Birding and Pumas in Patagonia

We’ll take the early morning ferry crossing (2 hrs) to Porvenir, which is the main town in the Chilean side of the mythical island at the end of the world, Tierra del Fuego. We should see scores of Southern Giant-Petrel, Magellanic Diving-Petrel, Chilean Skua, Black-browed Albatross and Peale’s Dolphins. We’ll spend the morning birding around Laguna Verde and Laguna Santa Maria. The bird species we‘ll be looking for in the next couple of days will be Ashy-Headed and Upland Goose, Two-banded Plover, Magellanic Plover, Chilean Skua, Short-billed Miner, Tawny-throated Dotterel, Flightless Steamer-Duck, Black-necked Swan and Crested Duck.

After lunch we’ll drive to Bahia Inútil to visit a colony of magnificent King Penguins. We will spend some time enjoying the company of these incredible birds at the small reserve protecting this colony. On our way to our accommodation in Cerro Sombrero we’ll be looking for Rufous-chested Dotterel, Chocolate-vented Tyrant and Cinnamon-bellied Ground-Tyrant that breed in the Patagonian steppe. Night in Cerro Sombrero.

After breakfast we’ll continue birding the Patagonian Steppe on our way to the northern tip of Tierra del Fuego and hop on a short ferry back to the continental mainland. This is a shorter ferry crossing (20 min) with good chances of seeing Commerson’s Dolphin, Magellanic Diving-Petrel, Wilson’s Storm-Petrel and White-chinned Petrel. Back on the mainland we will make a stop at a wetland in the steppe, Buque Quemado. A good spot for seeing a variety of waterfowl, including Silver Teal, Rosy-billed Pochard, Chiloe Wigeon, White-cheeked Pintail, Coscoroba Swan, and variety of shorebirds. We will continue our trip towards Puerto Natales making our way across the vast steppe looking for Darwin’s Rhea, Austral Canastero, Chocolate-vented Tyrant, Band-tailed Earthcreeper, Common Miner, Patagonian Yellow-Finch and the stunning White-bridled Finch. We’ll spend the night in Puerto Natales.

This morning we’ll be heading north towards the scenic mountainous valley of Sierra Baguales. Here we’ll be looking for Band-tailed Earthcreeper, Patagonian Mockingbird, and the gorgeous Yellow-bridled Finch. On our drive up the valley the rocky cliffs surrounding us are a great place to watch Andean Condors soaring above us. The valleys in this area are also a breeding area for White-throated Caracara and the very rare Gray-bellied Shrike-Tyrant. We’ll plan to have a nice picnic lunch surrounded by the mountains and then head to the most anticipated location of the trip, the incomparable and breathtaking Torres del Paine National Park. Of the entire trip, this will most likely be the most unforgettable scenic highlight. While the park is most famous for its astonishing scenery, it’s also rich in birds and mammals. Throughout the day Guanaco, Patagonian Skunk and Gray Fox are among the mammals we are likely to encounter during our stay in this area.

We’ll be looking for Dark-faced Ground-Tyrant, Cinnamon-bellied Ground-Tyrant, White-throated Caracara and Patagonian Mockingbird. Focusing our efforts on the eastern side of the park, we’ll visit lakes looking for waterfowl, and on reed-fringed lagoons looking for the recently re-discovered and secretive Austral Rail. Nearing late afternoon we’ll focus on our search for Pumas. The rolling hills in and around Torres del Paine are arguably the best place to see Pumas in the world. Our best chances of encountering them are at dawn and dusk, so we’ll be scanning our surroundings and be aided by expert trackers. The trackers will have been searching for them throughout the day and when one is spotted the tracker will radio and inform us of the best way to approach them to have the best photographic opportunities at a safe distance. All this with a breathtaking mountain backdrop of the Paine Towers and Horns. After this we’ll head to our hotel in the steppe for dinner. Night in Cerro Castillo.

Today we’ll head back in the direction of the park, searching for Pumas in a ranch bordering the eastern edge of the park, where traffic is low and Puma encounters are more frequent. We’ll head out early to have the best chances to see them while they’re active. During the late morning we’ll explore other areas of the park and have lunch at a lakefront hotel with breathtaking views of the mountains.

During the midday hours we’ll explore other areas of the park looking for more wildlife, paying special attention to large groups of Guanaco, where Pumas may be stalking close by. Once again, close to dusk we will focus on searching for the Pumas when they become more active after a day of resting. After sunset we’ll head back for dinner at our hotel in the steppes.

Sadly this is the last day of our trip. After a relaxed breakfast, we’ll make our way back to the airport in Punta Arenas where we’ll take our flight back to Santiago and connecting international flights.