Pumas of Patagonia

(6 days / 5 nights)

Chile's Torres del Paine National Park is frequently honored 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. This expedition has been designed to try to see pumas 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 most secretive and yet most awe-inspiring inhabitant.

“Many thanks from both of us for an extremely well-organized trip to Torres del Paine National Park! We appreciated Victor's superb organizational skills as he planned every logistical detail of our trip. Everything worked out according to plan, and we loved our visit to the area.”

 

- L Degernes, New Zealand
Patagonia trip Jan 2007

Arrival to Punta Arenas
Transfer to Torres del Paine National Park - Mylodon Cave

We have arranged night searches as well as outings to specific locations where we have seen pumas, patiently waiting for the opportunity of preying on guanacos. 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 the company of an expert naturalist guide and puma tracker, our small group will explore the eastern flank of the national park.

After meeting your guide at your hotel or at the airport, upon your arrival, you will be transferred in a private vehicle to Torres del Paine. During our journey to the park, we will observe how the strong southerly winds have sculpted the vegetation of the Patagonian steppes. We will try to find guanacos, southern grey foxes, and Patagonian skunks while enjoying our first contact with southern beech (Nothofagus) forests. Later will visit Mylodon Cave, an outstanding natural formation that sheltered a wide variety of Pleistocene mammal species about 12,000 years ago. 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.

Hostería Las Torres, Torres del Paine (4*).

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Exploring Torres del Paine
Puma Search

We are 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 their hunting grounds located in the easten 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. March is particularly good to attempt to find them as the females are activily hunting to provide food to their cubs; at this time they are not active just by night but also during the twilight hours. 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, Patagonian Hog-nosed Skunk and the two canid species present in the park, Chilla and Culpeo foxes.

Hostería Las Torres, Torres del Paine (4*).

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Transfer to Punta Arenas
Walk to tower's Base or to NordenskjÖld Lake

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.

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Extensions

Pumas of Patagonia can be combined with the following optional extension:

• Cruise to the Cape Horn and Tierra del Fuego (4 days/3 nights from US$ 1,150 / £ 595 per person); journey to the fjords, glaciers and history of the southern tip of South America.

Pumas of Patagonia (Trip A) can also be combined with our sailing program Whales of the Straits of Magellan (5 days/4 nights).

Dates & Prices

This program is operated as a scheduled departure (leaving on a set date).

Main Trip:6 days / 5 nights
Meet/Depart:Punta Arenas, Chile.
Group Size:Maximum of 6 participants / Trips are guaranteed to depart with a minimum of 2 participants.

Trip A: Sat Mar 15 - Thu 20, 2008
Trip B: Sat Mar 22 - Thu 27, 2008
Trip C: Sat Mar 29 - Thu Apr 3, 2008

RATES:
TBA per person in double occupancy.
The above price is per person in US$, based on double occupancy.
Single supplement (TBA) will be added if single accommodations are requested or forced.

The trip price includes:
All accommodations, meals and guide services as stated in the itinerary, private ground transportation during the tour, plus park entrance fees.

The trip price excludes:
Tipping, travel insurance, à la carte dishes, snacks, drinks, laundry, telephone calls and anything else of a purely personal nature.

Do you want us to arrange your flights from Santiago to Punta Arenas?
Domestic flights Santiago – Puerto Montt / Puerto Montt – Punta Arenas / Punta Arenas – Santiago (from US$300 person).
Duration of the flight: Santiago – Puerto Montt (c. 1.5 hours) / Puerto Montt – Punta Arenas (c. 2 hours).



TOUR REGISTRATION: To register for this tour, complete the FANTASTICO SUR registration form and return it (by fax or email) with a deposit of US$ 700 per person. Full payment of the tour fee is due 90 days prior to tour departure.

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$ 300 / £ 155 is refundable. If cancellation is made between 120 and 90 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 90 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.