The Patagonia Speleological Association was born inspired and guided by the work carried out by the French speleological association Center Terre, which has been exploring the insular karst of Magallanes for more than two decades.

The main purpose of the Patagonia Speleological Association is to develop caving in Chile in all its facets, as well as to promote exploration and the multidisciplinary study of cavities. In general, it wishes to actively contribute to the knowledge and conservation of both the underground environment and surface heritage elements, collaborating with the administration and public and private organizations in the development of conservation policies for the underground environment and, in particular, the karstic environment.

In the educational field, given the importance of caves and karst as “captors” of climate change, the Association aspires to spread speleology in all its formative facets and contribute, together with educational organizations in Magallanes and the country, to enrich the Curriculum mesh from primary to higher education.

The Patagonia Speleological Association has also set itself the purpose of promoting the creation and getting involved in the management of a center dedicated to caving and the underground environment, whose main axes are training in progression and rescue speleological techniques, as well as dissemination of the underground heritage of Magallanes, with special emphasis on the Madre de Dios Archipelago National Protected Property, a serious candidate to become a World Heritage Site. In this sense, since 2017 a close collaborative relationship has been established with the Regional Government of Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica, which already has the area donated by the Chilean Ministry of Public Assets for the construction of the future Interactive Speleology and Underground Center - Magallanes ( CIEMS).

Finally, the Patagonia Speleological Association was born with the desire to contribute to the legacy of Centre Terre in Patagonia, supporting its future expeditions, disseminating the work carried out and continuing its relevant work in Chile.

If you want to know more about what we do in the Patagonia Speleological Association, check the ACTIVITIES section.