The eastern steppe and Laguna Amarga area is puma country. Guides work with trackers who know individual cats, and sightings have become reliable enough that this is now a destination for photographers specifically. Dawn and dusk are when the cats hunt; the best operations spend several days at it.

The guanaco herds on the same steppe are the prey base and easy to watch in their own right, along with the culpeo fox and the chimango caracaras that follow kills.

The lakes and lagoons hold black-necked swans, flamingos on the shallow lakes, upland geese and the flightless lesser rhea — the ñandú — on the open plains.

The cliffs and thermals carry Andean condors, best seen along the ridges and above the Sarmiento area, with a wingspan close to three metres.

The lenga forest along the trekking routes holds Magellanic woodpecker — a huge red-crested bird — and austral parakeets.

The main season is October to April; November to March gives the longest days and the strongest wind. Puma viewing is often best in the shoulder months of April to June when there are fewer people and the cats hunt closer to the roads.

Practicalities

Puerto Natales is the gateway, a couple of hours away, with flights via Punta Arenas or a long bus from El Calafate in Argentina. Park entry must be booked online in advance and the W and O trekking circuits require refuge or campsite reservations months ahead.

Puma tracking is a specialist trip with dedicated guides and is priced accordingly. The wind is a genuine force here — plan around it, and never underestimate how fast the weather changes.