Thrilling Encounters with Patagonia's Pumas & Orcas

Skirting the submerged reef, he was moving towards us, his huge dorsal fin a clear marker in the breaking azure waves. “Keep coming, keep coming. Please just keep coming!” I silently willed him on and my word, he listened. Cruising along the shoreline now that the tide had risen, he was so close, ridiculously close in fact, to the beach where South American sea-lions and a small group of Southern elephant seals lay basking in the sunshine. From our angle, he looked less than a metre away from them. We grinned discretely at each other, acknowledging both our good fortune at his presence and at just how special this moment was. 

Once he was level with our elevated cliff top position we urgently gathered up cameras, tripods and binoculars, our excitement levels palpable as we trotted (ahem, ran) along the boardwalk in our desperation to keep up with the perfect fluidity of his effortless motion below. Suddenly he turned towards the beach. Attention caught (his and ours!) and perpendicular now, he stopped, and our adrenaline spiked as we waited with bated breath for what he may do next. “Strand! Strand! Strand!” Again, I willed him on to surf the high tide, rising like a phoenix from the depths in order to snatch his unsuspecting prey. Intentional stranding is the official term for this highly specialised hunting technique utilised by a minority of orca, and we were here very much hoping to see it. 

Although it wasn’t a full on attack, he slowly accelerated towards his potential prey, progressively pushing forward time and time again before slinking back beneath the cover of the waves in order to re-position. Bolder now and barely attempting to disguise himself, he was perhaps practising rather than sizing up his realistic chances, but we weren’t complaining. This, he, everything was simply sensational! More than once, we watched him shift his bulk from side to side in order to dislodge his belly from the sand and return to his ocean sanctuary. He was putting on a show and we were loving it!  

The next day, we returned for more, setting up our camp chairs and settling down for anywhere between four and five hours to see if the orca would return. With over 400 kilometres of Peninsula Valdez coastline to patrol and plenty of other (less risky?) food sources, there are absolutely no guarantees. This is a game of patience and chance, and we’d been lucky enough to see them on three out of four attempts ... certainly more than I had hoped for. All this on the back of a wonderful five nights in Southern Patagonia too where pumas had taken centre stage. What a combination!

Our introduction to the spectacular and staggeringly beautiful Torres del Paine region had been surprisingly sun filled and wind-free. The snow-capped central granite massif stood tall and mighty as it has for millenia, glaciers sculpting peaks and troughs framed by impossibly turquoise lakes and cobalt lagoons. As enormous Andean condors and black-chested buzzard-eagles soared the thermals overhead, herds of graceful guanacos quietly grazed together, their large bulbous eyes ever watchful and wary to the presence of big cats. 

Trying to spot their liquid honey or pencil-grey coats is undoubtedly difficult. They're solitary, secretive hunters and absolute masters of disguise, blending into their fantastic terrain with aplomb. But we have Jose. His magnificent eyes, knowledge of individuals and their territories, skills passed down from his father (the original master tracker) and years of experience helped to ensure that we enjoyed sightings, numerous sightings, of this apex predator.

From a mother and grown daughter on a kill to a young male watching us austerely from his hilltop position, barely visible to the naked eye. And more; a stalking female that we’d waited three hours for in the hope that she’d move (she did!), watching cubs leap up onto a boulder repeatedly just to rough and tumble and push each other off, again and again and again. There's no doubt about it, these are gorgeous creatures. Graceful, powerful, agile and tough. Their home here in this beautiful, desolate environment on the edge of the South American continent leaves absolutely no room for weakness.   

In two short weeks we’d been spoilt, experiencing a wealth of wildlife in breathtaking landscapes and glorious conditions. Penguins, fox, skunk, flamingoes and more. We’d even found a guanaco rather than a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Who knew?! 

We’d needed patience (lots of it), hope and luck, but our inaugural departures of Patagonia’s Pumas and Orcas well and truly delivered. Quite frankly, I’m already counting down the days until my return! 

Find out more about our Patagonia's Pumas & Orcas trip, or to book your place contact our expert team today!