While Torres del Paine and Patagonia have become world-famous for their dramatic landscapes and the pumas that live in them, our tour will offer you just a bit more than others. We focus on pumas and their role in the ecosystem and will follow these enigmatic cats during the day and nighttime. We use thermal cameras to follow the pumas during hours of low light and try to show you all the fascinating behaviors that make these cats so interesting. As an ultimate highlight, we will try to witness live hunting and see social interactions between the pumas. Additionally, you can expect breathtaking landscapes and a range of interesting species, such as the guanaco, skunk, Geoffrey’s cat, South American grey fox, Andean condor, and king penguins, during a special excursion. Not only will we observe and photograph the pumas, but we will also learn a great deal about their behavior, guided by a carnivore specialist in conservation biology. The puma tracking will be done from the vehicle and on foot; moderate fitness is required if participants want to hike, but the hikes are not necessary to see the pumas. We choose to do our puma tracking tours in May because of the relatively low numbers of tourists in the park around that time and favorable weather conditions.

Torres del Paine is located in the far south of Chile, and, with almost 2000km2, exact puma densities are unknown and official estimates range from 2 to 5 adult individuals per 100km2. This makes the entire region in and outside the park, the area with the highest puma density in the world. We share all our data with local guides and researchers and contribute in this way by creating a better understanding of puma population size and dynamics. While pumas are still killed legally (Argentina) and Illegally (Chile) in the area, the last decade has been a conservation success story, and many of the privately owned ranches around the park have now moved from sheep farming to eco-tourism. It is because of this ecotourism that a fragile and peaceful coexistence is starting to shape and more and more ranchers are starting to protect the pumas instead of hunting them.