Torres del Paine National Park, one of National Geographic Traveler’s Top 10 in the “Paradise Found” category, is home to a wide variety of ecosystems, making it a prized asset within Chile’s protected natural wildlife areas. The park’s biodiversity in flora and fauna is due to the four main types of ecologic communities: Patagonian steppe, Pre-Andean shrubland, Magellanic deciduous forest, and Andean desert. These interspersed communities are home to 120 bird species, 25 mammal species, and 270 species of flora, which earns the park the title of UNESCO International Biosphere Reserve.
Torres del Paine is a top location for birdwatchers worldwide. Out of this incredible amount of fauna, the “Patagonia 5” — akin to Africa’s “Big 5” checklist of must-see creatures— consists of the puma, condor, huemul, guanaco and ñandú. 

The elusive puma is a relative of the North American mountain lion and is usually hidden as it watches over its immense territory. A short, stout and timid deer featured on Chile’s coat of arms, the huemul is also unfortunately on the endangered species list. The ever-present condor is the largest flying bird in the Western Hemisphere and is the other animal featured on the coat of arms. The easiest animal to see in the park is the guanaco, a South American cameloid cousin of the llama, often found roaming the flat plains. The ñandú, also known as the rhea, is a member of the ostrich family and can often be seen among the sheep and guanaco herds.