Exclusively designed and dedicated mammal photo trip to see pumas (mountain lions, cougars) in the remote Patagonian wilderness of Chile’s Torres del Paine. This trip is available from March through August 2011 (southern fall and winter), from Punta Arenas, Chile.
6 days, 5 nights from Punta Arenas, Chile | See dates and rates for 2011.
Chile's Torres del Paine National Park is frequently honoured by visitors as being one of the world's most beautiful places. Its wildlife is normally very tame and it's not rare to see herds of relaxed and inquisitive guanacos at very close quarters; it's something else to try to see the lonely hunter that dwells in the vast and barren hills, Puma. This expedition has been specifically designed to try to see these big cats in one the wildest areas throughout its entire range in the Americas. Join us on this quest, to discover the wildlife of Torres del Paine and its secretive and yet most awe-inspiring inhabitant.
See entry at our wildlife blog with photos of guide Roberto Donoso. Click here.
Pumas of Torres del Paine | 6 days, 5 nights | Trip Code TDP03
Trip Highlights
• Expedition exclusively designed to see puma or Mountain Lion in the wild.
• Day and night searches for pumas.
• This trip is led by an experienced naturalist guide and puma tracker.
• In-depth natural history exploration to Torres del Paine National Park.
• An interesting array of mammals restricted to the Southern Andes and Patagonia.
This program is operated as a custom trip (flexible option which runs on a date you choose giving you more privacy) and is available upon request for individuals or small private groups.
The Difference of Travelling with Fantástico Sur Expeditions:
• Each of these trips have a maximum of 6 participants.
• Great accommodations at conveniently located hotels and lodges, meaning shorter driving times to the puma sites.
• Superb dinning cuisine and memorable picnic lunches.
• Spacious vehicles that ensure a window seat to each trip participant.
• Each vehicle and driver we use has been authorized by the Chilean Transportation Authority.
• The service and expertise of a professional local naturalist leader, who will look after every logistical aspect of “your” holiday.
• You will receive a free, signed copy of one of our great natural history books for Chile & Patagonia.
• … plus an useful pre-departure information package.
Pumas of Torres del Paine can be combined with the following optional extensions:
• King Penguins of Tierra del Fuego (2 days, 1 night) photo trip to document these magnificent seabirds amidst the wild landscapes of Tierra del Fuego;
• Tierra del Fuego & Cape Horn Expedition Cruise (4 days, 3 nights o 5 days, 4 nights options); journey to the fjords, glaciers and history of the southern tip of South America. Only available for March and April puma trips.
Pumas of Torres del Paine | 6 days, 5 nights | Trip Code TDP03
Day 1 • Arrival to Punta Arenas – Transfer to Torres del Paine National Park
After meeting your guide at your hotel or at the airport, you will be transferred in a private vehicle to Torres del Paine. During our journey to the park, we will try to find guanacos, southern grey foxes, and Patagonian skunks while enjoying our first contact with southern beech (Nothofagus) forests. While visiting the valleys we will be given a geological interpretation of the origins of the dramatic backdrop of Torres del Paine, one of the finest natural spectacles in Patagonia.
Hotel Las Torres, Torres del Paine (4*). (L,D)(G).
Days 2-5 • Exploring Torres del Paine – Puma searches
We have organized a busy schedule of day and night search outings for pumas in the area. We will inspect the immediate surroundings of our hotel at night as well as the puma hunting grounds located in the eastern flank of the park. The area comprised by the northern coast of Sarmiento Lake, Laguna Amarga and Laguna Azul is well known by holding one of the largest concentrations of pumas in the wild. Late February through July are particularly good to attempt to find them as the females are actively hunting to provide food to their almost fully-grown cubs; at this time they are not active just by night but also during the twilight hours. To see a female puma and its large-sized cubs against this magnificent mountain backdrop and glorious skies is one of the most impressive wildlife spectacles. In company of our guide and puma tracker we will attempt seeing puma family groups at a prudent distance with the help of binoculars and spotting scopes. If we have time, we will also take the opportunity to look for other mammal species including the ubiquitous guanaco, the local Andean Deer or Huemul, Patagonian Hog-nosed Skunk and the two canid species present in the park, Chilla and Culpeo foxes.
Hotel Las Torres, Torres del Paine (4*). (B,L,D)(G).
Day 6 • Torres del Paine – Transfer to Punta Arenas
During the morning we will continue our exploration in different areas of the park. A sensational vista from Laguna Azul on the eastern side of the park will be a superb grande finale to this exciting journey of discovery among the natural wonders of the "end of the world". Later, we will be transferred to Punta Arenas where our trip ends. (B,L)(G).
Codes: B=Breakfast; L=Lunch/Box-lunch; D=Dinner; G=Guide; *=Hotel Category
Pumas of Torres del Paine | 6 days, 5 nights | Trip Code TDP03
Pumas of Torres del Paine | 6 days, 5 nights | Trip Code TDP03
Meet/Depart: Punta Arenas or Puerto Natales, Chile.
Dates and Rates for scheduled departures:
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Trip Length
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6 days | 5 nights
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2011 Dates
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March 19-24 [$2,280 p.p.]
April 16-21 [$2,280 p.p.]
May 14-19 [$1,898 p.p.]
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| Single Supplement |
$460 (March & April 2011)
$195 (May - August 2011)
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Trips are guaranteed to depart with a minimum of 4 participants.
Maximum group size 6 participants.
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Rates for custom departures (you choose the date):
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Trip Length
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6 days | 5 nights
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Price per person
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2 guests @ $2,398 p.p. (March & April 2011)
2 guests @ $2,175 p.p. (May - August 2011)
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| Single Supplement |
$460 (March & April 2011)
$195 (May - August 2011)
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Trips are guaranteed to depart with a minimum of 2 participants.
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What the trip includes/excludes
The above price is per person in US Dollars. All payments are in US Dollars.
Single supplement will be added if single accommodations are requested.
The trip price includes: All accommodations, meals and guide services as stated in the itinerary, private ground transportation during the tour, and park entrance fees.
The trip price excludes: Domestic flights (Santiago – Punta Arenas – Santiago or other route), tipping, travel insurance, entrance tax to Chile, excess baggage charges, private excursions, à la carte dishes, snacks, drinks, laundry, telephone calls and anything else of a purely personal nature.
Tour Registration: To book this tour, please complete our registration form. We will process your booking form and will send you (within 24 hours) a note with space confirmation and a deposit invoice with payment instructions. The deposit amount is $350 per person. Full payment of the tour fee is due 90 days prior to tour departure.
NOTE: Inquires received on Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays will be replied during the following working day.
Cancellation Policy: Notice of cancellation can only be accepted IN WRITING from the person who signed the booking form and takes effect on the day such noticed is received by us.
Refunds are made according to the following schedule:
If cancellation is made 120 days or more before departure date, the deposit less US$ 200 is refundable.
If cancellation is made between 120 and 60 days before departure, the deposit is not refundable, but any payments covering the balance of the fee will be refunded.
If cancellation is made fewer than 60 days before departure date, no refund is available.
This policy and fee schedule also applies to pre-trip and post trip extensions, as well as any transfers from one tour to another. We strongly recommend the purchase of trip cancellation insurance to protect yourself.
Pumas of Torres del Paine | 6 days, 5 nights | Trip Code TDP03
Hotel Las Torres, Torres del Paine
This charmingly rustic hotel provides a comfortable base from which to explore the park’s towering mountains, turquoise lakes, glaciers, ice fields and steppes. Las Torres is located 75 miles (120 kilometers) from the town of Puerto Natales and 230 miles (375 kilometers) from the larger city of Punta Arenas.
Each of the hotel’s many windows look out over the expansive steppe or snow-capped mountains surrounding it, including the trio of towers that gave the park its name. The hotel features 57 rooms, several sitting areas, two restaurants and a bar. The interpretive center located by the hotel’s reception desk lays out information about the rock formations and wildlife you may encounter on your excursions. In addition, the spa next door offers you the chance to unwind and rejuvenate after you return from your adventures.
The rooms of the hotel provide a cozy atmosphere, being the perfect setting to relax and enjoy after a long days excursion. Central heating, box spring beds, telephones and private bathrooms in a rustic yet elegant decoration provide the ideal ambience in our superior rooms for resting and preparing the next days activities. Several services are available in the relaxing environment of your room, with a simple call you have the possibility of enjoying massages, food, wine and drinks.
Pumas of Torres del Paine | 6 days, 5 nights | Trip Code TDP03
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Roberto Donoso has been part of our team since 2003, but he has been involved in the process of learning about birding and handling visitors to Chile and Patagonia since 1999. Roberto has an extensive experience leading birdwatching tours throughout Chile and Juan Fernandez islands, and his most recent trips has taken him to the Falkland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula. During the last couple of years he has developed an increasing interest in mammals, particularly cats, and he is responsible of developing some of the hard-core puma and mammal tours that we are currently carrying out with clients from the US and the UK. Rob is one of the Fantastico Sur favourite guides due to his kind and charismatic personality, his particular attention to detail and his involvement with the goals and interests of our clients. Roberto lives in Punta Arenas with his wife Vjera and their two lovely girls, Vjerita and Florencia. |
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Enrique Couve has been birdwatching for over 40 years in his native country of Chile and is the author of the photographic guide "Birds of Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego and Antarctic Peninsula", among several other bird and nature photography field guides and books. He is extremely skilled in finding and identifying birds and is an excellent nature photographer, having one of the most complete portfolios of Chile’s birds and wildlife. Enrique has travelled extensivley throughout Chile, its oceanic islands and the Antarctic Peninsula, as well as in other countries of South America. He is partner and director of Fantastico Sur Expeditions and lives in Punta Arenas with his wife and their four children.
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Pumas of Torres del Paine | 6 days, 5 nights | Trip Code TDP03
Check out our set of images from recent puma trips in Torres del Paine.
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