Patagonia Puma Photography Tour

Expeditions Alaska Ventures Afield. Come Explore Patagonia With Us.

Where the Andes Hold Their Breath
Five days in the hunter's world
Pumas at 25 feet. Just you and your lens
Condors, guanacos & Patagonian magnificence
The shot that rewrites your portfolio
Five spots. One departure
30 years in the wild. One week in Chile

The Best Puma Photography on Earth

After thirty years in the company of Alaska’s grizzlies and polar bears, I thought I knew what it felt like to sit with a predator. Pumas are a different kind of magic. Quiet. Deliberate. They don’t present themselves with a heavy footprint. One minute you’re looking at empty granite and yellow grass, and the next, a cat is sitting there.

Photographing them requires patience, positioning, and a willingness to wait. When it comes together, the results are unlike anything else I’ve known behind a lens.

Private Ranchlands Bordering Torres del Paine, Chile

On the private ranchlands bordering Torres del Paine, we bypass the tourist buses and crowded trails for five days of deep, quiet tracking. Working with Jorge, who knows these cats by their individual habits and stories, we don’t just “sight” pumas. We enter their world.

Last year, we sat in the open tundra while these “Ghosts of the Andes” walked within fifteen feet of our lenses. It is a proximity that defies logic. It rewards a patient photographer. One who understands that the best shots aren’t chased, but waited for.

This is the silence of the hunt. This is the best puma photography on earth.

At A Glance

Private ranch access. No crowds.
Puma, condors, guanacos, and the high tundra of Torres del Paine
Five full days in the field.
Led by Carl Donohue. 30 years in the wild.

Level

Moderate. You need to be mobile. We move as the cats move. You should be comfortable hiking with your gear across the tundra. Not technical, but potentially long days, at times on foot, following the cats.

Departs from

Punta Arenas, Chile

Location Patagonia
Categories Photo Tour
Difficulty

Mild

On a scale of 1 – 5, five being the most challenging, two hiking boots is at the easier end of the spectrum.

1 boot = basecamp/dayhike easy
2 boots = easier backpacking trip
3 boots = intermediate level trip
4 boots = intermediate to advanced backpacking
5 boots = ask yourself are you really ready for this?

11 boots = One louder. For when 5 boots just isn’t enough.

Expect whatever level you think might best fit you to be one level LOWER on our scale. Hiking here in Alaska is generally a step or three above what you’ll find in the Lower 48 states.

Realize that backpacking is never “easy”. You’re carrying from 35-50+ pounds on your back day after day. You’ll be hiking for a number of hours each day (varies trip to trip, day to day), and that’s not “easy” for most people.

Easier section of a tougher route. Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.

That said, our “2 hiking boots” level should meet the need for most novice backpackers, and are generally what I recommend for families with younger kids, etc as well. Terrain challenges aren’t usually a problem, and the walking is somewhat more orthodox. You won’t be traversing 1 mile of steep sidehill covered in slippery rocks, or snaking through dense thickets of alder and willow.
Best Dates November
Group Size 1-5 people
Guides Carl Donohue
Duration 4-8 Days
Join This Expedition

Puma Trip Details

You’ll spend five days doing something most wildlife photographers never do once. Sitting in open terrain, sixty yards from a wild big cat, choosing your composition while the cat chooses hers.

A typical day starts after breakfast. We load into the 4×4 vehicles with packed lunches, three photographers per truck with a dedicated guide in each. Our trackers locate the pumas, and we position ourselves based on the cats’ activity, the terrain, the light, and the backgrounds we want to work with. Sometimes that means hours with a single cat as it moves, hunts, or rests. Sometimes it means being mobile, following a puma across several miles of open ground on foot.

There are daily limits on how many hours groups can spend on the private ranchland. Everyone operates under the same restrictions. We work within that by running either two sessions with a break in between, or one long session, depending on weather and puma activity. The schedule stays flexible. It has to. You can’t plan around a wild predator.

When the pumas are quiet or between sessions, we shoot landscapes in the Torres del Paine area. Morning and evening light here is extraordinary.

The guanacos are everywhere. They’re the pumas’ primary prey, and they make compelling subjects in their own right.

There are multiple bird species on site as well. The field time is full even when the cats aren’t cooperating. Patagonian foxes, rhea, guanacos, owls, caracaras, and whatever else crosses the glass.

Back at the hotel each evening, dinner is waiting. All meals are included from lunch on Day 1 through lunch on the final transfer day. One non-alcoholic beverage per meal.

The lodge is a comfortable base. You’ll appreciate it after ten hours in the field.

Logistics

Five full days with the cats. All about the photography.

Fly into Punta Arenas in southern Chile. LATAM and Delta both serve this route from the US. You need to arrive in Punta Arenas at the latest, one full day before the trip departure date, the day before our first transfer. I’d recommend arriving 2 days ahead if you can. Flights get delayed or cancelled, luggage gets delayed (or worst), and you don’t want to start a trip like this stressed about whether your gear made it. Give yourself a buffer day.

On Day 1, we transfer by van from Punta Arenas to Cerro Castillo near Torres del Paine, our base for the week. That afternoon we’ll do some landscape photography in the Torres del Paine area, get an orientation at the hotel, and settle in over dinner. From there, every morning starts with breakfast at the hotel and a packed lunch for the field.

Torres del Paine’s pumas are remarkably tolerant of people. They approach us more often than we approach them. Last year we had pumas within 15 to 20 feet, often for extended periods. Multiple cats per day. Hours of sustained observation and shooting. There is nowhere else on the planet that offers this kind of proximity to a wild big cat in open terrain.

On the final day, we drive back to Punta Arenas with a stop at a condor roost for a dedicated photography session with Andean condors. Plan to fly out the day after we return to Punta Arenas, or stay on if you want to extend your time in Patagonia.

Who's It For?

Is This Trip a Match For You?

This tour is for serious wildlife photographers who want sustained time with a big cat subject. Not a quick look. Not a bucket list check. Five days of focused field work, building a body of work with an animal most photographers never get close to.

You should be comfortable spending all day outside in variable conditions with your camera. When the pumas are active, we stay with them. There are breaks. There are slower stretches. But when it’s happening, this is not a half-day tour with a scheduled return. We work the light and the activity until the day is done or our time on site runs out.

You need to be able to walk.

You don’t need to be an athlete, but you need to be mobile. We may walk two miles following a puma with a lens over our shoulder across open ground.

The terrain is not technical. It’s open, walkable tundra with no trail. But if mobility or fitness is a real concern, this trip may not be the right fit. You need to be able to go when the pumas go, and sit and wait when they sit and wait.

How Hard Is It

Moderate.

The biggest variable is weather. Patagonian wind is the primary challenge, not the terrain. It can blow, and when it does, you adapt. Rain is possible. Conditions shift through the day. We play it by ear and respond to what the weather gives us. Last year we had favorable conditions throughout, but you should come prepared for wind.

The walking is steady, not strenuous. Open ground, no bushwhacking, no scrambling. But it can add up over a full day, and you’re carrying camera gear while you do it. If you’re someone who hikes regularly and can walk a few miles at a reasonable pace with a pack, you’ll be fine.

Patience is part of it. Wildlife photography always involves waiting. Some sessions are hours of observation followed by a few minutes of extraordinary action. If that sounds frustrating to you, think carefully. If that sounds like exactly how you’d choose to spend a day, this is your trip.

Camera Gear

Your lens choice matters more than anything else on this trip. Light, long, and fast is the ideal. But you can only get two of those three, so pick the two that work best for you and your ability to carry it in the field.

A zoom in the 100–500mm range is ideal for the way we work. You’ll be moving. A 600mm f/4 produces incredible results if you can handle the weight over distance, but that’s a personal call. When a puma starts walking, you need to be able to grab your gear and go. A monopod is the preferred support. Lighter than a tripod, faster to set up, and you can move with it. If you want to bring a tripod, it’ll ride in the vehicle for when we’re stationary.

Camera body and a backup
Plenty of batteries and memory cards, plus backup storage
Small day pack (required). This carries your gear, layers, water, and lunch when we’re on foot.
Chilean power outlet converter for charging
Hiking boots or solid trail runners
Windproof rain gear. Patagonia’s wind is real. It can blow hard, especially in southern Patagonia. Whatever rain gear you bring needs to handle sustained wind, not just rain.
Layers. Beanie. Gloves. Conditions can shift through the day.
Water bottle
Comfortable clothes for the hotel in the evenings

Travel light in the field. When we get out of the vehicles to follow a puma, you want your camera, your lens, maybe a spare battery, and not much else.

Puma Trip Itinerary

Day 1 — Transfer and Orientation

Van transfer from Punta Arenas to the hotel in Cerro Castillo. Afternoon landscape photography in the Torres del Paine area. Orientation and dinner at the hotel.

Days 2 through 6 — Puma Photography

Breakfast at the hotel. Packed lunch for the field. Full days tracking and photographing wild pumas on private ranchland. Morning and evening landscape sessions as conditions and puma activity allow. Guanacos, birdlife, and Patagonian scenery throughout. Dinner at Hotel Estancia each evening.

Day 7 — Condors and Return

Breakfast at the hotel. Van transfer back to Punta Arenas with a stop at a condor roost for dedicated Andean condor photography. Arrive Punta Arenas by late afternoon.