Seek Out Patagonia’s Big Five

At the ends of the Earth, amid Patagonia’s dramatic landscapes, wildlife-lovers will find a menagerie of rare and unique animals that have adapted to their extreme surroundings. Of the more than 60 mammals, 400 birds, and 50 reptiles that have been recorded here, the species earning headliner honors as Patagonia’s ‘big five’ show up on nearly every visitor’s viewing list. Meet these charismatic creatures, then join us on expedition to seek them out in the wild.

Magellanic Penguin

Penguins outnumber people in the southern reaches of South America, and are especially common on coastal islands, such as Isla Magdalena. These dapper birds—decked out in the classic penguin tuxedo, complete with a bow-tie band—nest in burrows and are often spotted standing guard outside their tunnels.

Darwin’s Rhea

A cousin to the ostrich and the emu, this large flightless bird struts across the scrublands, sporting feathers that make it tough to spot despite its size. Shaggy gray and brown plumage blends in perfectly with the vegetation, and when the rhea lowers its head to feed, it could pass for a small bush on the pampas.

Andean Condor

When factoring in weight and wingspan, Andean condors measure in as the world’s largest flying birds, and can soar for more than 100 miles without flapping their wings. Their overall numbers are in decline; however, populations remain strong in Patagonia, where it’s possible to see a dozen or more of these scavengers circling together.

Guanaco

The guanaco—along with its llama and alpaca cousins—belongs to the same family as camels, a resemblance you can spot in their long necks and split upper lips. Traveling in large herds on the open Patagonian pampas, guanacos are surprisingly fast, an attribute needed to escape pursuing pumas.

Puma

Torres del Paine National Park is home to a healthy puma population, in part due to strict protections imposed by the Chilean government. Ranking among the largest species of wild cat in the Americas, pumas are powerful hunters— and typically well fed in Patagonia, thanks to the large herds of guanacos in the region.