Trip to Chile to photograph Pumas (called Mountain Lions in North America)
I booked this tour through “Natural Exposures” ( https://naturalexposures.com). They are an excellent company that offers photo tours to many places around the globe! That includes several 6-day Puma Tours in Chile per year.
The worst part of this trip was that from my home in Portland Oregon, it took 3 long flights to get to Santiago, where Natural Exposures suggested staying a night at the Holiday Inn next to the airport. Then the next morning another roughly 4-hour flight to Puerto Natales, from which we were driven to our hotel for the trip, Estancia Cerro Guido.
After that long trip, the tour was fantastic! Each day, a “Tracker” headed out early, using a handheld thermal scanner to find Pumas. Then after a 7 AM breakfast, our group of 5 people split up between two vehicles, with a guide in each following info provided by the tracker and trying to find pumas. Overall, I think I saw 6 different pumas, two of them really close-up! The “Expedition Leader” from Natural Exposures was Dan Cox, who is an excellent photographer and very willing to help you get great shots!