Patagonia Pumas

Apr 17-26, 2025

The pristine wilderness of Chilean Patagonia boasts the highest concentration of wild pumas, offering an ideal setting for capturing these elusive big cats in their natural habitat. We will spend 4 days dedicated to tracking and photographing the pumas and their social behavior. They live in guanaco rich areas and if we're lucky we might even see a hunt! We will enjoy a boat tour to the striking Glacier Grey and capture the magical golden light over the impressive mountains of Torres del Paine. Our final day will be spent photographing the Andean Condors - one of the largest flying birds in the world! Complete your experience by pairing with our Patagonia Ablaze Workshop!

Tuition

$10,995
All Inclusive

Max Group Size

Max 7 Students
2 Instructors

Instructor(s)

David Swindler
Juan Pons

Physical Intensity

Highlights

Four full days dedicated to tracking and photographing wild pumas, one of the most elusive of the big cats!
Dates are timed for prime autumn colors and active pumas!
Expert local guides will assist in tracking the pumas.
Photograph Andean Condors, one of the world's largest flying birds, as they glide over the vast landscape.
Embark on a boat to the impressive Glacier Grey and photograph the impressive landscapes of Torres del Paine.
All-inclusive workshop with meals, hotels, guides, transport, and tips.
Learn new photography skills from pro photographers.
Post-processing and image critique will be scheduled throughout the workshop.

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Itinerary

The weather in Patagonia can be highly unpredicable. We may make on-the-fly changes to the itinerary based on weather, current conditions, safety, and group interest. Our job is to get you the best photos possible as per the conditions.

Day 1 (Apr 17): Arrival day in Punta Arenas, Chile. Our team will coordinate pick-ups from the airport to the hotel in Punta Arenas. We'll get to know each other during our welcome dinner and then we'll get a good night’s rest in preparation for our upcoming adventures.
Day 2 (Apr 18): After an early breakfast we hit the road en route to Torres del Paine. Expect some wildlife stops along the way with species such as guanaco, southern grey fox, swans, flamingoes, rheas, and more. We check into our hotel and hold a classroom session to go over our best tips and techniques for photographing pumas.
Days 3-6 (Apr 19-22): It's 4 full days of puma tracking and photography! Each morning we'll wake up early and drive to the Laguna Amarga Ranch where we have special access to private land. The local guides coordinate with the puma trackers to determine our best locations. From there we’ll embark on foot and can walk 1-2 miles each day to find the best photo angles of the pumas. We will photograph the pumas both in the morning and in the evening.
Day 7 (Apr 23): Today we experience a change of scenery and head into the Eastern parts of Torres del Paine. We make our way to Lake Grey and board a private boat to explore colossal icebergs on our way to an astounding glacier. We'll end this incredible day with a sunset shoot of the iconic peaks of Torres del Paine. Overnight accommodations at Lake Pehoe.
Day 8 (Apr 24): Staying right at the lake makes it easy to get out for some spectacular sunrise shots, framed with picture perfect autumn colors. We have all day to explore various parts of Torres del Paine and you'll be busy clicking that shutter button up until our final sunset shoot.
Day 9 (Apr 25): We enjoy one final sunrise shoot at Lake Pehoe before packing up and heading back towards Punta Arenas. We will visit an exclusive private ranch which affords the most accessible location in the world to photograph the majestic Andean Condor. This ranch protects, researches, and showcases a population of over 100 Andean Condors that soar, socialize, and sleep at a 20-meter-tall, vertical rock face. After a productive shoot, we return to Punta Arenas and check into our hotel.
Day 10 (Apr 26): It's departure day. After breakfast we will provide transportation to the airport.

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Patagonia Fall Photo Workshop Autumn Chile Argentina

Puma Viewing

The puma’s presence is essential in the region, as they regulate a balanced ecosystem. While they control the population of prey, pumas also provide food for scavengers, such as the Andean Condor, and other wildlife we hope to spot. The rocky landscape allows this elusive species to shelter between rocks and boulders and remain camouflaged while hunting, and, if we’re lucky, we may witness a puma’s hunt for its favorite food- the guanaco.

The trip dates are scheduled for April (fall season). First, we will avoid the infamous winds that plague the region during earlier months. Second, we avoid the busy roads and summer crowds. With less human presence, the wildlife often ventures closer to the roads. And finally, we get the advantage of fall colors and possibly early snow!

Pumas are active early morning, late evening, and at night. Our activities will gravitate around these preferred times when they are expected to be patrolling their territory, hunting, interacting with their offspring, or commuting to their dens. We will have two sessions each day, a morning session and an evening session. During the middle of the day, we will not be watching pumas in order to avoid disturbance at a critical time when they are resting and sleeping. Depending on the day's weather, we can continue photographing other wildlife in the park, or take some time for rest and image critique.

Our puma trackers will patrol puma corridors by car and on foot. Using this information, we will plan our 1-2 mile hikes. On the private Laguna Amarga Ranch we will have the flexibility and freedom to walk off-trail, scoping out the best vantage point to observe these cougars. These are moderate walks, so a minimum degree of fitness is required in order to be able to keep up with the group. You must be able to carry your own gear. The topography is not too demanding with some mild vertical gains.

Logistics

Many of our puma sightings will be at distance, so a long telephoto lens that can reach 500-600mm is recommended. From our experience, a handholdable zoom lens works best like a 150-600mm or a 100-400mm with a 1.4x tele-extender. If you bring too heavy of a lens that requires tripod support, you may miss a lot of shots moving and setting up your equipment. A monopod can be very useful while we're in the field.

You will fly in and out of Punta Arenas, Chile (PUQ). Please do NOT book your flights until we give the go-ahead to do so approximately 6 months from departure date.

We will be staying at very nice hotels throughout the workshop. Each room will have private bathrooms. Double occupancy is assumed in the base price and single rooms are available for a surcharge (see Pricing section below).

The weather in Patagonia is highly unpredictable. During the fall season we can have rain, snow, high winds, and or beautiful sunny days. You need to be prepared for the worst weather. Please see the gear list further down.

If you are pairing this workshop with Patagonia Ablaze, please note there will be overlapping locations on 2 workshop days. Of course, we expect conditions to be different between the workshops, giving you a second chance to nail that "perfect" shot!

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Pricing

$10,995/ PERSON + TAX

Trip Includes:

9 nights double occupancy lodging in well-appointed hotels. Single rooms are available for an additional $700.
All meals, snacks, and non-alcoholic beverages.
All ground transportation throughout the workshop.
Services from licensed local guides and trackers.
Access to private land for puma and condor viewing.
All airport transfers.
Park entrance fees
All gratuities
In-field photography instruction
Post-processing and image critique
Pre-workshop zoom meeting

Trip Does NOT Include:

Flights to and from your home to Argentina/Chile.
Alcoholic beverages

The Fine Print:

Remaining balance is due 120 days prior to the trip.
Due to the unique nature of this workshop, no refunds or credits will be given unless we are able to fill your spot with another participant. Once the cancelled spot is filled, any applicable refunds/credits will be issued per the standard Workshop Terms and Conditions.
Travel Insurance is highly recommended for this workshop.
We cannot offer the Loyalty Discount on this workshop as it is an international collaboration.

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Recommended Camera Gear

Digital SLR or mirrorless camera body.
Wide angle lens in the 16-35mm range or wider.
Mid-range zoom lens in the range of 24-100mm.
Long telephoto zoom lens in the 100-600mm range. The longer the better. Note: We do not recommend super-telephoto prime lenses as they are difficult to handhold and hike with.
Teleconverter for your long lens (optional for those less than 600mm). We recommend no more than 1.4x. Make sure it mates well with your lens!
Tripod and L-bracket for your camera.
Monopod (optional) or long lens in the field.
Circular polarizers and ND filters will come in handy.
Backpack to carry your camera gear.
Extra batteries, memory cards, and cleaning supplies.
Laptop if you wish to backup your photos or do any post-processing.

Personal Gear List

Waterproof and windproof shell jacket.
Waterproof pants
Warm layers, warm hat, warm gloves (we could have winter-like conditions)
Thermal underlayers
Sturdy footwear and long pants.
Headlamp
Sunscreen, Sunglasses, Sun Hat.
Water bottle.

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Trip Advisor

David Swindler

Founder - Photography Instructor

David Swindler is an award-winning landscape and wildlife photographer. Among others, he has been recognized by the International Photography Awards, Siena International Photo Awards, Sony World Photography Awards, International Landscape Photographer of the Year, and National Geographic. He received a degree in chemical engineering and worked in the semiconductor industry specializing in optics and photolithography. In 2014, he left his day job to follow his true passion. He has traveled to some of the most remote regions of the world and has extensive experience photographing a wide variety of subjects and conditions. As the founder of Action Photo Tours, he finds great satisfaction in helping others learn photography, especially in the wild desert environment near his home in Kanab, UT. David is an expert in night photography and loves to get out and shoot the starry night skies.

Gallery Awards and Media Coverage

Having guided photo tours for years, David is very familiar with many different types of cameras. He is a master with light and composition. But most importantly, his dedication to his clients is what really sets him apart! But don't take our word for it - read what others are saying: Trip Advisor.

Juan Pons

Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Juan is a nature and wildlife photographer, whose passion is photographing our worlds magnificent wildlife and natural features. Juan is a strong supporter of wildlife and natural habitat conservation and is a member of several conservation organizations. Though private individuals purchase photos directly from him, Juan donates his images to non-profit organizations with nature and wildlife preservation missions. Juan never ceases to be amazed by the natural subjects he photographs and hopes that sharing his photographs will inspire others to appreciate and respect natural life.

With more than 30 years experience in photography, Juan has also become a recognized expert in Wildlife Photography, Lightroom and on maximizing the capabilities of DSLRs when shooting video.

Juan travels extensively capturing nature’s beauty, and has been teaching photography out in the field and the classroom for more than 18 years. Listen to an interview with Juan on The Candid Frame Podcast.

Juan’s work has been featured on numerous publications, including: Sierra Magazine, Nature Conservancy, Audubon Magazine, American Photo, Audubon North Carolina, Wildlife in North Carolina, The Independent, and many others.

Juan has been the founder of numerous popular photography podcasts and most recently started a new YouTube channel features all things photography.