Safaris are truly the best way to experience nature and animals as they are intended to be: undisturbed, and in their natural environments. Through safaris, you can really get a greater appreciation as to just how beautiful life on our planet is. Zoos just aren’t the same. Now when everyone hears the world “safari”, we immediately think of Africa. African safaris are exceptional, but that is not where one of the most remote safaris in the world is located. To get there, you have to travel south almost to the ends of the Earth.
Torres del Paine National Park is a 935-square-mile nature reserve located in the Patagonian region of Southern Chile. To get here it takes about three plane rides that span over a day in combined length, and then a five-hour, off-road car trip. In terms of “remote”, the Torres del Paine National Park is pretty out there to say the least. So what about exotic?
Patagonia is truly like no other place on the planet. From the glaciers and subpolar forrests to the massive mountains and harsh terrain, this area of Chile looks like an alien planet. So yeah it’s also fairly exotic and National Geographic listed the park as the “5th most beautiful place in the world”. Despite the harsh, yet alluring terrain, the area is populated with many amazing animals. If you embark on the trip to visit the Torres del Paine National Park to take a safari, you’ll see a host of different animals. You will see sheep, small foxes, Andean condors, Rheas (ostrich-like birds), South Andean deer, Guanaco, and a few other species of wildlife. Still as beautiful as these animals are, this region is also home to the elusive and amazing puma.
Pumas (also referred to as mountain lions/cougars) are one of the few and only remaining big cats that are found in the Americas. Their population spans from southern Alaska, through Canada, the United States, Latin America, and South America before finally reaching the southern tip of the continent. These animals are beautiful, solitary creatures so they are extremely difficult to find. I went backpacking a few years ago in the mountains of New Mexico (where pumas live) and was told to never wander alone at night, and that if I did make eye-contact with a puma, it would have been stalking me for about a half-hour and was “allowing” itself to be seen. They are like the ninjas of the animal world, able to run at 50mph and jump 18-feet high. The Torres del Paine National Park is a great place to see these beautiful creatures in the wild, provided that you’re lucky enough to spot one.
If you are seeking to embark on a safari that is in arguably one of the most beautiful places in the world, forget Africa and come to Chile. The Torres del Paine National Park is truly exceptional and awe-inspiring and it is well worth the journey that it takes to get there. You won’t regret it.
Photos from Benjamin Lowy/Bloomberg Pursuits/Bloomberg
