Wild Pumas of Patagonia Photo Tour

May 3 – 10, 2025

Come face to face with the Americas’ most elusive major predator: the puma!

The Wild Pumas of Patagonia photo tour will take you to heart of puma country in the rugged mountains of southern Chile.  You’ll have an opportunity to track wild mountain lions in their natural environment, photographing them amidst the rolling hills and dramatic peaks of the southern Andes.

Thanks to a team of expert guides and trackers, our chance to get puma photos is virtually guaranteed.  Our experienced tracking team (the same people who worked with the BBC on Seven Worlds, One Planet and Disney on Animals Up Close) has become familiar with many of these cats over the years, so they have insight into the different cats’ territories and behaviors, which only increases our chances of encountering a puma in the wild.

This week-long photo tour will be based both in Parque Nacional Torres del Paine and on private land bordering the park.  Thanks to an agreement with the land owner, our guided tour group will have greater flexibility to explore the estancia neighboring the national park, which gives us even better chances to see and photograph pumas up close.

In addition to pumas, we’ll be on the lookout for other wildlife and landscape photo opportunities during the week.  Other potential species include:

• Guanaco
• Gray fox
• Culpeo
• Austral Pygmy Owl
• Andean Condor
• Chilean Flamingo
• Darwin’s Rhea
• Humboldt’s Hog-Nosed Skunk
• Large Hairy Armadillo

To get a taste for what we may see, check out the following photo galleries:

2023 Patagonia Photos
2022 Patagonia Photos
2019 Pumas | 2019 Wildlife & Scenery
2017 Pumas | 2017 Wildlife & Scenery
2016 Pumas | 2016 Wildlife & Scenery

Tour Participants Must Be in Good Shape!

During my 2016 and 2017 trips, we walked a lot. As much as fifty miles in a week, in fact. Since 2019, we haven’t walked as much, but had to climb more hills to reach the pumas. The terrain itself is not always challenging, but on rare occasions we may have to hike out 2-3 miles to a cat. Shorter walks may be in the quarter- to half-mile range, but could be up or down a grade (and then the return leg). Do that for a week straight and it adds up!

The land in this region is covered in low scrub and rolling hills. Occasionally we may be forced to go up and down steeper hillsides, some covered in pebbles or skree that make footing a little more uncertain. But overall, this is not “technical” hiking. On the other hand, we are carrying our camera gear the whole time!

Hauling big lenses over several kilometers off and on throughout the week and potentially going up and down hills requires good balance and a fair level of fitness. Anyone who joins this adventure MUST be physically fit and prepared to carry their equipment over longer distances, potentially. If we encounter a cat that allows us to follow or walk with it, participants must be able to keep up. Otherwise, you’ll only get tail photos!

On certain occasions, our guide may urge members of the group to abandon their “big” lenses in favor of lighter zoom lenses that make hiking and walking easier. It’s very important to properly assess your physical condition and know what you’re capable of hauling around both during leisurely flat walks and slightly more strenuous climbs or faster paced pursuits. If you are able to keep up with a moving cat, the photo opportunities can be incredible.

Why May?

In addition to being prepared for the hilly terrain, you need to be ready for Patagonia’s autumn weather… which can be a little unfriendly at times.  May is the end of the fall season, so expect cold mornings.  It’s less windy than in the Patagonian summer, so we actually have a chance to have better weather in terms of photography.  But it could still be cold, rainy and there’s a remote chance of early winter weather.  Be prepared for cooler temps and bring your rain gear, just in case.

On the plus side, May marks the end of the tourist season.  Many of the park facilities shut down, and crowds thin out considerably.  There are also fewer photo tours at this time, which increases our chances of having more private encounters with the big cats!  While most tours aim for March/April in hopes of seeing cubs, we still have a good opportunities to see puma families even in May.  We’ll also have an opportunity to see the region decorated in beautiful fall colors, which could enhance our landscape photo opportunities.

Each of my trips to this region in May has produced more puma sightings on average than most other groups experience. I believe our timing—smaller crowds in the park and less viewing competition for pumas—has something to do with our good fortune with the cats.

Optional Extension: King Penguins of Tierra del Fuego

There is a special opportunity to visit the only breeding colony of King penguins found near the South American mainland while you are in the area.  We can help arrange a one day guided excursion for you to see and photograph the small colony of these beautiful birds.  There are a couple things to keep in mind should you choose to undertake this excursion:

• I will not join you (but you will have a local naturalist guide with you)
• The setting is not the best for photography, since a perimeter has been set up to minimize disturbance of the penguins.  It’s also located in former pasture land, so the environment consists of a lot of dirt and grass.  However, this is your best chance to photograph this species if you don’t think you’ll ever get to South Georgia or the Falklands.
• Price will depend on the number of participants, since there is a charter flight involved.

Should you wish to visit the King penguins, let me know when you make your tour inquiry.

Interested? Here’s what you need to remember:

• You must be physically fit and able to carry your camera gear over hikes ranging from a couple hundred meters up to a couple miles round trip. Longer hiking days are rare, but possible!
• You must be comfortable scaling hills and the occasional steep slope, with trails sometimes covered in slippery pebbles or skree (again, while carrying gear).
• You will want to have a minimum of 400mm to shoot with in order to get “close” photos. Combining a long lens with a lighter more versatile zoom that’s better for steep hiking or the occasional “puma walk” when we follow an active cat is best.
• Be prepared for inclement weather: namely, frosty mornings with possible rain or wind mixed in occasionally. Torres del Paine is beautiful, but it can put you to the test in autumn!

What’s Included in the Price of Your Tour

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