Month: February 2024 Page 1 of 2

We say our farewells to the staff and thank them for a wonderful stay. Marcelo drives us to the airport for the 3 1/2 hour flight to Santiago. We land at 18.50 but wait for 40 minutes for the luggage to be unloaded. It finally appears and we are on our way. We realised two days ago that we had not yet booked our accommodation in Santiago. Booking.com is a wonderful thing. We find a little boutique hotel close to all the sights that has very good reviews and we book a driver at the same time. The airport is modern and new but as we enter the city centre our hearts sink. We drive along bedside the River Mapocho which is gross. Fast flowing – pink brown and banks piled high with rubbish and walls smothered in graffiti. There will be no fish in that!

Our introduction to Santiago only deteriorates further as we approach our hotel. We drive past the park where loads of people are sleeping rough, turn a corner and stop outside a non-descript building. This apparently is the hotel. There is a steel door and bell which we ring. The outer door opens and behind that is a second steel door with a smiling man who waves us in. He cannot be more helpful, explains how to get in and out of the building – there’s a key for outer door, an electronic keypad on which you press random symbols and then enter a code.

We are shown to our room which is large and newly refurbished in a contemporary style. It also has a safe that works – and that is important. Everyone on our travels has warned us that Santiago is not a safe place and that theft and mugging is commonplace. We dump our bags, put everything of any value in the safe and venture out. If you want to know the name of the streets you will be out of luck. Everything gets covered in stickers and paint. If it is flat then it will be de-faced.

We stroll along a couple of rather empty streets and then encounter the nightlife. Musicians are playing loudly feet apart from each other, the pavements are heaving with people dressed in all manner of attire and of all genders, goths, punks and cults I couldn’t make-up. It’s certainly a city for the free spirit. The street-side cafes are jam-packed and less than appealing. Still needs must. We are hungry and thirsty so eventually just pick somewhere. In fairness the food is OK, but this is a real culture shock after the tranquility of the past few weeks.

We survive the outing and sleep well. The bed is comfy and the air-conditioning works well. Things always seem better in daylight. We breakfast then set out to visit San Cristóbal Hill. It is 850m high and 300m above the rest of Santiago. We arrive at 10.00 when it opens. This is a wise decision as there are no queues and it is still relatively cool. It is forecast to be 34C today. We take the funicular up to the top but there are still about 100 steps to climb to reach the monument.

The views over the city are extensive. We sit for a while in the shade on the cool steps at the foot of the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

We make our way back down and then look for somewhere for a coffee. We see a rather well-protected police car…

….and an interestingly decorated bar. I like the re-cycling of the oil drums.

We have no great expectations of finding anywhere particularly salubrious but do in fact manage to find a quiet courtyard restaurant, where we take a coffee. They have interesting taps in the ladies toilet.

We spend our time here deciding where to have lunch. It’s a hard life! Paul does his research and we find a place on a street corner which serves excellent food. We arrive early which was a good call, for when we leave it is completely full and clearly well-loved by the locals. He loves what the Spanish call flan and he has the biggest portion ever!

Well-sated we return to our hotel for a siesta before heading out again. We think we shall eat at the bar we found this morning but the music is of the nightclub electronica type, very loud and thump,thump,thump. Hardly relaxing. We down our G&T’s and search for somewhere else. We eventually find a sushi bar which suits our needs perfectly, though it was hardly the plushest of places. Sadly, nowhere here appears to be.

We have already established that this is not a safe city, but I did not expect to see two bullet holes in the glass of the hotel whilst we eat breakfast! I hasten to add that these did not appear whilst eating but sometime in the past! We wonder whether this is why the security in the hotel is so tight. There are cameras everywhere. Is this for the guests? Or is it for the owners? Is there some sort of protection racket? Who knows? – but it does feel that there is something slightly strange going on….

This morning we are going to walk to the Plaza de Armas which is the main square in Santiago. It is a pleasant green space, with trees and fountains. Historic buildings surround the square, including the  Cathedral of Santiago, the Central Post Office Building and the Palacio de la Real Audiencia de Santiago, which serves as the seat of local government.

There is a cafe in the square where Paul has coffee and I have very refreshing limonade with mint. It is an ideal location for people watching. This is followed by a quick look inside the cathedral. It is not as grand as many, not too much in the way of gold. Just carved and painted ceilings, some stained glass windows and patterned stone floors.

We try to visit the  Museum of Precolombian Art but are unable to buy entry tickets . Apparently because it is Monday it is closed. There are many old buildings with interesting architecture, butted up against more modern constructions.

The main pedestrian shopping area has streets lined with trees and it should be a lovely place to stroll. However, street vendors abound selling very cheap tat and there is a constant smell of urine accompanied by that New York underground smell, pavements are dirty, as are the shop windows and it all just seems very unloved.

Then suddenly a man steps in front of me. I go to step around him but this is a ploy. It gives just him just enough time for me to slow down and him to grasp my necklace and rip it off my neck. I scream but he is quick. Lots of people look but no-one can grab him. Probably a good thing. He could be armed: better to let him go. He looks needy – is dirty, stocky, middle-aged and wearing a pale blue tatty tee-shirt. The necklace has little value and I hope it maybe buys him a meal or two. Fortunately, I am unharmed. It could have been worse and we were quite right to leave all our valuables in the hotel safe. There are lots of people walking around with handbags and backpacks, which seems very fool-hardy. I now feel that maybe we were a little complacent too. I am certainly now eyeing everyone approaching me in a new light.

We make a beeline for our hotel and find a super little restaurant with a shady patio. I order a large G&T and Paul a negroni which settle our nerves. We then enjoy a leisurely lunch with a good bottle of wine.

Once ensconced in our room we feel no desire to risk life and limb by leaving it. The room is comfortable, cool and quiet. The man on reception boils the kettle so I can have a mug of afternoon tea. The staff here really are so very friendly and helpful. I write up my blog and we have an early night as we depart for home tomorrow.

Undoubtedly, the best thing about Santiago is the airport, which is modern, clean and efficient. It does not readily prepare you for what is to follow! We check in for our flight and pass through security quickly. We reflect on why Santiago feels so unappealing. I have been in some very run down cities in my time, but none have felt like this. For example, Havana is crumbling to pieces and has graffiti but people wash the street outside their tiny properties and take pride in what little they have. Here there is a sense of nihilism. Maybe it is the after effect of the Pinochet regime….. It feels like a place in an apocalyptic movie where everyone has lost hope. Nevertheless it was still an interesting experience, travel always broadens your horizons and if you do not visit places you have no way of knowing what they are like. As for the rest of the trip? Well, it was truly incredible, and included some once in a lifetime experiences. Chile is a fantastic country with warm and friendly people and absolutely breath-taking scenery. Managing to get so close to so many pumas has been an absolute privilege and totally exceeded all expectations.

Saturday

It’s a short one hour flight from Puerto Montt to Balmaceda where we start the next part of our adventure. We shall be staying  at Estancia de Los Rios, which is a huge ranch – 360,000 hectares with 60 miles of river. It is remote and approximately a 4-5 hour drive on pretty good roads apart from the last 75km which is on gravel. Bumpy, narrow and not that comfortable! We are met at the airport by Javier who is one of the fishing guides from the lodge. An hour’s drive takes us to Coyhaique where Javier lives. He recommends a small restaurant, where he says they make superb burgers. He is not wrong. There is a big choice and they are really welcome after a morning of travel.

Part of the reason it takes so long to reach the lodge is that there is no direct road and we need to take a u-bend route, which involves crossing the Andes twice. However the wonderful thing about this is that there is some truly spectacular scenery. Beautiful green valleys are cut with glistening rivers. And of course there are snow-covered mountain peaks. Yet again we have superb weather – clear blue skies and it is very warm.

We arrive at the Estancia at about 6:30 and are welcomed with Pisco sours which go down exceedingly well after the long journey. In total there are ten guests staying at the lodge. We dine together in a comfortable dining room with panoramic views out over the countryside. We are wowed by our first meal – really delicious and beautifully presented. Everybody is introduced to their guide. Ours is Marcelo. He lives in Chile but splits his time between guiding on fishing expeditions in Chile and Mongolia, which is where Paul met him on a recent trip. We are here on his recommendation and so far, so good.

Sunday

Our first morning’s fishing involves a 2 hour horse ride to reach the river. Now, I am a little apprehensive as I have not ridden seriously for over fifty years. We are given leather gaiters, which prove to be 100% necessary to protect our legs from the thorny scrub. My horse is called Chocolate and my first problem is mounting him.

Not to worry, Bernardo (who looks after the horses) is on hand to help. He offers me his knee which I have to step on with my right foot and then put my left foot into the stirrup. I am sure if you are right handed this is easy, but I am left-handed and ideally would prefer to be mounting from the other side. Hey ho! I just need to get on with it. In all honesty it is not the most elegant of procedures, but at least it is the cause of some hilarity and Bernardo asks if I have been drinking:). After a certain amount of pushing, shoving, wobbling and leg waving I am finally sitting astride Chocolate. Then we are off. This is going to take some getting used to, but I have little time to dwell on it as we are shortly ascending a steep, dusty track with loose shale and rocks. Every so often Chocolate slips a little. This is not re-assuring!! We reach the top and I start to relax.

Marcelo has a lovely dog – Jack – who is a sort of labrador/poodle cross (with maybe something else thrown in) and a truly lovely temperament. He is energetic and zooms across the plains, chasing hares and becoming liberally covered in burrs from the spiky brush. We make our way to a ridge where we dis-mount and walk along a precarious path along the cliff edge to look down at a pool several 100ft below. It’s a view that is seriously vertigo inducing.

We eventually arrive by the river where we shall be fishing. Marcelo has encouraged me to fish on this trip, which was not my intention. Consequently, I have not come prepared and have borrowed some waders from the camp and wading boots that are at least three sizes too big. If done up tightly they seem secure enough. I do however feel like I have clown feet. It takes me a while to remember how to cast, but there is lots of space and time.

Marcelo is patient and little by little I improve my technique, though catch nothing before lunch. In the meantime Bernardo has set up a table and chairs under the shelter of a willow tree, lit a fire and is grilling us lunch.

The weather here changes by the second and it is now seriously windy and has started raining. However, we are well attired and warm enough when we re-start fishing.  We walk to the river and spend another couple of hours fishing. Paul is pretty successful and catches quite a few trout and eventually, I manage to catch a couple as well. The skies have cleared but it is exceedingly windy. We sit on the stony banks while Bernardo packs up and prepares the horses.

The ride back to the lodge is much shorter and I think the ride out was deliberately challenging in order to test out our riding ability. Marcelo and Bernardo have a plan for tomorrow…

Monday

Today we shall have a long, hard ride for three hours to the salt lakes where we shall camp overnight. I am much more relaxed today and do not struggle to mount Chocolate. I feel comfortable and feel no need to hold on to the saddle, my stirrups are the right length and I feel secure (except when Chocolate loses attention and trips…!! He does always manage to recover himself, thank goodness).

Much of the ride is over open flat and scrubby grassland. We feel like we are in High Plains Drifter and should be wearing a poncho and chewing a cheroot. The sky is clear blue, we can see The Andes in the distance and occasionally condors soar high above. We disturb caracaras and lapwings as we pass.

After two hours we enter the forest and the horses pick their way carefully over and around trees, tree roots and fallen branches. Occasionally we cross small brooks. There is one which is a challenge. It is only a couple of feet wide, but with a 4ft vertical drop into it. The horses are reluctant but one by one they cross. I have to stand in the stirrups and really lean back in order to stay on and quickly do the opposite as we climb the opposite bank. Eventually we catch a glimpse of the first lake and a group of flamingos. What a view! The forest gives way to lush green water-meadow which is criss-crossed with small channels. The horses take a very welcome drink…

…and we make our way to the campsite. The scenery is breathtaking-taking. This is going to be a very special experience indeed.

We drink a beer and soak in our surroundings, whilst Bernardo prepares lunch.

Then it is out on a float boat on the lake for some fishing.

I have decided not to fish. I find it too difficult on a boat. It feels too confined and too easy to tangle my line on anything other than fish and I certainly do not want to snare Jack who is accompanying us. The lake is very big, we motor for 20 minutes and then Paul casts his line. Almost instantly he catches a large brown trout…

…and then proceeds to catch heaps more of equally large size during the rest of the afternoon.

He is one very happy man. I have taken the camera, so capture the action as well as flamingos in flight.

The campsite is much better than expected. There are two large tents on platforms with camp-beds inside, sleeping bags with liners and a duvet too. Hopefully we shall be nice and snug overnight. We are high so it will get cold. I am very pleasantly surprised that every need has been catered for and I am led down a windy path through the woods to Bernardo’s throne. There’s a hole in the ground loo mounted on a wooden stand and there is a tap with soap, water and a towel.

In the evening, a campfire has been lit and Bernardo cooks a chicken casserole with sausages washed down with a fine Chilean vino tinto.

We sit and chat and as evening draws in we are treated to the most spectacular sunset.

Tuesday

Next day the weather is still fine with clear blue skies and no wind. It was cold overnight with a ground frost, but we were snug and cosy in our tent, and slept very well indeed. It is so peaceful. Flamingos are feeding in the distance and I creep around the lake and over the boggy ground to try and get closer. I achieve that but really need to be 2 foot taller to see over the bushes and would prefer the sun to be behind me!

Whilst I try to capture some wildlife, Bernardo prepares eggs, bacon and toast.

This morning we walk to the second lake which is very shallow. The idea is to spot the fish and then aim the fly at them, but as there is no wind the fish can see us just as easily as we can see them. This morning they are elusive and just not biting. After an abortive couple of hours Paul snags some tiddlers and one large one.

Jack sleeps through it all.

As it is so hot, we decide to have a relaxed lunch and siesta, and let it cool off a bit, before riding back to the estancia. Even so it is still exceedingly warm. I wear my windproof jacket to protect me from the bushes but that means I am ridiculously hot and I feel for the horses. There is not a breath of wind and there is so much dust, which generously covers every inch of us. We have panda eyes and very dirty faces. It’s a long ride back and the memory of some of the difficult terrain we need to traverse is still fresh in my mind. However, we soon settle into an easy rhythm and just soak up the scenery. This has been a truly once in a lifetime experience. Exhilerating, challenging and very, very special.

Wednesday

New day. New scenery. Just breath-taking and it is impossible to capture the scale on camera. 360 degree wow!

We stop off at a large sheep shearing shed. It is huge and you can imagine the noise and smell when shearing is in progress.

Today Paul is fishing a spring creek, which is narrow and challenging. Accuracy is key and so I do not feel that it is for me. I shall stick to photography today. Yet again it is windless and hot. There is zero shade so a pretty exhausting day for us all, but Paul absolutely loved it and caught a decent number of fish in the end.

I spent much of my time dangling my feet in the water to cool down. I looked for photo opportunities but there was a surprising lack of insect or bird life apart from annoying little black flies. The scenery of course never fails to please. On the way back we spot two eagles. They are a little distant for the lens but I still leap out of the car to give it a go.

Thursday

Paul will be fishing in three different locations today. Marcelo is trying to show us as much of the estancia as possible. We start with an exceedingly bumpy ride over rocky terrain to reach the National Reserve of Lago Carlota, which is actually just outside the estancia. Jack waits patiently as our guides assemble the gear, then it is a twenty minute walk along a dusty, sometimes boggy, sometimes thorny and rocky downhill trail.

There is a stunning orange daisy-like flower bursting through the scrub. it looks completely out of place – as if someone has just placed it there.

We emerge on rocks overlooking a stunning river.

Marcelo, Paul and Jack climb down to the river. We have been joined by Jota who is working at the ranch during his university vacation. He stays on the clifftop with me and acts as spotter. The water is crystal clear and he has spotted huge trout below, which are the size of salmon and this is the target. Paul finally catches one but it is strong, snags the line on a rock and then it is gone….

Lunch is spent on a hillside overlooking a wide shallow river. There is a charismatic though derelict farm building next to us. Ibis are perched on the roof and they launch themselves in a squawking cloud as we approach.

The grass is alive with grass-hoppers which are providing the numerous lapwings and ibis with a magnificent feast. Marcelo has bought a Spey rod which he would like Paul to show him how to use. I leave the men to the fishing…

… and I concentrate on wildlife photography,

Our final stop for the day is by a quiet pool, which is surrounded by lupins. They are now in seed but must have been spectacular when in full bloom. The grass here is lush.

Dragonflies dart across the water and there is that lazy English summer’s day feel to the place. Of course Paul catches even more fish…

This has been another wonderful day and totally different. It hsas however been very hot again so I am looking forward to a pisco sour and shower back at the ranch.

Friday

All too soon it is our last day and I have decided to give the fishing one more go. It is still very hot and the idea of wet wading in a stream is actually pretty appealing. I have quick dry shorts, so do not wear waders – far too hot for that. I don the oversized wading boots but realise that I should have put thick socks inside them. It is a longish walk from where we have parked to the river. The ground is uneven and pebbly. As we walk from the van to the river the left shoe is rubbing my ankle.

Jota is going to help me and Marcelo will guide Paul. Jota has a very calm, gentle manner and eventually my casting improves and before I know it I have bite. It’s not big, but it is a start. I proceed to catch five more fish during the morning the last of which was a good size. I really enjoy myself. This is like paddling with a fishing net as a child. I do not even mind that the water is deep in places and goes up to my waist. Surprisingly it is not particularly cold and we dry quickly over lunch.

More fishing follows in the afternoon but the fish have stopped biting. The weather is on the change. Clouds are forming and the wind is strengthening. Time to pack up and return home for our last evening.

Our stay at Estancia de Los Rios has been wonderful. The staff have looked after us well and the food has been fabulous. For Paul the fishing has been awesome – he says amongst some of the best he has experienced. For me the highlight has to be horse-riding into the wilderness and sleeping out in beautiful surroundings far from civilisation. Perfection!

We take the 2 hour flight from Puerto Natales to Puerto Montt. From there it is a thirty minute drive to Puerto Varas. To be honest we did not put a lot of research into this part of the trip. We regarded it as very much a stop off for some R&R but I have to say Swoop Patagonia have come up trumps. The hotel – Cabaña Del Lago -is wonderful. It is built in an alpine style and set on a hillside overlooking the bay.

Our room has a large picture window with super views by day and night.

Puerto Varas is within the Chilean Lake District and set on the shores of Lake Llanquihue facing the 2650m snowy peak of Osorno Volcano. It has been dubbed Chile’s ‘City of Roses’, and was settled by German immigrants in the 1850s. Each family was given 70 acres of land but this was not the gift it seemed. They would have had a very hard time indeed. The area was densely forested so needed to be cleared by hand with axes. It took two generations to fully establish a comfortable settlement here. As a result you could mistakenly think you were in a lakeside resort in the Black Forest.

We have three nights here so decide to take it easy on our first day. We eat in the hotel and have an early night. Next day we wait in reception for our guide, who will be taking us to the Alerces Andino National Park, which is comprised mostly of dense temperate rainforest. One in three species here is found nowhere else.

The alerce is a tree which grows up to 60m high and lives for several thousand years. Alerce wood is both water and insect-resistant, which made it a prized commodity for construction and ship-building. Heavy logging led to the trees becoming endangered until the alerce was declared a national monument in the 1970s. They can be seen in several parks around the Chilean Lake District, but Alerce Andino has the greatest concentration of alerce forest, which covers almost half its area.

We have a leisurely walk, so have time to observe and talk about the varied flora and fauna.

There are other larger trees here too.

This is a beautiful place and all the time we can hear the gurgle of water as we walk along beside the river – the Rio Chaico, which every so often affords us tranquil scenes…

and a rather lovely waterfall…

After the falls, there seems to be a never ending series of stairs. We eventually make it to the top, with a few breathers on the way, and arrive at what is thought to be the oldest Alerce tree at 3000 years old. It is quite something and very similar to the giant redwoods that we saw in California in the summer.

Then it is back the way we came. Our guide Manuela is wonderful company and a wealth of knowledge about the history of Chile, as well as the plants and birds that we encounter. She has brought us salads for lunch which are excellent. We sit in a picnic area where we watch caracaras and a black-headed thrush.

As we walk back to the car there are a pair of Patagonian foxes. They are pretty relaxed and I manage to follow them on foot and get relatively close.

On the way back to Puerto Varas we see hundreds of brightly coloured beehives. This is obviously important business here.

Manuela recommends a restaurant to us – La Vinoteca and kindly books us a table. It is only a short stroll from the hotel and is a total delight. The view, food, staff are all quite excellent. The patron is charming and clearly loves wine. He has a large wine shop attached to the restaurant. He is therefore very knowledgeable and we drink some rather nice Chilean wines. As we leave there is a super view of Osorno Volcano and looking for all the world like Mt Fuji!

Next day we explore the town a little. It is summer break and this is very much a holiday resort where the wealthy from Santiago come to relax. We sit in the square, where a local band are performing. They are very good and we enjoy their Chilean music.

It is pretty windy and we hope the balloon seller has attached the balloons securely to herself.

We wanted to find somewhere authentic for lunch but were having very little success when we suddenly saw a tiny, but beautiful garden tucked into a corner behind some rather unassuming restaurants. We take a look and have found another gem. What a perfect spot for an Aperol spritz and avocado stuffed with king crab. Yum. Oh we might have had some white wine too!

We have loved our time here. It was exactly the break we needed after the full on action and physical exertion of the puma tracking. We finish off the day by returning to La Vinoteca. It was so good last night. “If it isn’t broken, don’t mend it.”

The drive from Cerro Castillo to Puerto Natales takes about fifty minutes. The road is good, as is the weather and yet again affords some splendid views, together with the obligatory rainbow. Condors soar over the plains but as ever are too distant for any reasonable photographs.

Our plan had been to visit the Milodón Cave where in 1896, German explorer Eberhard Hermann found the fur and bones of a Mylodon, an extinct huge ground sloth. Our new guide Diego said we needed to apply for tickets on-line. Well after an abortive 30 minutes I gave up. The site required passport details and pretty well every other detail you could imagine. When I went to pay it told me I had missed something which I had not. Life is too short for this nonsense…. Instead we find a lovely little cafe which sells great coffee and pastries.

Puerto Natales was originally a small fishing port but as it is the main gateway into Torres del Paine tourism has also become important. The town has that cold, end of the world type feel that you expect in Arctic and Antarctic regions. Buildings are functional and built to withstand the inclement weather. We stroll round to get our bearings, see a vehicle equipped to cope with all the environment can throw at it and settle in a bar that likes to make the local dog population feel at home.

At 15.00 our room is ready so we can finally check-in. We are staying at Noi Indigo which is in a great position on the promenade. It’s a bit quirky. I would say that it is kind of expensive for what is on offer – the room is small, but the bed is comfortable and the view through the large window is excellent.

We are only here two nights. Just enough time to unwind a little and catch up on some sleep. What Puerto Natales has in spades is some very good restaurants. Nana recommended Santolla to us and we are not disappointed. The starter of scallops three ways is sublime and my seafood broth excellent but TOO BIG!!

The next day we take a short taxi ride to the airport. I have an email in Spanish, which we think says that Paul’s rods were on a flight from Santiago yesterday. The airport is tiny and there do not appear to be any staff around. I type “Where do we collect lost luggage?’ into a translation app. I find a back office with some staff in it and show them my phone. I describe the item and their faces light up. Yes – they have found the owners of the mystery package. It is rapidly recovered from a back-room and Paul is re-united with his very precious rods.

We take the rest of the day easy with a stroll along the promenade and a coffee stop.

We return to the same restaurant where we had lunch yesterday. We shared quesadillas which were very tasty and prepared three ways accompanied by a nicely chilled Chardonnay. An afternoon nap is followed by more eating and drinking. We order pisco sours in the hotel bar which has great views across the bay. I do not know how it has taken me so long to discover this delicious drink. It is made from pisco (a white brandy) mixed with sugar, lime juice and angostura bitters. Sometimes egg white is added. Delicious…and strong!

We have reserved a table at Bahia Mansa for 19.00 which is when it opens. It is rather strange though as there is no sign of life at 18.55! Eventually someone turns up, tables are re-organised and we are seated by the window. By 19.15 they finally seem to be setup and we order our meal. We are in an adventurous mood so choose starters of guanaco carpaccio and salmon & scallop tartare. We share them and they are both good though way too much lime juice for my palate. Seafood is very good here and we order the hake two ways which is cooked perfectly but again it is overly acidic. With no bread or potato to counteract the experience I do wake up in the night with serious heartburn.

We leave Puerto Natales, say farewell to the ‘Amor al viento’ (Love of the Wind) sculpture of a bronze man and woman floating on the air and take the short flight to Puerto Montt for our next adventure.

We think it would be a good idea to return to where we saw the pumas last night. They may still be there. There are three more groups going out this morning. A guide and his guest stand on a distant hill trying to see what we are looking at. They will have a very long and difficult walk!

Nana has gone ahead of us and confirms that she can still see the male puma in the bush. We drive along the bumpy track to the top of the hill and walk downhill to join her. It is raining and cold. The ground is steep and slippery underfoot so we must tread carefully. We take a wide course around the bush but have to suddenly change our direction as we see a second puma lying in the grass directly ahead of us. This is SOOOOOO exciting. The male is Carnasa. He is huge and still eating the carcass.

When he looks straight at you, it makes a chill run down your spine. This is the first time I have been a little apprehensive as the males are less tolerant than the females. They deserve an extremely large measure of respect.

From our position we can now see the female puma – it is Ginger. She is waiting patiently for Carnasa to leave the kill.

This will be a long wait. Carnasa is in no rush. We then notice a third puma on the ridge above Carnasa. This turns out to be Coiran.

Carnasa eventually stands up and starts to cover the kill with foliage to hide it from birds and other scavengers. I had no idea that pumas did this. He then moves a few feet away and settles down for some grooming and relaxation. He licks his paws, which are huge.

As it is our sighting, the protocol is that we shall choose our viewing position and anyone else must setup around us. We are joined by one of the cameramen who was involved with the filming of Dynasties. We sit and wait for movement. I have marked the position of the three pumas in the photo below.

Eventually Carnasa walks away and settles down in the shelter of a bush on the edge of the hillside. Here he can survey the landscape and check if any more pumas are approaching. Ginger sees her chance and stealthily creeps down to the kill.

She starts eating but Carnasa notices. What will happen now? He gets up and comes back to the kill, slowly at first and then with a charge. Ginger springs back quickly but there is no direct conflict. They stare at each other for a few minutes and then Carnasa decides he is pretty full and goes back to his resting spot. Ginger now tucks into the kill and it is not long before Coiran inches down the hillside and joins her.

This is all pretty awesome but becomes even more so as a fourth puma is spotted on the ridge behind us. This turns out to be Dania – easily distinguishable as she has a torn left ear. She is much more wary and takes her time to descend down the mountain.

There is some hissing, followed by some deep growls as Dania joins Ginger and Coiran but then they all peaceably go back to eating. Eventually they are fully sated and one by one saunter off into the distance.

We have spent over three hours with the pumas and it feels like no time at all despite the fact it was cold, wet and uncomfortable for we are standing and sitting on steep uneven ground. What an adrenalin rush though. A totally AWESOME morning!

We decide to have a leisurely afternoon and will be driving to a nearby estancia in the hope of seeing some of the other wildlife that lives here. The weather has changed completely. It is now hot with a strong wind blowing. You really can get four seasons in a day here.

We spot an armadillo along the roadside. He is sitting beside his burrow and ready to disappear at any moment. I do at least capture a few shots of him, though he is a bit hidden.

At the estancia a family of guanacos graze casually in the meadow. We watch a young guanaco feeding.

A lapwing and crested caracara search amongst the flowers for seeds and insects and a rhea runs across the plains disturbing clouds of insects as it passes by.

The scenery is different here but still spectacular.

Sheep are grazing in the valley and being herded by a gaucho on horseback. The sheep are protected from pumas by large white dogs. This is a step in the right direction to prevent the pumas being shot, which until recently happened in huge numbers. Hopefully times are changing, though many pumas are still being hunted and killed.

We discovered, whilst walking through the brush in the pursuit of pumas, that there are lots of tiny and very prickly seed heads, which generously attach themselves to your shoe laces, trousers and socks. During the process of trying to remove them, tiny thorns inevitably break off and im-bed themselves in your fingers where they remain for the next few days. Annoying (and painful). The poor sheep below is absolutely covered in them.

We head back and see a large family of rheas and a distant fox trying to catch butterflies.

Our final stop is at a huge estancia called Cerro Guido. It is huge at 100,000 hectares and owned by an extremely well-connected family. They have huge wealth and influence and the resources to market themselves as the main instigators behind conservation here, although this is not the case. Until four years ago, they were killing vast numbers of pumas every year. Following the puma documentaries, they have changed their ways, which has to be a very positive thing. However, the reality is that they are late to the party. Estancia Laguna Amarga (where we did all our tracking) were the front runners in puma conservation some 20+ years ago.

Our final sighting for the day is of an American kestrel, which perches on fence posts to spot prey and then hovers over the grass and swoops down to catch them. Again it is distant but at least we have seen one and they are very beautiful birds.

As we drive back the wind is very strong indeed and blows clouds of dust and gravel across the road. The car is often buffeted and knocked slightly off course. Victor tells us this is nothing. He once was driving, along this stretch of road with guests, when the wind was so powerful that it hurled rocks at the back window which broke. The vehicle was immediately filled with dust and stones. He says it was quite terrifying. I imagine it was. In fact we were told, when we first arrived, that the only thing that might inhibit our puma tracking would be the wind. Sometimes it is just much too dangerous to venture out.

This is our last night here. It has been exhausting but a truly once in a lifetime experience. The hotel was so clean and staff welcoming. Food was somewhat repetitive with every meal (lunch and dinner) comprised of soup followed by a choice of steak, chicken, lamb or salmon with rice or chips and salad. However it was always cooked nicely and I discovered they made a very good lemon meringue pie which became my go to dessert. Yum!

Victor and Nana are heading back to Puerto Natales tonight. We say our farewells and thank them profusely for their company and truly astonishing guiding and tracking skills. What an absolutely fabulous time we have had here. It has exceeded all our expectations a hundred times over.