Pumas and the Wildlife of Torres del Paine - ESCORTED MARCH 2024

Day notes

After we have passed through immigration and collected our bags, we will be met by our driver who will take us on a short journey out of the city to spend our first night in Chile in the Maipo Valley region (famous for its wines!)

We will stay at the Hotel Majadas de Pirque, a property with a rich history set in beautiful parkland with perennial and native trees in its 8 hectares.  Explore the pathways on foot or borrow a bike from the hotel to discover a thousand 100-year old trees.

Day notes

Back to the airport this morning for a four hour flight to Punta Arenas. 

Punta Arenas is on the Brunswick Peninsula on the shore of the Magellan Strait connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and separating the South American mainland from Tierra del Fuego. Founded by immigrants both from Europe and Chileans from further north, it boasts many grand buildings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This is the main entrance city to Torres del Paine National Park.

Our hotel for the night is the modern and comfortable Diego de Almagro, located on the waterfront of the Strait of Magellan with magnificent views and good access to the downtown area of the city

Day notes

Drive to Torres del Paine National Park.  5 hours drive with stop en route at Estancia Olga Teresa. There is no other place as accessible and protected to view and photograph the majestic Andean Condor.

Declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2013, Torres del Paine (Towers of Blue) National Park is 2,273 square kilometres with an exceptional geography of majestic rocky massifs, turquoise lakes, glistening icebergs, rivers, lenga forests (Patagonia's iconic tree) and extensive pampas visited by a variety of animals including the guanacos (a camelid related to the llama), ñandúes (rheas) and pumas. 

The focus of our days here will be exploring the park to seek out pumas with a specialist guide. There are estimated to be between 50-100 in Torres del Paine.  The puma is one of the most extensive species on the continent, inhabiting mostly mountainous zones, from Canada all the way down to Magallanes. This type of geography, such as is found in the Torres del Paine National Park, is perfect for pumas as it provides them shelter between rocks and boulders to hide behind while hunting. 

We will spend three nights at Hosteria Tercera Barranca,  a wonderful location with views across the Torres del Paine.  At first light, a tracker will go out to look for pumas and will be in contact by radio with a guide who will be waiting with us at the hotel.  Expect to leave the hotel around 8am - 9am and drive for a short while (up to an hour depending on the puma location).  On arrival, we will leave the car and hike along the designated paths to try for a sighting.  Each day we will take a packed lunch with us and the guide will find a lovely spot for us to rest and take in the views.  

Day notes

Today we move to the Hotel del Paine, located on the banks of the Serrano River.  This pretty, mountain hotel has wonderful views of the imposing Paine Massif.  

En-suite rooms are simple but warm and welcoming; designed in a Patagonian country style and integrating local crafts 

The restaurant menu is made up of local  dishes that are part of the tradition of the Magallanes region, with many items coming from their own organic greenhouse.

Day notes

We leave the National Park today to head for Puerto Natales. Approx. 3 hours drive.

The capital of the Última Esperanza Province, Puerto Natales overlooks the "Last Hope Sound", so-called as it was site that the Spanish explorer Juan Ladrilleros considered his last hope while attempting to cross the Magellan Straits after exploring the maze of channels between the waters of the Pacific and the mainland.

This is a great place to re-charge our batteries and we will be staying at one of the most traditional and comfortable hotels in Puerto Natales, located one block from Plaza de Armas of the city

Day notes

Transfer to Punta Arenas airport to fly back to Santiago for our last day in Chile.  Approx 2.5 hours drive.

Our hotel for the night is Hotel Providencia.  A modern hotel located in the heart of the Providencia neighbourhood and 45 minutes from the Santiago International Airport. Very close to restaurants, museums, shops and malls, the hotel is in the heart of Providencia whose history dates back more than a century to the founding of Santiago.  Providencia is a peaceful, safe district where we can walk along its entertaining streets. 

A farewell group dinner tonight to look back on our Chilean adventures.