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We visited Punta Arenas in Southern Chile, explored the Torres del Paine National Park and made it to Porvenir on Tierra del Fuego, enjoying spectacular mountain and pampas scenery, having 15 sightings of Pumas, spotting countless amazing birds and visiting the northernmost colony of King Penguins. Our local guide was superlatively good, and in addition a lovely person to spend time with. Accommodation and food were excellent. We had twice before travelled with Naturetrek so our expectations were high. We were not disappointed . The material sent in advance was extremely helpful, accurate and informative,. When we needed pre-travel documentary assistance, we got great support from the team at Naturetrek's UK base. The itinerary worked very well and gave us just what we were hoping for from this trip.
J.W. Shropshire, Apr 23
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Chile's Pumas & Penguins
Tour Code: CHL03An 11-day wildlife holiday in search of the Pumas of Torres del Paine National Park, plus both King and Magellanic Penguins and a wonderful variety of other birds and mammals in a spectacular setting.
£6,995
£5,995
Highlights
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Summary
Our holiday begins with a flight to Chile’s southernmost city, Punta Arenas, where we stay overnight in a comfortable hotel overlooking the Strait of Magellan. The following morning we will visit the huge Magellanic Penguin colony on Magdalena Island, before beginning the scenic drive to Torres del Paine National Park. Located in one of the most beautiful regions of Patagonia, the park has developed a reputation as one of the best places to see Pumas. Our base deep in the heart of the reserve is situated close to several known Puma territories and we will search for these top predators with the help of local guides and trackers. In addition to the numerous Guanacos here we will be hoping to see mammals such as South American Grey Fox and South Andean Deer, as well as such birds as Andean Condor and Cinereous Harrier. After 4 nights in Torres del Paine National park we conclude the tour with a ferry ride across the Strait of Magellan to Tierra del Fuego and the King Penguin colony at Useless Bay, the only mainland colony of this majestic bird.
- Search for Pumas in the stunning Torres del Paine National Park
- Enjoy flamingo-lined lakes, large herds of Guanaco and two species of fox
- Hairy Armadillo and Hog-nosed Skunk
- Visit the only mainland King Penguin colony at Useless Bay
- Birds including Andean Condors, Torrent Ducks & Darwin's Rhea
- Visit a colony of Magellanic Penguins on Magdalena Island
- Cross the Strait of Magellan looking for albatrosses & cetaceans en route
- Led by expert local naturalist guides
Grading
Grade B – mostly easy day walks, but on occasion, if tracking a Puma, walks may become more strenuous, cover several kilometres and include sections over rough and undulating terrain.
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, Caracal, 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 over 25 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 will return to Punta Arenas for one night before crossing 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.
Outline Itinerary
What's Included?
- Flights
- Accommodation:
We stay in comfortable tourist hotels in Punta Arenas and Porvenir, and a rustic lodge in Torres del Paine National Park; all have private facilities.
- Food:
All meals are included in the price.
Reviews
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A tour of the southerly regions Torres del Paine and Tierra del Fuego in Chile to search for Pumas and Penguins. The tour was very well organised and we had truly exceptional sightings of 12 individual pumas in 3 days. The local guides were excellent and the accommodation was comfortable throughout. I have travelled with Naturetrek several times now and always find them very good to deal with. Any queries are answered promptly and they were very helpful in sorting out departures from more local airports.
C.W. Cumbria, Mar 23 -
My focus for the Penguins and Puma Chile tour was to see and photograph pumas. Boy did our guide, Gonzalos, and tracker, Raphael, come through!!! I got amazing pictures of the puma hunting and the "catch"!! Also had great photo opportunities at both penguin locations. Four of the six of us in our group were avid birders and know they were very pleased. Gonzalos was very knowledgeable on all the wildlife. If he didn't have an answer, he said so and found out quickly. Also had a great sense of humour.
M.M. Minnesota, Feb 23 -
The holiday delivered everything the tour operator promised. Close encounters with the fantastic Chilean wildlife with the stunning Chilean scenery as the constant background. We have now been on several holidays with Naturetrek and have not been disappointed once. They take great care that all their clients are looked after and share all the great wildlife experiences they promise to deliver.
D.R. Hampshire, Mar 22 -
Enrique was an outstanding guide - enthusiastic, knowledgeable and a very pleasant chap. It was also good to have Dan along as an extra pair of legs! The Puma sightings were out of this world and way beyond anything we had expected. Breathtaking. Did we really eat lunch sitting on the ground only 50 yards from a Puma asleep in a cave? And had we really just seen her walk past only a few yards away? Well yes to both. What an experience and well worth the walk.
Mr & Mrs G. Leicestershire -
I was delighted to see all my target animals - Puma, Culpeo, Chilla and Patagonian Skunk. It was wonderful to get such brilliant scope views of two Puma cubs and their stunning mother. Enrique was a superb guide - working exceptionally hard to find the animals and with an excellent in-depth knowledge of both Pumas and the other wildlife of the park. He has a very pleasant easy-going personality and looked after us extremely well.
S.W. Nottinghamshire -
Good sightings is an understatement. We spent most of one day watching two pumas sleeping in the sun, waiting for them to wake up and do something. I couldn't believe that wild animals would come that close. They totally ignored us when they finally wandered off.
C.H. Gwynedd -
Puma spotting was excellent, despite the hard work involved. The trackers were, for the full five days, Pep and his father, Jose. Some of the sightings afforded terrific close-ups of the Puma’s – uncomfortably close on one occasion!
A.B. East Sussex -
The tour leaders were experienced and made sure we saw the wildlife. The scenery was spectacular and we were very lucky with the weather. All travel was well organised.
Mr & Mrs D. Staffordshire -
The Puma sightings were spectacular and beyond my wildest dreams. Enrique is probably the best guide I have ever had. If it were up to him, we would be out from 5am ‘til 1am everyday. These are long days but his enthusiasm and determination are unparalleled and so appreciated. He is a gem.
A.S. USA -
We went to Chilean Patagonia hoping perhaps to see an occasional distant Puma, which is what happened for the first 2 days. However, on the third day (sounds like the book of Genesis!) we had the most outstanding sighting of a big cat imaginable - beautiful weather, very close up and on foot. It will rank as a wildlife highlight for a long time. To have 2 more similar sightings in the next 2 days was incredible. Add to all this incredible scenery and excellent other wildlife encounters and it was an outstanding trip in every way.
A.G. Leicestershire -
A very special holiday searching for pumas in Chilean Patagonia in the stunning surroundings of Torres del Paine National Park! Not only were we able to observe 20 cats (only one of which we believe to be a double sighting) but we also saw an abundance of other wildlife, both mammals and birds. We had an excellent local guide, a careful and considerate driver, and a local tracker able to talk knowledgeably about the cats he showed us.
S.T. Bristol -
Long way to go but close encounters with pumas feeding at a kill, two near adults playing in the rocks, one chasing a grey fox (the fox was too agile), following one as it set off on it's evening prowl, and two, albeit distant, young cubs playing around and on their mother made it very worthwhile. That's not to mention the stunning scenery and the nice supporting cast of other wildlife, condors circling low over another kill perhaps the pick of these.
A.G.J. Devon -
Watching Puma's was balanced with bird watching and visiting scenic places. We had lots of opportunities to walk about and were not inactive in the bus too much. We were lucky to be in a small group and have good weather. I felt very privileged to be able to watch Puma's at close quarters and study their behaviour. Wonderful!
C.J. Wiltshire -
Plenty of time to enjoy the amazing scenery and wildlife of Torres del Paine National Park. Fantastic Puma sightings - we were so privileged to get that close to Puma's in the wild. Amazing that most of the sightings were on foot - so we were able to see the Puma's in their natural setting on their terms. We got to follow one across the fields as she walked serenely along, occasionally stopping to gaze curiously at us - stunning experience.
R.K. Dorset -
I enjoyed the friendliness of the leader, driver and tracker and the group was very friendly, one which gelled together extremely well. The weather was excellent which meant that we had outstanding opportunities to see and photograph the landscape.
C.K. Bristol -
The trip more than lived up to our expectations. We saw 15 different Pumas & they were very active too! We saw them eating kills, hunting & playing. Several of our encounters were very close and allowed us to get some superb shots! Our guide Sebastian & tracker Jorge worked well together, always respecting the Puma's well being and giving them space to move where they wanted to go, which resulted in natural & relaxed looking images of these wonderful cats.
L.T. West Midlands -
The interaction between the driver (Cesar), guide (Sebastian) and tracker (Jorge) was terrific and contributed to sightings of 15 different pumas including cubs, two unsuccessful hunts and some extremely close encounters with adult pumas standing just 10m away!
M.S. London -
Transportation and group size worked very well. The guides and drivers were very keen and looked after us very well without being overbearing. The location of Torres del Paine was spectacular and the guide was keen to get us to see all the 'special' scenic sights. The flights across South America were spectacular in themselves especially in Chile where the Andes were amazing even flying over Torres del Paine and beside Mt Aconcagua! The King Penguin extension was well worth it not only for the colony but for the wildlife in the Strait of Magellan viewed from the ferry.
Mr and Mrs S. Rhondda Cynon Taff -
Remote location, excellent scenery, excellent sightings of pumas and of behaviour rarely seen (e.g. fighting), the number of puma sightings and close viewing, seeing good close sightings of other mammals and birds was of real interest.
M.M. Greater Manchester -
Seeing so many pumas was the highlight of the trip. The bonus was the extraordinary landscape of the park, its lakes and its mountains. We were given plenty of opportunity to take photos which for me as a landscape photographer was particularly appreciated.
A.T. Hampshire -
The tracking of pumas and getting us to see so many was incredible. Also the scenery is outstanding and worth going so far to experience it.
P.F. Cheshire -
In the national park we were fortunate enough to see 18 different pumas. The local tracker was excellent, which resulted in us seeing pumas every day and sometimes more than once in a day - excellent, couldn't ask for better.
L.G. Norfolk
Dates & Prices
2025
2026
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