Safari Puma Tracking a Torres del Paine

As a lifetime cat lover, this experience is easily one of the top 5 things I’ve ever spent my adult money on! I can’t do this experience the justice it deserves with just a TripAdvisor post but I’ll give it a go…. Roberto (our AMAZING guide) contacted us the day before with a list of what to bring and a rough plan for the following day (we booked this trip via Flashpacker connect and were allocated Roberto as our guide). We were picked up at 5:30am in Roberto’s comfortable 4x4 and driven to Torres del Paine NP. We started the day with a stunning sunrise over Cordillera del Paine, before then spotting a male puma enjoying his kill in the distance: he was quite some distance away so we could barely see him! Roberto provided us with binoculars and we spent some time in the hope that he would emerge from the grassland but he ended up going into a food coma and didn’t move. Roberto gave us some tea and coffee to warm up with before we drove around to see if there were any other sightings…. Numerous sightings of guanacos followed, but no puma’s. Roberto was in touch over the radio with other guides within the park – a female puma was hanging out by the lake edge but as she was on private land, we were unable to go down to her. What followed was hours of waiting in the sun on a ridge with absolutely stunning scenic views (the sky was cloud-free and the mountains were shining) and a homemade roadside charcuterie board- but no puma to be seen….. After 6 hours of waiting, we went on a drive around the National Park to try our luck elsewhere only to receive a ‘puma on the move!!’ radio message back at the ridge. What followed could come straight out of a movie storyline: windows down, lake glistening, mountains glowing, cruising back along the roads all with Nirvana blaring out the speakers! When we got back to the ridge, silence descended and we held our breath. I made a small prayer to the Cat Gods in my cat’s name, and after 7 tense minutes of waiting, she appeared from amongst the grass. She was glorious; graceful, camouflaged and inquisitive. Naturally I cried happy tears. To see any wild animal in its natural environment is an absolute privilege - there’s only 200 Pumas in Patagonia so we went into this day with realistic expectations about our chances of spotting one, but to then have her stay near us for 2 hours was absolutely priceless. We watched her in awe as she walked, snoozed and posed (which she did flawlessly!). Other guides joined us along the road but everyone was incredibly respectful of her: the guides instructed us to all keep a certain distance and to keep quiet. Her comfort and our safety were 100% the priority – she seemed totally unfazed by our presence and sometimes just stared back at us with a look of ‘why are looking at me?’. The photos here are a mix of my own (iPhone) and from Roberto, who had a professional/ high res camera and shared some of the pics with us after the day out. Having Roberto take photo’s meant me and my husband could fully enjoy being the moment and watching the puma – having the binoculars really helped take in all her details and beauty. As the puma didn’t make her appearance until later in the day, we definitely stayed in the park longer than the original agenda had planned for – I’m so grateful that Roberto was willing to stay longer as it was a crazy long day for him with a lot of driving. Talking to other guides, it’s clear that Roberto is held in high regard amongst his peers and has a great reputation: he knows the Torres del Paine National Park like the back of his hand, and radiated an unparalleled love and passion for Puma conservation. I am so incredibly grateful for this once-in-a-lifetime experience; I know that we got VERY lucky to have such a decent/ long puma sighting, especially on just the 1-day trip. No amount of thanks to Roberto will ever be enough for making this day happen! The day is expensive but it’s all relative considering the cost of getting to Patagonia and the opportunity to experience such an incredible moment: yes, there's no guarantee you will see a puma, but it's definitely worth giving it a go!. 10 out 10 recommend you do this daytrip and factor it into your time spent in Patagonia.

We didn't see the cougar, but the guide was very friendly and did his best. He answered my thousands of questions, and always with great attitude.

Roberto was genuinely amazing. He worked tirelessly to get us in front of a puma and did not disappoint. He was friendly, kind, and so passionate. I feel lucky to have gone on tour with him.

It was an amazing experience! We went on a private tour. Camila and Pepe showed us much of the park and we saw a lot of fauna, besides cougars we also saw guanacos, flamingos, skunks, armadillos, hares... anyway. The best thing is that the animals are not being disturbed in any way, it was an unforgettable experience and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Solo female traveler who felt secure with this guide. Big credit to Roberto. He worked super hard to get me great shots all day. Sometimes nature doesn't cooperate which you have to expect in wildlife photography. But, when all I got was a tail, he scoured the park for the best wildlife moments and we wound up with some absolutely epic shots.

Roberto and Oscar knew their stuff.. very informative and helpful. Help us to spot and follow puma…Thanks for a great experience! Pictures creating memories forever.

Absolutely wonderful experience!! Roberto was a fantastic guide & would highly recommend him to anyone! We got to see a puma & then explore the park. Saw other wildlife as well & learned much about the landscape.

I did the W trek in the standard direction from central to great Paine. It was a very special experience and I enjoyed it very much. The views very spectacular. The organization was excellent, everything worked very smoothly. The tents were in good shape, the sleeping bags freshly cleaned and the food was good. Everything worked like a charm. The only thing is I forget my POI form (you get it a immigration into chile) but I could get a copy and later got my taxes reimbursed. In all fairness it was my mistake as it was mentioned in the documentation. I would recommend doing the trip in the standard direction as you the biggest hike with the most elevation on the first day and I must admit I was very happy to make it back to my tent :-). I was a bit concerned doing it solo but then it turned out out to be no problem at all a) the trek is very well marked b) there are quite a number of people on the trek and many of them walk the same way so you meet them in the evening at the Refugios and sometimes we decided to walk the next day together. I would recommend (as written in the packing list) very good hiking boots and all weather clothing as it can get windy and cold. In addition to the packing list bring a small foldable backpack, as you in some place leave your big backpack at the bottom of the mountain and only use the small one up.

We took a private tour with Leona Amarga Rancho specifically for the puma tracking outside of Torres del Paine. We stayed in the puma dome and all meals were provided. Puma dome - very comfortable. When we booked we didn't know it would just be the two of us at the ranch. So if you're looking for group interaction this isn't for you. Diego was our excellent guide. He spoke English and was knowledgeable. It would be good if you speak Spanish because most people do not speak English. Since we had a private car we could go wherever/whenever we wanted. The food was terrific. Jackie is an incredible cook! Expensive, yes but we saw 7 pumas in 4 days as up close and personal as I would want to be. Of course, the 600mm lens was indispensable. Since we are older we could decide how far we were willing to walk because the pumas don't leave the carcass beside the road, you do have to walk over somewhat rough terrain to see the puma eating/guarding the carcass from other pumas. The cubs we saw were older but still with their mother. As a photographer, I loved every minute of it - except getting up at 5:00A, but even that was worth it.