation in general assemblies and voting rights
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Invitation to Karukinka conferences and events
Become a contributing member and take part in an expedition
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Thematic expeditions (scientific, artistic, discovery)
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Training validated by the French Sailing Federation
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Direct contribution to solidarity projects and ship maintenance
Support our projects
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One-time or regular donation (66% tax deduction)
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Corporate sponsorship
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Sponsorship of a specific project
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Volunteer work (translation, communication, logistics)
Social networks
Contact
+33 2 40 56 31 95
+33 6 72 83 03 94