Chile's Pumas & Penguins

Like so many of our clients, Naturetrek has always had a fascination for cats, and over the years we have played an instrumental role in pioneering new tours in search of such iconic felines as Bengal and Siberian Tigers, Jaguar, Snow and Clouded Leopards and Iberian Lynx, often in some of the most remote and spectacular parts of the world. In 2012 we launched our first Puma-watching tours to the dramatic landscapes of Torres del Paine National Park in southern Chile, and over the ensuing years this tour has gone from strength to strength, our groups enjoying fantastic sightings of Puma both on foot and from our vehicles. As the cats have become more habituated to our presence, and we have gained a greater understanding of their movements and behaviour, the quality of sightings has improved significantly and you now have an excellent chance of viewing these magnificent, but usually shy, felines at close range, backed by the Andes Mountains and offering fantastic photographic opportunities.

Located in one of the most beautiful regions of Patagonia, the Torres del Paine National Park has developed a reputation as the best area in the world to see Chile’s apex predator, the Puma. Working alongside guides with many years’ experience of tracking Pumas, this tour has been specifically designed to give us the very best chance of seeing these enigmatic cats amidst a truly stunning landscape. While Pumas will be the principal focus of this tour, the abundance of wildlife in southern Chile ensures an exciting supporting cast that includes colonies of noisy Magellanic Penguins, the only King Penguin rookery on mainland South America, huge Andean Condors, Patagonian Hog-nosed Skunk, Hairy Armadillo and herds of Guanacos.

Our holiday begins with a flight to Chile’s southernmost city, Punta Arenas. The following morning we embark on a scenic drive to Torres del Paine National Park. Journeying through expanses of open Pampas, we will stop en route to enjoy flamingo-lined lakes and the first of many encounters with the herds of Guanaco which will be a frequent sight during this holiday. Torres del Paine National Park is dominated by three stunning mountain peaks – the ‘Towers of Paine’ – and we will stay for four nights deep in the heart of the park at the charming, but rustic, Hosteria Pehoe. Located on a private 5- hectare island, with spectacular views of the Paine Massif, the hotel provides an ideal base for our daily wildlife excursions as it has excellent access to the park’s main trails.

Working to an itinerary that will be dictated by the latest Puma sightings, and guided by expert trackers, over the following three days we will explore a variety of habitats that include multiple Puma territories, both within the park and in adjacent areas. At this time of the year, with growing cubs to feed, the hard-pressed females are more likely to be seen hunting during daylight hours and, with Guanacos a favourite prey, we will keep a close eye on the herds in the hope of spotting a hunting Puma. The rocky shores and caves of Sarmiento Lake, Laguna Amarga and Laguna Azul provide fantastic denning habitat for Pumas and we will scan these areas with the hope of sighting a returning female or, if luck is really on our side, the possibility of seeing the mischievous cubs playing in the open. Our quest for Pumas in this stunning landscape will bring us into contact with a variety of other mammals and birds. In addition to the ubiquitous Guanacos, we will hope to see Patagonian Hog-nosed Skunk and the two canid species present in the park, South American Grey Fox and Culpeo. Andean Condors are a relatively common sight here whilst other avian highlights may include Darwin’s Rhea, Black-chested Buzzard, Cinereous Harrier and Magellanic Woodpecker.

Next, we cross the Strait of Magellan to Tierra del Fuego. From our base in the small town of Porvenir we continue to Useless Bay, home to the only mainland colony of King Penguins in the whole of South America. Although the rookery is small, only 50 or so pairs, it offers a unique opportunity to enjoy an enigmatic, and much-loved, bird that can otherwise only be seen on either the Falkland Islands or one of the more remote sub-Antarctic Islands. We will end our tour with a boat cruise to a much larger penguin rookery on Magdalena Island in the Strait of Magellan. Here, over 50,000 pairs of Magellanic Penguins return each year to breed (of which around half will still be present in the Austral autumn), a fitting finale to our time on the southernmost tip of the Americas before we return to Punta Arenas Airport and begin our journey home.