Puma Tracks in the Snow of Patagonia

This boutique wildlife lodge is an authentic estancia —still in operation today—located on the northeastern edge of Torres del Paine National Park, just about a 40-minute drive from the Laguna Amarga park entrance and about 100 kilometers from Puerto Natales. Unlike on a group tour, no bus will pick you up in the morning here: you’ll travel in a small group with your own guides who know the area well, and you’ll customize your itinerary. This ensures that your stay remains exclusive and personal.

The 21 rooms are spread across three historic buildings, including the main house, which dates back to the 1920s. They are furnished with classic furniture and warm textiles, and each features a private bathroom with organic toiletries, central heating, and a view of the gardens. Wi-Fi is available in all rooms and common areas.

At the restaurant, the food comes straight from the property’s own huerta—the organic garden—to the table; at Quincho El Ruedo, the traditional gathering place for gauchos, Magellanic lamb roasts on a spit over the fire.

You'll work with the guides on site to put together your itinerary from this catalog; the selection depends on the season, weather, and availability.

The focus is on protecting the puma and exploring how livestock farming and the wilderness can coexist. Accompanied by the conservation team, you’ll get closer to the animals of the steppe and their tracks than you could ever hope to on your own. We can never guarantee that a puma will make an appearance, but in winter, the chances are better than at any other time of year.

• During the Conservation Experience, you’ll spend half a day exploring the protected areas with binoculars and camera traps, gaining firsthand insight into how the foundation’s researchers track the pumas. The tour lasts about five hours and has no special requirements.
• The wildlife tour takes you by SUV to the Condorera sector, where livestock guard dogs watch over the animals and the team observes and maps the wildlife. It takes about three and a half hours and is manageable for everyone.
• Those who want to delve deeper can spend a full day with the trackers on the all-day Conservation Experience, visit Casa Puma, and join the game drives in the Sierra del Toro as the evening sun paints the steppe. The tour lasts about ten hours and is not physically demanding.

The steppe reveals itself most vividly on foot, from short walks to long mountain hikes. Many trails lead off the beaten path, and you’ll often spend the entire day out on your own with your guide.

• The trail to Laguna Sarmiento ends at the shore of the largest lake in the national park, where bizarre thrombolites rise out of the water, built up over thousands of years by tiny organisms. About 5 kilometers in two and a half hours; an easy walk.
• From the estate, follow the stream lined with lenga trees at the Bosquecito lookout point until you reach a wide view of the plain. About 7.5 kilometers in three hours; some physical fitness is required.
• The Mirador Sierra Baguales trail is short but steep, leading up to the Tridente and Ciudadela rock spires. About 5 kilometers in three hours; moderate difficulty.
• The hike into the Río Las Chinas valley is more challenging; there, fossils and unusual rock formations tell the story of a distant past, and Chile’s first dinosaur was once discovered there. About 12 kilometers in roughly five hours, for experienced hikers.
• The Sierra Baguales, on the border with Argentina, is a long day’s hike for experienced hikers, amid fossilized evidence of Earth’s history and wild horses. About 14 kilometers in ten hours.
• At 1,270 meters, Chenque is the highest peak in the Sierra Contreras, crowned by an Aonikenk burial mound. About 17 kilometers in eight hours—a challenging day.
• The classic hike is the trek to the base of the three granite towers of Torres del Paine. It’s about 20 kilometers and takes ten hours, including park admission, and is physically demanding.

When the trails become too long for extended hikes, the off-road vehicle will take you deep into the plains surrounding the estancia and to remote corners of the national park.

• The drive to Puesto Sarmiento on Lake Sarmiento takes you to the spot where German aviator Gunther Plüschow had his base in the 1930s to survey Patagonia from the air. It takes about three and a half hours, traveling comfortably by car.
• The northeastern sector of Torres del Paine is rarely visited and features the Las Chinas Valley, the deep-blue Laguna Azul, and the Cascada Paine waterfall. A full-day tour, mostly by SUV.
• The long hike through Torres del Paine leads from Lake Grey, past Lake Pehoé, to the Salto Grande waterfall. It takes a full day and includes park admission.

You glide silently on your e-bike toward Puesto Rojo through the open steppe into the valley of the Río Las Chinas until the bright red Puesto comes into view. The roughly twelve kilometers are covered in an hour and a half with no effort at all.

On the half-day cultural tour of the estancia, you’ll stroll through the historic estate, past the original, well-preserved buildings, through the organic garden and greenhouse, to the manor house and the old sheep shearing shed, where sheep are still sheared during the season. Over the course of about three and a half hours, every corner tells a piece of pioneer history.

In the Palique region, spend half a day following in the footsteps of Patagonia’s first hunters and gatherers and visit archaeological sites that offer a glimpse into their lives thousands of years ago. About four hours; no special requirements.