One of the main reasons I travel is to spend time in nature and see wildlife, especially the kind you don’t bump into every day. During our five months in South America, we saw hundreds of animals. But some encounters stand out more than others.
Sometimes, it’s the rare species. Sometimes, it’s a quiet moment without any other tourists around. And sometimes, it’s the surprise of spotting something you had already given up on.
Here are the wildlife moments that made the biggest impression on me, ones I’ll probably be talking about for the rest of my life.
The Long-Awaited Anteater & Tapir
This one deserves its own paragraph.
Before heading to the Pantanal, I had read blog after blog claiming people saw 14 anteaters in a day and calling it a guaranteed sighting. So naturally, I was hyped. But we left the South Pantanal completely empty-handed. I was beyond disappointed.
In North Pantanal, we gave it a few tries but after a while… I kinda gave up. It felt impossible.
And then, when I least expected it, it just happened. A giant anteater casually crossed the road right in front of our car.
I started screaming. Legit screaming. My partner didn’t even recognise my voice.
This had been my most frustrating search, and suddenly it was right there, just a few metres away, completely unbothered. We parked next to it and watched it forage along the roadside like we weren’t even there. It was easily one of the most rewarding sightings of our entire trip.
And if that wasn’t enough, not long after, we spotted a Brazilian tapir. It walked across the road, slow and calm, like it had nowhere to be. I’m not kidding, I thought it was a bear at first. It was massive, round, and the way it walked… I wasn’t ready.
We only saw it for a few seconds, but still, anteater and tapir in one night?! After weeks of trying and failing? It honestly felt like nature’s way of saying: “Hey, thanks for being patient.”
Pumas in Chile – A Last-Minute Miracle
We were about to leave Torres del Paine when someone spotted them, two mountain lions just off the road. We couldn’t believe our eyes. We weren’t on any tracking tour, didn’t have a guide, and had zero expectations. It was one of those moments where everything aligned.
What made it even better? Our bus driver (bless him) decided to wait 15 more minutes just so we could watch them. The fact that we saw one of the world’s most elusive big cats, completely unplanned, still gives me chills.
Ocelots in North Pantanal – Just When I Gave Up
I spent way too much time in the South Pantanal hoping to see ocelots, checking every possible place at dusk and dawn. Nothing. I even started getting low-key bitter seeing other bloggers posting their perfectly lit ocelot pictures.
I gave up thinking we’d ever see one.
Then, on one of our evening drive in the North Pantanal, two glowing eyes appeared, and there it was. A real ocelot. I practically screamed in the car. And just five minutes later, another one crossed our path. After all that time and effort, it felt like a huge personal win. The next evening, it got even better. Another sighting, more perfect than the previous day!
(Sorry, the pictures are terrible. But I promise the moment was perfect.)
Giant Otters - All to Ourselves
Giant river otters are a major highlight in the Pantanal, but usually, it’s during boat tours, and once one group spots them, a dozen boats show up. It can get a little chaotic.
But on one quiet morning in the South Pantanal, we found a group of otters in a small lake right off a dirt road, just us and them. We stood quietly on a little bridge while they swam and hunted like we weren’t even there. I honestly think they didn’t care. That peaceful moment, without guides or other tourists, was one of my favourites.
An Armadillo - At the Last Second
After a pretty disappointing visit to Emas National Park where we barely saw any wildlife, I had fully written off my chances of seeing an armadillo. Then, just as we were driving back to Campo Grande, there it was, right by the roadside, not even running away.
We were able to get so close (obviously keeping our distance, but wow). It felt like the park was giving us a little parting gift.
Hummingbirds in Mindo – Ecuador’s Warm Welcome
This one was early on in our trip, and it was the perfect start. At the Hermit Trail in Mindo, we got to feed dozens of hummingbirds. Some even landed on our hands. I’ve seen them before, but never this close or in this number.
I probably took 300 photos. I regret none of them.
Whip Spider – One Off the Bucket List
Also in Mindo, we joined a night walk and finally saw a whip spider. This one had been on my bucket list for a long time. It might not be cute to most people, but for me, seeing it up close (and alive, not in a textbook or YouTube video) was incredible.
Howler Monkeys - Up Close in Tambopata
In Peru’s Tambopata Reserve, we got crazy lucky with a group of howler monkeys hanging out just a few metres above the ground. Normally they stay high in the canopy and you just hear them, but these ones decided to come down and give us a front-row seat.
We sat and watched them for ages. It was one of those slow, quiet wildlife encounters that just stays with you.
Tarantulas – Four Times the Wait Was Worth It
I’ve been weirdly obsessed with seeing a tarantula in the wild since I was 14 (my first time in Brazil). Nothing. Again in South-East Asia… still nothing.
Then in Tambopata, I finally saw one. Actually, three different species. I was weirdly emotional about it. Later on, we even saw another one in Brazil. It only took me 10 years, but worth it.
Condor in Chile – A Bird I’ll Never Forget
We had already seen a few condors in Patagonia, but this one was different. We were sitting quietly when one just… landed a few metres from us. Totally unbothered, like we didn’t exist. It sat there for minutes.
It hit me later that I had seen both the California condor and the Andean condor in the same year. That’s not something a lot of people can say, and I don’t take it for granted.
Final Thoughts
Wildlife encounters are unpredictable, and that’s what makes them so special. Some of the best moments happened when we didn’t expect them at all. Others were years in the making.
Whether it’s a rare cat, a curious spider, or an otter swimming past like you’re not there, each of these moments made me feel connected to the places we visited in a way no tour or landmark ever could.
These are the reasons I travel. And I hope I never stop chasing those quiet, surprising, and chaotic moments that the wild throws at you when you’re lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time.
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