^{Photo Credit: Parque Tepuhueico}

One of Parque Tepuhueico’s most exciting experiences is the chance to search for the “Five Little Giants.”

That’s what they call five of Chiloé’s rarest and most fascinating animals: the pudú, Darwin’s fox, monito del monte, kodkod, and the huillín (a type of river otter).

They’re all pretty small, but they’re a big deal—some are endangered, and most people have never even heard of them, let alone seen them in the wild.

Tepuhueico’s mix of native Valdivian rainforest, freshwater streams, and wild coastline makes it thhe best spots in the world to find them.

You head out with a guide, walking quiet trails, checking camera traps, and doing nighttime hikes where you might catch a flash of eyes in the trees.

Sometimes you’ll spot a pudú right from the road or see a Darwin’s fox trotting near the cabins. Other times, it’s about paying attention to the small stuff—tracks, calls, movement in the leaves.

Unlike many wildlife tours, this one isn’t about racing from sighting to sighting—it’s about slowing down, tuning in, and letting the forest reveal itself on its own terms.

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