Atacama and Patagonia Photo Tour 2018 Day 11-13

by Michelle Alten

Dramatic clouds over the Paine Massif with Admiral Nieto Mountain and the Cuernos del Paine (Horns) in Torres del Paine National Park in southern Chile.

Day 11 – This morning, we drive to Torres del Paine, stopping on the way to photograph rheas, foxes, and our first guanacos.  At an overlook, a condor catches the wind currents and soars overhead.

An Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) is flying over the Santa Cruz river valley near El Calafate in Patagonia, Argentina.
Gauchos herding sheep along a highway near Torres del Paine National Park in southern Chile.

Day 12 – In this magnificent wilderness area, we find the young chulengos—baby guanacos—nursing and playing. With the help of a puma expert, we search for Patagonia’s great cats.  We are rewarded with a sighting of a mother with three cubs.

Baby (chulengo) guanacos (Lama guanicoe) in Torres del Paine National Park in southern Chile.
A mother guanaco (Lama guanicoe) with a baby (chulengo) in Torres del Paine National Park in southern Chile.
A puma family (Puma concolor), also called mountain lion, cougar, in Torres del Paine National Park in southern Chile.

Day 13 – The castle-like towers of Torres del Paine are often shrouded by stormy skies, but we are blessed with ideal conditions for photographing the peaks.  The sun highlights the spires while dramatic white clouds travel through a sea of blue. As our trip draws to a close, this a day for capturing Patagonia’s dramatic landscapes, and the summer wildflowers popping all around us. 

View of the Paine River waterfall with Admiral Nieto Mountain (left) and the Torres del Paine (Towers of Paine) in Torres del Paine National Park in southern Chile.

If you are interested in a future trip or other trips, please email me at [email protected] or check out my website www.phototours.us. Thank you.