Just a few months before this trip we were walking with polar bears, this next adventure would see us returning to Patagonia for our first serious attempt at seeing a wild puma.

Pumas, more commonly known in North America as cougars or mountain lions, are usually a secretive cat, but in Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park some of the park’s 50 puma population have become habituated to humans allowing people to watch them hunt, eat and sleep. There are never any absolute guarantees with wildlife viewing, however, Patagonia’s pumas are gaining a reputation as being the next virtually guaranteed big cat experience. It wasn’t long ago that jaguars were thought to be elusive and difficult for your average Joe to view in the wild, but the Pantanal can and did deliver amazing jaguar sightings for us. Could Torres del Paine National Park live up to the hype and deliver our first puma sighting? Read on to find out…

As with all our trips we think ahead of the trip and start gathering up together the essentials to reduce the chances of last minute panics when something can’t be found!

The unpredictable weather suits a layered approach and the following were the items we considered essential before we did the trip (with some comments on whether they actually proved themselves essential!)

Feet

Waterproof Hiking Boots - ankle support essential - wore every day!

Second pair of shoes/boots - wore in Punta Arenas and evenings.

Medium-weight synthetic socks with cushioned soles - essential

Liner socks - added warmth for out on the boat.

Legs

Synthetic underwear

Long thermal leggings (1 pair just in case it was really cold) - wore on the boat.

Trousers (craghoppers) with lots of pockets - we also took a pair of fleece lined pair of trousers that were great for the windy days & out on the boat.

Waterproof trousers (more pockets) - wore on our rainy morning & out on the boat.

Upper body

Base layers (synthetic fabric to help draw perspiration away from the body) both long and short sleeves.

Thermal base layer (1 pair just in case it was really cold) - used out on the boat.

Insulating layer (1 thin fleece and 1 medium fleece) - we wore both the thin & medium fleeces but not together.

Rain & wind proof layer - rain jacket is essential for windproofing!

Hands

Thin gloves - wore in the mornings & on windy days.

Waterproof gloves - wore out on the boat.

Head & neck

Buffs (thermal & thin buffs) - wore both.

Hat (woollen hat & baseball cap) - wore both.

Sunglasses

Other ‘essential’ items

Binoculars - didn't use as we had our cameras with us at all times.

Day pack for hiking and storing those layers! - essential.

Sunscreen/lip balm

Dry bags / Ziploc bags

Camera covers

This summary review covers only the Naturetrek ‘Just Pumas’ tour. We have reviewed the ‘add-ons’ to the tour (condors, king penguins & whales) within the main trip report itself – for the full report, photos & videos see the links further down this page.

The Just Pumas tour included 6 nights in Torres del Paine National Park giving us 5 full days of potential puma viewings and one night either side in Punta Arenas to aid with travelling in and out of the region.

There were 6 guests on the tour (including us) all couples. Age range from 35 to 75 years old.

Our tour guide was Sebastian Saiter – a local guide that was very familiar with the area and very knowledgeable of the local wildlife. Our driver, Cesar, was very considerate of our more elderly group members (he was also a good fun!). Our tracker was Jorge, an American, he had good knowledge of the pumas’ history and gave us excellent advice during the puma viewing, getting us in the right places at the right times to ensure we got awesome sightings without disturbing the natural behaviour of the cats.

The accommodation was fine (see photos in main trip report). In general the food was a little bland, but perfectly edible. Both hotels had hairdryers, although they were lacklustre in power, so if you have thick, long hair, you may wish to bring a hairdryer with you! If you can get hold of a three pin Type N adaptor this was the type of socket in all rooms, but two pin (plug type C) should also work in the three pin sockets. Note there are two types of European adopters, make sure you get the thinner pins of the two types.

Travel to, around and back from Torres del Paine was in a min-bus that could have seated 15 people. The six of us were able to spread out nicely, giving us plenty of space for our gear. The majority of wildlife viewing was done on foot, there were a few occasions Cesar couldn’t safely park the vehicle, so we took a very small number of shots through the open door or window. The tour rating for walking is low, meaning easy hikes, however, it should be noted when a puma was spotted the pace of walking would quicken and there were several occasions where we walked up some steep & rocky inclines. Everyone was able to do those walks but it was a lot tougher on the two more elderly members of our group.

The usual pattern of the day was up & ready to head out at 6:30am, work with tracker to find puma/s. Have packed breakfast while out. Back to hotel around 11 am, packed lunch at hotel. Out again around 3pm work with tracker to find puma/s. Back to hotel around 8pm for hot dinner.

Overall the tour was well organised, the accommodation as described, the guide & tracker really good and the wildlife viewing excellent, we saw 15 different pumas during our 5 days in the National Park.

Do read the trip report (links below) for the details, photos & videos.