The wildlife worth traveling to Patagonia for

From flocks of flamingos to herds of guanacos, migrating whales to stealthy pumas, Patagonia can be a fantastic wildlife-watching destination. Here are the main highlights, most of which can be seen on our Chile to Argentina: Hidden Highlights of Patagonia trip.

Andean condors are the largest flying birds in the world - wingspans of around three metres, which you don't quite believe until one passes overhead. They wheel on the thermals along the full length of Patagonia, so it's always worth keeping half an eye on the sky. Some of the best places to spot them are Patagonia National Park along Chile's Carretera Austral, the Pinturas Canyon in Argentina, and Torres del Paine - though honestly, they have a habit of appearing when you're not looking for them.

Guanacos - similar to llamas, native to South America - roam Patagonia's open steppe and grassland in sizeable herds. Many centuries ago, the region's hunter-gatherer populations followed them across vast distances, becoming dependent on guanacos for their entire way of life. Those days are gone, but the guanacos remain.

They make for wonderful photography subjects, particularly the males standing sentinel on rocky promontories, watching for puma, big mountains stacked behind them. The best places to see them are Patagonia National Park and Torres del Paine in Chile, or around Piedra Parada in Argentina.

Pumas are the apex predator of the steppe and grassland. Famously stealthy, they prefer to avoid human contact - but in key parts of Patagonia, that's changing.

Torres del Paine remains the most reliable place to see them, particularly around dawn and dusk on the park's edges. As visitor numbers have grown (up to 300,000 annually before the pandemic) and Chileans have swapped guns for cameras - pumas are now protected by law here - the cats have gradually lost their fear of people. Rewilding efforts in Patagonia National Park are helping too, increasing guanaco numbers in the grasslands and, with them, the puma's primary food source.

In Argentina, the picture is very different. Pumas are still seen as pests that devour livestock, and killing them remains legal. Even so, populations are healthy, and if your luck is in, you might spot one exploring the Pinturas Canyon with your guide. Just don't count on it.

Huemul deer are native to Chile and Argentina, and they're stunning - stocky, thick-coated, perfectly adapted to the high Andes. They're also critically endangered. Conservation work and legal protections are slowly nudging numbers upward, but seeing one remains a genuine red-letter day. Don't expect it; just hope. Your best chances are in Patagonia National Park and Cerro Castillo National Park, both along Chile's Carretera Austral.

Flamingos gather in lagoons across the Argentine steppe - improbably pink against all that brown and grey. One of the best spots is a remote lagoon accessible only by crossing private estancia land. In nesting season, they congregate in their hundreds, sometimes thousands. We happen to know the estancia owner, which means we can take you there - and nobody else can. It's one of those quiet privileges we don't take for granted.

Dolphins are regularly spotted in the fjord at Queulat - Chilean and Peale's dolphins, sometimes swimming right alongside the boat. The fjord effectively belongs to the small lodge where you stay, nestled in temperate rainforest, so you'll likely have the water to yourselves. Head out by zodiac or sea kayak if you prefer something quieter. Sightings aren't guaranteed - nothing wild ever is - but they're reliable.

Over on the Atlantic coast, the Valdés Peninsula delivers some of Patagonia's most remarkable wildlife encounters. Southern right whales arrive between July and December, gathering in the protected bays to breed and calve - often visible from shore, sometimes startlingly close. Elephant seals haul out on the beaches, penguins waddle about their business, and if your timing's right, you might witness orcas hunting in the shallows. It's not subtle wildlife watching. It's right there.

The most widespread species in Patagonia is the Magellanic penguin, named after Ferdinand Magellan, who first recorded them in 1520 while navigating the strait that now bears his name. They breed along much of Patagonia's Atlantic coast, returning each spring to burrows they often reuse for decades. Creatures of habit.

The Valdés Peninsula is one of the most accessible and reliable places to see them. Colonies establish from September through March, with peak numbers between October and February. Further south, Punta Tombo holds one of the largest Magellanic penguin colonies in the world - at its height, hundreds of thousands of birds nest here. Walking paths let you move quietly among them, which feels surprisingly intimate given the sheer scale of the place.

On the Chilean side, boat trips through the Strait of Magellan and around the islands near Punta Arenas offer regular sightings during breeding season. These colonies see fewer visitors than those further north, and approaching by water adds to the sense of remoteness - just you, the boat, and a lot of penguins.

Now that you know your huemuls from your guanacos, the next step is a conversation. Wildlife encounters are always better in the real world - no words quite capture that heart-stopping moment of chancing upon a lone puma in the steppe, or frankly the smell of penguin guano. All our Patagonia itineraries will put you in the right places to find the region's emblematic species. But if wildlife is your main draw, let's build something around that. Get in touch to start.