In the steppe of northwestern Santa Cruz, guide Facu Epul leads a puma watching season distinguished by its responsible approach. For him, success is not measured solely by the number of sightings, but by the maturity of the process: understanding the territory, respecting the fauna, and building collective experiences that transcend the initial expectation.
Facu promotes El Choique Guía, a project that proposes exploring the steppe at a different pace, with long periods, attentive listening, and a deep connection with the landscape. The project’s growth involved leaving behind individual work and consolidating as a team, assuming shared responsibilities and taking care of every detail of the outings.
Learning to read the territory
Those who arrive almost always seek to see the puma. However, as the days go by, the experience transforms:
- They learn to read tracks and distinguish if a puma passed by recently or a long time ago.
- They listen to the guanacos and observe the behaviors of other species.
- They understand the role of the puma in the ecosystem and the balance of the steppe.
Even when the animal does not appear, the outing is not empty: it becomes a process of learning and connection with the environment.
The body in silence
The long days, the cold, and the wait create a different awareness of the body. Facu explains that silence changes the order of thoughts: anxiety decreases and attention becomes sharper.
- At first, discomfort appears quickly.
- Over time, visitors adapt and manage to spot wildlife before the guide himself.
This process turns waiting into an exercise of contemplation and patience.
A shared language
The walks and silences create a common language among the groups. Often, glances are enough to communicate. At the end of each outing, a natural camaraderie is perceived, without scripts or artifices.
Facu learned that nothing should be forced: neither the sightings, nor the expectations, nor the routes. That’s why he recommends outings of several days, where the park always gives back something, even if it’s not what was imagined.
A scene that sums up the experience
If he had to choose an image, Facu would not choose the sighting of a puma, but a moment of waiting in the cañadón Caracoles: the group sitting, motionless, complete silence, barely any wind.
Although it seems that nothing is happening, in reality, everything is happening: the landscape, the suspended time, and the attention focused one hundred percent on the steppe.
Passion and commitment
Facu reflects on why he continues doing this work: because it moves him, it arouses his curiosity, and it excites him. For him, walking the steppe and sharing it with others is a way to care for what he loves and generate awareness through direct experience.
“Guiding is not just showing a place, it’s accompanying a way of being.”
The puma watching season in Santa Cruz becomes a practice of respect and contemplation. Beyond the encounter with the animal, the experience invites you to slow down, listen to the territory, and share silences, building an authentic relationship with the Patagonian nature.
