Their is no doubt that you will have to be reasonably fit to undertake this adventure. While most Pumas that we find are near where we can get with the 4×4’s, on other occasions some hiking on sloping hills is necessary. However, the hiking is greatly reduced compared to non-4×4 tours. You will be carrying your own kit of course.

It’s nearly sea level, so there are no altitude issues.

Rest assured that this safari is backed by the Travel Trust Association (TTA). The TTA is an independent trade organisation of tour operators that we are proud members of. The TTA provides guarantees for your booking with us in two forms.

The first is that all monies are deposited to a trustee managed trust bank account and any payments to / from them have to be authorised at several levels. 

Secondly your booking is protected by the TTA Safe Seat Plan and Supplier Failure Cover, both of which are insurance policies to protect your money from fraud and supplier failure. 

We include the costs of these policies automatically in your booking fee, so that you can have total financial confidence in us, and your booking with us, as a trusted and reputable tour operator. 

Further details of our TTA membership can be found by clicking here 

We are deliberately going in the winter where there is a good chance of snow so you must be able to cope with anything the climate throws at us!

The winter is much calmer for tourism, there are fewer tours around so we have much more freedom and more chances of finding pumas. Also in the winter they tend to be active during the day much more than other times of the year. 

Temperatures average  from -5º C (23º F) to 6º C (43º F), with colder days possible, but there is usually much less wind and even windless days, so, as long as you are properly dressed, it doesn’t feel very cold really.

Light is incredible throughout the day if the sun is out.

So as you can see this is nothing that you cannot prepare for and handle and the reward will be worth it! Of course with the current climate change we are unable to predict the weather so there may be no snow on the ground or there maybe a lot!

Comprehensive pre departure information will be provided 3 months before departure. This will cover photo kit, clothing, visas, tips and anything else you need to know.

A minimum of reach of 400mm is preferred, 500mm is better but you will need a wider angle too. If you want to use a tripod that is fine, you will need to carry it.

For the international flights we have given up with including them as so many of you have your own frequent flyer deals and preferences. So instead, as we do for all our safaris, we will tell you when you need to be in Punta Arenas and give you some flight recommendations.

Now we cannot book our flights until 11 months before the trip so we may get a flight agent to handle the booking for us to make it easier. The standard route though is to fly to Santiago Chile (lots of airlines including BA, Latam, Air France) and then get a local flight down to Punta Arenas. We may therefore overnight in Santiago enroute, which will be at your expense. Anyway we will deal with this closer to the time with some flight recommendations and details of when we need you in Punta Arenas.

The tour is open to both photographers and non photographers. The atmosphere is holiday when we are in the lodge, and wildlife focus when we are out and about.

You must be able to be patient enough to sit and wait on a hillside for the awesome puma to come close by.

Our tours are inclusive, anyone is welcome irrespective of race, religion, gender or sexual orientation. We just ask that you come with a smile and a love of wildlife.

It’s important that you understand that whilst we guarantee that everyone will do their very best to get you the very best in photographic opportunities we cannot guarantee photographable sightings. As stated this tour has a very high success rate, but nature and wildlife can be unpredictable.

All his clients know that Andy and his guide team try their absolute best to get everyone the best photographic opportunities possible, but of course this can be out of our control as the wildlife has other ideas!!! So whilst we look for everything we can, we absolutely cannot guarantee in anyway shape or form that you will see any of these. There can be no snow. It can be cloudy. It can rain. The wildlife can be elusive. You must come with this realistic expectations, we do not make false promises. What we can promise is that the team will work 150% to give you the best chances and best experiences possible. That is GUARANTEED!

We can usually cater for most dietary requirements so please get in touch with any questions and we will be happy to help.