In the Shadow of the Torres - finding puma in Chilean Patagonia

[pomkiwi]

 

This report covers my trip to Patagonia between May 12th and 20th 2024. I'll start the report during the trip partly to make sure I actually do write it and partly because we have nights that are over 15 hours long and I can only fill so much of that time eating and drinking....

 

I'll start with a few practicalities.

I booked the puma tracking part of the trip with Far South, the company that @Tonyq used on his recent trip to Chile - with thanks to him for such an inspiring trip report. I arranged my own travel and returned to the Singular Hotel in Puerto Natales where I last  stayed in 2012 for 3 days before the puma portion started. Normally Far South provide transfers to and from Punta Arenas with the trip but were happy to pick me up from Puerto Natales. They were responsive to my questions and provided a good information pack and including guidance on clothing and cameras etc.

 

International flights were from London to Buenos Aires with Lufthansa via Frankfurt connecting to LATAM for Santiago, all sold by Lufthansa. All went well apart from a suggested schedule change that involved a self-transfer between the the two airports in Buenos Aires, 20 minutes on the phone to Lufthansa sorted the obvious alternative of a connection in the same airport which was shorter. I've no idea why I had to sort this out rather than it being done automatically but as always it pays to know your alternatives. I booked a room in the airport hotel at Santiago even though my planned arrival was around 2pm as I didn't want to rely on a short connection to a domestic flight - as it turned out a 90 minute delay arriving would have made it very stressful.

 

The airport Holiday Inn is welcoming and comfortable and i enjoyed a good meal there. I've no idea about breakfast as i was back in the airport by 4am for my 6am flight to Punta Arenas - not as bad as it sounds as the time difference made it feel like mid-morning in the UK.

 

Domestic fllghts were with LATAM. Some suggestions: 

Firstly if booking yourself do so via the local website (in this case Chile) as the fares at about 50% cheaper. Despite some internet reports otherwise I had no problems using a UK credit card and checking in with a UK (as opposed to Chilean) passport. Although everything is in Spanish, if you register in LATAM app you can manage your flights in English and you will be alerted of any changes.

 

Secondly allow some leeway as LATAM seems to change its schedules regularly and often only a few weeks ahead of time - possible consolidating under booked services. Although the changes are usually only an hour or two either way it helps if your plans can accommodate them.

 

Thirdly seriously consider investing some of the savings made by booking through the Chilean website in premium economy seats. Reasons are that the these fares are completely flexible, you get more space as the middle seat in the row of three is left vacant and you get a cabin baggage allowance of one 16kg bag plus a handbag/small rucksac. I never saw any checks of premium economy passengers but quite lot of economy pax were made to check their cabin bags (some fares do not include cabin baggage and those that do have a lower weight limit) - for anyone carrying significant amouts of photographic equipment this justifies premium economy in itself.

 

Fourthly when flying south to Punta Arenas you want a window seat on the left as you may get views of a number of volcanoes, Mt Fitzroy in Argentina and the Torres del Paine if the weather plays ball - truly a scenic flight. On the way north go for a window seat on the right.

 

 

Mt Fitzroy in Argentinian Patagonia

 

 

Torres del Paine, the pilot changed the course slightly to give us a close view, as he remarked, 'Those on the right hand side can look at the Torres del Paine and those of the left side can watch them looking'.

 

Packing:

Temperatures in the first 4 days here have ranged between -5 and +6, mainly calm but occasionally noticeably breezy - nothing like the wind that can occur especially in the summer. Rain and/or snow are almost certain - they had qite a heavy snowfall on the day before I arrived but nothing since and it is looking dry for the next few days (at the moment).  In summary bring layers with a good windproof and waterproof outer shell. Good and warm walking boots are essential. The good news is that even in somewhat smarter places it is completely acceptable to be in your walking clothing in the evening.

 

Photographic equipment. Difficult to predict but I think this is an ideal trip for zoom lenses as the wildlife is mobile and my be distant or very close - today we walked to within a couple of metres of an eagle feeding on the road. The sheer scale of the landscape makes telephoto zoom lenses useful for that as well as the more usual wide angle approach. My chosen kit is a Nikon Z9 with 180-600 attached and a Z6ii with 24-200 zoom. I do have a 1.4 T/C but our guide seems optimistic that it won't be needed. My indulgence was to bring a 20mm f/1.8 for some night skies. Although I missed the weekend aurora in a plane over the Atlantic I have had two good sessions here of milky way photography. Bring spare batteries - both because the cold may reduce their life but also because the landscape alone will almost certainly keep the shutter active.

 

Currency - everywhere seems to accept credit cards for everything. I have Chilean Pesos for tipping as this is apparently much easier for Chilean staff.

 

Hopefully that's given a good background guide - please ask if I've forgotten anything.

 

I'll move on the an account of the first day or two next.

Edited May 15 by pomkiwi

[offshorebirder]

You set a high bar @pomkiwi in starting your trip report early in the trip!     Lucky you to get such good views and photos of Torres del Paine.

 

[pomkiwi]

Getting to Patagonia

 

The threat of strike action at Heathrow (lifted the day before I left) and the train drivers work to rule meant i left for my 4pm flight to Frankfurt earlier than was necessary. As it turned out all went smoothly and I had an uneventful (and auroraless flights to Frankfurt and onward to Buenos Aires). In Buenos Aires my 4 hour stopover became nearly 6 but the journey into Santiago was smooth with some good views of the Andes:

 

 

 

Immigration and customs were smooth (just remember to declare any food you bring into Chile - even wrapped items such as biscuits or chocolate). It was only a 5 minute walk to the hotel and after a couple of circuits of the rather nice raised outdoor walkways linking the terminals (with a few glimpses of the mountains) an early dinner and bed.

Self check-in at 4am the next day was unsurprisingly quiet and my flight south left on time. Unfortunately my window was not particular clean on the outside but I did manage good views of a succession of volcanoes and the southern Patagonian icefield:

 

 

 

 

The approach into Punta Arenas involved a turn over the sea witht he low sun creating an almost surreal effect:

 

I was met by a driver from the hotel and driven the 3 hours north west to Puerto Natales. The general theme of this area is summed up by the fact that I travelled through the province of Ultimo Esperanza (Last Hope) on the Ruta del Fin del Mundo (Route of the End of the World). There was a lot of snow on the ground and during the drive I got good sightings of condor, rhea, southern caracara and guanacco - unfortunately there was no way to stop and get photographs.

 

Finally I arrived at my hotel some 54 hours after leaving home - it is a long way to the end of the world....

 

 

Edited May 15 by pomkiwi

[Atravelynn]

The aerial shots are unreal and so is 54 hours of traveling!  Thanks for the hint to declare any chocolate one might have packed.  Looking forward to the rest of the report!

[pomkiwi]

11 minutes ago, Atravelynn said:

The aerial shots are unreal and so is 54 hours of traveling!  Thanks for the hint to declare any chocolate one might have packed.  Looking forward to the rest of the report!

To be fair the 54 hours did include 14 hours or so at the Santiago airport hotel!

[Kitsafari]

54 hours and you were flying from London too! at least you had a bit of rest in Santiago. 

Very useful info and details in the introductory summary that will be most helpful to us next year!

 

Stunning views from the plane that promise an equally stunning TR. Did you take the photos with the camera? 

 

Looking forward to all the instalments!

Edited May 16 by Kitsafari

[janzin]

Wow amazing that you started your trip report WHILE on the trip, that may be a first for SafariTalk!  I'm impressed

 

And also excited because I'm following in your footsteps in the fall, as you know!  In fact as you've advised I had our Chilean agent book our domestic flights on LATAM--it was much cheaper than booking them myself--and Premium Economy for the same reasons you mention (that extra carry on weight is crucial for the camera gear.) But I'll need to check which side of the plane our seats are on   And we are also planning on booking that airport Holiday Inn, although I haven't done that yet.   Update--just checked and our seats are on the left both ways. That's okay.

 

Anyway can't wait to follow along in your adventure. 

Edited May 16 by janzin

[pomkiwi]

7 hours ago, Kitsafari said:

54 hours and you were flying from London too! at least you had a bit of rest in Santiago. 

Very useful info and details in the introductory summary that will be most helpful to us next year!

 

Stunning views from the plane that promise an equally stunning TR. Did you take the photos with the camera? 

 

Looking forward to all the instalments!

Thanks @Kitsafari The pictures coming into Santiago were with my iPhone as I couldn’t be bothered to unpack the camera. The flight to Punta Arenas I used a mixture, the camera and with 24-200 was definitely better for zoomed in shots while both seemed pretty equal for wide angle views. If only I could have got outside and cleaned the window!
It’s close to 4 hours with amazing views all the way - worthy having a play.

[TonyQ]

@pomkiwia great start.I am very impressed that you have started your report while still on your trip!

Excellent photos from the plane, and good practical advice for people.

[mtanenbaum]

Thanks for sharing these stunning landscape photos. Looking forward to hearing more about your trip.

[KaliCA]

Fabulous photography from the plane! Almost as if you opened a window and stuck the camera out.

Can't wait to see Puma.

[michael-ibk]

Excellent start, I really appreciate all the practical helpful details!

[pomkiwi]

Around Puerto Natales

 

 

I spent 3 nights at a hotel on the waterfront a few miles from the town. I spent a couple of half days walking from the hotel surrounded on all sides it seemed by imposing mountains:

 

 

The skies were generally clear enough to allow some beginners astrophotography - and the fact that sunrise wasn't until 9.15 made it quite civilised! this is the galactic core of the milky way I believe:

 

On one morning I took a boat trip up the fjord. We oassed imperial cormorants:

 

 

as well as Patagonian sea lions:

 

before reaching the Serano glacier:

 

That afternoon a two hour walk found a few more birds:

 

Chimingo Caracara:

 

 

Southern Caracara:

 

 

Upland Goose:

 

Coscoroba Swan:

 

Black necked swan:

[janzin]

Fantastic! I assume you brought a tripod with you for the night shots? I am debating whether to bring a tripod, although I doubt I'd do night photography.

[Atdahl]

Wow, a wonderful start @pomkiwi

 

Those are definitely some of the most impressive flight shots I have ever seen from a commercial airplane.

 

Looking forward to more as time allows. 

[pomkiwi]

8 hours ago, janzin said:

Fantastic! I assume you brought a tripod with you for the night shots? I am debating whether to bring a tripod, although I doubt I'd do night photography.

Hi Janet. Yes I did bring a tripod for night photography alone. It might also be useful for landscapes but I don’t use them myself.

[pomkiwi]

Torres del Paine - the prelude

 

After going out to photograph the stars at 6am (which seemed to puzzle a passing Patagonian skunk), I went to the Torres del Paine National Park with one of the guides from the hotel.

We first went to an area just to the north of the estancia where I would be puma tracking. This is on the eastern edge of the park. As I stepped down from the car there was an immediate subject of interest - puma prints from a female and cub. Indeed over the whole of the 2 mile hike we saw prints from multiple pumas and of differing ages including some that were very fresh.

 

 

10 minutes into the hike we saw an American kestrel fluffed up against the cold.

 

We were trying to identify a very distant bird (consensus was a caracara of some kind) :

 

Then two brown animals appeared on the skyline behind - puma!

Unfortunately they were only there for 10 seconds or so and I was unable to react fast enough for a usable image

We carried on hiking hoping that we might see them again but there were no more pumas during the day. There were several guanaco around and we heard alarm calls on a couple of occasions so pumas must have been close.

 

A grey fox came past but stayed in the vegetation.

 

We enjoyed excellent views of the Torres and the snow covered mountains that seemed to completely surround us were spectacular.

 

 

 

We then drove to the western side of the park which was much less snowy. We drove past the Salto Paine waterfall and on to the Salto Grande, the largest falls in the park.

 

Salto Paine:

 

 

 

Salto Grande:

 

From there we hiked up a trail for a couple of miles to a viewpoint giving breathtaking views of the other iconic peaks of the Paine Massif - the Cuernos or Horns.

 

 

On this trail there is evidence of the fire that devastated large areas of the park in 2011 caused by careless tourists. Comparison of photos of a similar area taken on this hike in 2017 and 2024 show how slow regeneration has been - due to the extreme weather and pressure from guanacos browsing on any new growth.

 

2017:

 

2024:

 

On the way back we had a different perspective on the whole central massif.

 

 

Before returning to the hotel, some incredible clouds and sunset.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 20 by pomkiwi

[TonyQ]

Beautiful photos, stunning landscape 

[offshorebirder]

Upland Goose is a beautiful bird!     So many good photos @pomkiwi - thanks very much for sharing them and your descriptions.

[pomkiwi]

The Far South Puma Tracking Commences

 

The following morning I had free until my midday pick up. I went for a hike along the road to the airport and tried unsuccessfully to ignore the landscapes and cloudscapes

 

I was met by Jean-Pablo (J-P) our guide and Luis our driver with one of the other participants. We would meet Marciel our tracker the following day. The drive between Punta Arenas and Cerro Castillo where our hotel was situated took around an hour including wildlife stops. On the outward and return drives we saw a red fox:

 

Black chested buzzard eagle with road kill on both journeys:

 

On both occasions the neighbouring trees held a collection of opportunists:

 

Male and female black chested buzzard eagle:

 

Black chested buzzard eagle, immature southern caracara, mature southern caracars and black chested buzzard eagle;

 

On our return trip to Punta Arenas we stopped in Puerto Natales and saw a number of birds previously described as well as Chilean flamingos, a small group of whom overwinter here:

 

Cerro Castillo itself is a very small town that sits at one of the Argentinian frontier posts in Patagonia (the border itself is a bit further along a road from the frontier post). It hasone hotel and a couple of shops and cafes - one shop seemed to be open at all hours and had a wide range of essentials such as maps, cards, souvenirs and chocolate and not too crazy prices. The town's mascot is a single horse which may or not be appropriate...

 

We stayed at the Hotel Estancia el Ovejero which although modelled on a traditional ranch was modern, warm and comfortable without being luxurious. The food was good with several choices from a self-service buffet at dinner and a breakfast of limited choice that was OK. There is an extensive range of good wine and local bottled beers. The majority of other guests when we were there seemed to be other groups on puma tracking trips including at least one other from Far South

 

 

The town does have ubiquitous and bright street lighting but it is all well aimed downwards and it is only a short walk to find an area with sufficient darkness to photograph the night sky. This is looking east - the orange glow is from the approaching dawn even though sunrise was still 2 hours away:

[janzin]

ohhh I may change my mind about doing night photography there, if I can do it right from the Ovejero (where we are staying as well.)

 

I can see one advantage of going when there's snow is the ease of finding tracks!

 

Wonderful bird and landscape photos.  Eagerly awaiting the puma images

[pomkiwi]

Days 1 and 2 - “This is not Africa”

 

We had 4 full days of puma tracking and the structure of each was the same. We would leave the hotel at 8am in the dark and drive for between 45 and 60 minutes to the area that we would be starting in. This was somewhere in the Estancia Laguna Amarga which occupies a large area of land on the eastern border of the national park surrounding Laguna Amarga and bordered for a large part to the south west by Laguna Sarmiento. Our starting point would vary each day and we would traverse widely different amounts of the estancia depending on what was happening.

 

Our group of 5 guests comprised of one couple and 3 singles one of whom was not a photographer and purely wanted to see pumas. We had two 4wd vehicles, one comfortable car driven by Luis and a double cab ute driven by J-P. We seemed to split naturally and I ended up in the back of the ute sharing the seat with all of our gear.

 

Having arrived still in darkness we would meet Marciel in a third car and begin the search. Just as dawn was breaking. Typically this would involve driving some way before J-P would stop and scan the area with his infra-red scope, often heading off up the hill on foot. This was another reason for being in position before dawn as the scope works best when the ground is cold, once the sun has been up for a while every rock becomes a heat radiating ‘rock puma’. Luis would often be at a different nearby vantage point scanning visually and Marciel doing the same but some distance away. The three cars were linked by radio - when terrain allowed. This process would carry on until somebody located a puma in which case we would often leave the cars and walk to the location - if the puma was moving this could be up to a mile or even two over pathless and often rough terrain.

 

At some point we would stop for lunch - a sandwich bag provided by the hotel. Afterwards we would carry on until between 5.30 and 6 before leaving the hill and driving back to Cerro Castillo. The days are short at the moment with sunrise around 9.20 and sunset at 6.15. When days are longer there is a break in searching over the middle of the day to give both humans and pumas a rest with a return to the hotel or sightseeing in the national park

 

Patagonia is obviously not Africa and although elements of the experience are the same the crucial difference is the total concentration on a single species. In the Patagonian mountains the density of wildlife is very low which means that if pumas are not found there isn’t a lot else around. This is in contrast with Africa where usually if the leopards are not playing there are opportunities with other animals or birding. Both J-P and a guide from another group used this phrase early in our visit in an attempt to manage expectations.

 

On the first morning there was no obvious activity reported and J-P took us to a viewpoint above Laguna Armarga for us to get the classic view of dawn breaking and lighting up the Torres (I’m pretty sure this was to get it out of the way 😀).

 

As we left to go to the estancia, Marciel radioed to report two adult puma which were half way up the steep slopes opposite our viewpoint. They were a long way off but were identified as brothers and were probably the pair I had seen two days earlier.

 

 

 

We drove up the road and on to the very rough tracks of the estancia to a position roughly above where they had been. Marciel called to inform us that they had moved away from us but not too far. We then set off on foot which involved pushing through knee high bush most of which was spiky.

 

After 20 minutes J-P caught sight of one puma ear at which point the pair moved off at speed below and away from us.

 

We then relocated by car to high ground on the south-east area of the estancia with stunning views of the Torres and surrounding mountains.

 

 

Here two condors were soaring in the far distance:

 

 

And here we stayed.

 

Marciel was more mobile and both J-P and Luis ranged over the surrounding slopes and viewpoints. As well as hoping to spot a puma directly they were looking for groups of guanaco (puma food) and listening for alarm calls indication a puma nearby. The problem was that although there were lots of guanaco moving through and around, there were no alarm calls.

 

We were free to do what we wanted (within reasonable limits) and occupied ourselves hiking up and down slopes, looking out for puma and photographing the incredible landscapes.

 

 

We enjoyed a picnic spot which must rank as one of the best I’ve ever had (at least until 2 days later).

 

 

When we got bored we photographed guanaco.

 

Single guanaco

 

 

 

Groups of guanaco

 

Guanaco on ridges

 

Backlit guanaco

 

Eventually we heard a guanaco alarm call and Luis spotted the cause, a puma lying in the grass. It was alternately sleeping and alert but very visible to guanaco.

 

 

 

As a result we spent 90 minutes about 20m from her trying to get some clear photos through the grass.

 

 

 

It was obvious that she wasn’t going anywhere until nightfall and we left just in time to photograph guanaco with the moon…..

 

 

Day 2 was much the same but with a different sunrise.

 

 

 

We spent the day in much the same area occasionally relocating in the cars with much the same result - lots of guanaco but no puma. Very late in the afternoon we linked with another Far South group whose tracker had heard alarm calls. We then spent 45 minutes with 5 guides and trackers scanning the area before J-P saw movement and found the same puma in much the same position as the previous day and unable to move without guanaco spotting her. It was impossible to get a good view so we all left at 6pm and admired the clouds.

 

 

 

Lessons learnt

 

1. This is most definitely not Africa and without puma there isn’t much other than guanaco. Unless you count the amazing mountains, lakes and skies in every direction.
2. It is almost possible to stop being amazed by the Torres but not quite.
3. We had been incredibly lucky with the weather.
4. There are long periods of inactivity but when hiking is required it can be rapid and over difficult terrain. Good hiking boots and thorn proof trousers are essential.
5. Looking for puma shares much with looking for leopard  - both are beautiful cats that can be extremely elusive and are able to hide in plain sight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 21 by pomkiwi

[TonyQ]

Stunning landscapes again. The snow really adds to the beauty.

We had Marciel as our tracker also. Good that you did get a view of the Puma.

Looking forward to your next posts 

[pomkiwi]

12 minutes ago, TonyQ said:

Stunning landscapes again. The snow really adds to the beauty.

We had Marciel as our tracker also. Good that you did get a view of the Puma.

Looking forward to your next posts 

Thanks Tony. Currently being written on the sequence of flights home and posted at points where I change planes.

[janzin]

oh hmmm I'm a bit concerned about the "difficult terrain."  My spouse is not such a great hiker and has some issues with stability/balance. But I guess since we will be with a private guide and tracker we can go at our own pace.  I was thinking of bringing walking sticks, I've seen photos of folks there using them. Difficult with a camera but maybe essential?

 

Some lovely guanaco photos! Shame you couldn't get a clearer view of the first pumas but I have a feeling there are more to come....