Iain
Iain’s first visit to South America in 2015 was a typical backpacker affair with limited time, money and research. Having sidestepped Patagonia for the aforementioned reasons, he…
Team Swoop
We're a small team of Patagonia enthusiasts. Most of us have lived and worked in Patagonia long before our Swoop days, and we still visit every year.
Between us, we enjoy mountain biking, wildlife spotting, trail running, bird watching, adventure racing and generally exploring the great outdoors. When we're not exploring Patagonia, we love nothing more than talking to people who are planning their own adventure.
Overlooking the Upsala Glacier, Southern Patagonian Ice Field
Solo hike to Pliegue Tumbado
Swoop specialist, Sarah, completing the Cerro Torre & Mt. Fitz Roy Trek in Chalten
On top of the Andes at 5,604m at the peak of Cerro Toco
Exploring in New Zealand
Hiking Dientes de Navarino
Cerro Torre viewpoint in Los Glaciares, Argentina
Cerro Torre, Argentina, 2018
At the base of the towers in Torres del Paine, Chile
The Team
Peter
After a misspent youth in Cornwall, spent sailing and wanting to be the next Jacques Cousteau, Peter worked on chartered yachts in the Caribbean and Central America, subsequently …
Sydney
Since Sydney's first visit to Torres del Paine in 2013, she’s trekked all over the globe, but she always finds her way back to Patagonia, the otherworldly place that started it …
Sarah
Born and raised in the United States, Sarah has been living in Chile for close to 12 years and considers it her home. She has travelled extensively throughout South America, spent …
Chloe
Growing up in the French Alps, it was easy for Chloe to fall in love with the Andes mountains and the vast landscapes of Patagonia. Having lived in Chile since 2012, she spends her…
Danny
Meet Patagonia Specialist, Danny, a former travel writer covering South America, and long-time adventure guide who has made the Patagonian outdoors his home.
Felipe
Felipe first visited Patagonia more than 15 years ago on a bicycle and without much idea of what he would encounter. Four years later he'd backpacked half the world and decided…
Harriet
Whilst working in the remote Patagonian region of Aysen, Harriet discovered trekking, the great outdoors and her future husband. She later spent two and half years biking and …
David
After working in tropical tourism in Ecuador, David worked his way south, living with friends and family in Argentina and working as a guide all over the region, eventually …
Zoe
Always captivated by its dramatic landscapes, diverse people and fascinating cultures, a love affair with South America began after a year-long adventure throughout the whole of …
Carys
Combining her love for travel and a need for speed, Carys is always planning her next adventure. She shares a particular connection with South America where no two days are the …
Lewis
Growing up in suburban London, Lewis sought adventure from a young age to escape city life. His passion for cycling enabled him to find solitude on the weekends. Later in life, …
Isidora
From the first time Isidora stepped foot in Patagonia, she knew that she wanted to live there. After living for more than 10 years in Puerto Natales, Chile, she can call …
Cecilia
Patagonia is Cecilia's favourite place on Earth and she has explored deep into the wilderness of the region.
Nico
Nico was born and raised in Santiago de Chile. He is a big lover of high-altitude mountains and any adventure that involves being in the middle of beautiful valleys and glaciers.
Marcela
Marcela was born in northern Patagonia where she grew up with the wind and solitude of the Patagonian steppe. Years later, she came back working as a guide and as a tour leader, …
Lisette
Always curious to discover new cultures, and passionate about travel, Lisette has explored stunning places across the planet. Unforgettable journeys and people she met along the …
Adventures in Extraordinary Destinations
Join Us
Have you been lucky enough to live in Patagonia? Perhaps you've hiked from Villa O'higgins to El Chalten, explored the Cordillera Darwin Mountain range or visited Tantauco National Park. If you're as potty about Patagonia as we are, then take a peek at our jobs page for our current vacancies.
We're always on the lookout for Patagonia enthusiasts to join our team, so if we don't have any vacancies please do get in touch by emailing advice@swooptravel.co.uk. We look forward to hearing about you and why you love Patagonia.
What Our Customers Think of Swoop Patagonia
Everything was perfect. Understandable and very informative. Swoop are very professional. Read the full review
Travelled: November 2018
Igor Gorelik - Russian Federation
Swoop was great. The itinerary ended up being perfect for what we wanted (a lot of activity, a lot of different places to see, and a mix of accommodation types). The team was always very responsive.
Travelled: December 2017
Alysha - Colorado, USA
Chloe was attentive and I would highly recommend her to others. Swoop did everything right.
Travelled: March 2017
Ellen and John - Georgia
We were very pleased with the service from Swoop. You were as close to perfect as we can imagine. Sally was great and patient in planning this trip with us.
Travelled: February 2017
Ellen - USA
I'm already looking at some future trips that I can take with Swoop. I feel confident that I will find just the right one with Tom as my go to guy.
Travelled: January 2017
Kristen -
Harriet was very knowledgeable, it seemed like she knew parts of Chile backwards. She seemed to know the local operators & their worth. She was always on the lookout for what was available & ensured that I could make an informed choice.
Travelled: March 2016
Kim -
We really valued Swoop's expertise, and the fact that you had been to the places we were going.
Travelled: December 2015
Greg & Michelle -
Without your help, I'm not sure that we would have booked this trip. We really appreciate your genuine interest and enthusiastic assistance.
Travelled: November 2015
Anna -
You couldn't have done more. Sally was excellent and helped shape and book our dream trip. We'd recommend you every time, and hope to travel with you again.
Travelled: November 2015
Graham & Nicky -
Your best performances were in expedient and accurate communication - no question was left unanswered. I would ABSOLUTELY recommend you.
Travelled: November 2015
Ted -
Review:
Why Swoop?
Three reasons why you should to choose us to help you plan your Patagonian adventure.
1. We know Patagonia
We lived and worked in Patagonia long before our Swoop days, and we still visit every year. We only help people with extraordinary Patagonian experiences, because it's a region we're passionate about.
What this means for you:
We can give you advice and personal recommendations for where to go, where to stay and what to do. If you happen to be in the area (UK folk - we're in central Bristol), you can even pop into our office for a cup of tea and look our wonderful wall of maps.
2. We work with a network of over 100 local partners
Through our family of kayaking, horse riding, hiking and cruise partners, we've got the whole of Patagonia covered - no one else offers you such incredible regional knowledge. We know all our partners' specialisms and strengths and we can match them up with your needs and budget.
What this means for you:
We'll listen to what you want from your trip and we'll suggest an itinerary, trip or place to stay based on your exact requirements. We rarely arrange the same experience twice. Plus, because we work directly with partners in Patagonia, your money goes to the local community.
3. We'll help you arrange your trip in a way that suits you
You can book your entire, personalised trip with us or we can book a just one small section and do the rest independently. Whatever help you need with your trip arrangements, we can also provide advice and support when you're planning your trip, because we know that creating the perfect itinerary is so important.
What this means for you:
Whether you just want us by your side, giving impartial advice along the way, or taking the reins and arranging everything for you, we'll help you plan and book your perfect trip.
Read more about how we can help you.
Swoop and LATA
Founded in 1992, the Latin American Travel Association champions Latin America’s diverse and beautiful destinations. LATA nurtures a community of over 350 specialist members including travel agents, tour operators, airlines, tourist boards and hotels.
Swoop Patagonia has been a LATA member since 2016. Our membership is just one representation of our commitment to Latin America and our love for Patagonia. LATA encourage best practices and increase standards across all aspects of travel in Latin America, a mission that we believe benefits LATA members, travellers and Latin American communities alike.
LATA’s registered charity, the LATA Foundation, was launched in 2007. It is a volunteer-led organisation that brings LATA members together to support and fund grassroots projects throughout Latin America. The aim of the foundation is to give back to the communities that LATA and its members promote, in the hope that it will make a difference in the lives of Latin American people.
4 Types of Adventure
We'll provide our expert advice during the early stages of your trip planning, to help you decide where to go and what to do. Once we've worked together to create your perfect itinerary, we'll help you in one of the following ways:
A guided, multi-day activity
A multi-day activity trip, such as a hiking, kayaking or horse-riding trip, can be arranged to fit in with the rest of your plans. Guided trips are typically for small groups of no more than 8 people, but private trips and self-guided trips can be arranged too. We can help solo travellers and couples find like-minded groups to join. Find out more.
A hotel or ship-based trip
We can help you choose the perfect hotel, lodge or eco camp from which to explore the national parks by day and enjoy fine food and wine by night. Expeditionary cruises are also a great way to immerse yourself in Patagonia’s scenery and wildlife from a comfortable base. Find out more.
A group tour
Group Tours are fixed-itinerary trips of around 15 people. With set departure dates and prices making them easy to plan around, they can be either a simple and sociable way for solo travellers or anyone on a budget to fit the highlights of Patagonia into a short time frame, or a great core to a larger adventure. We can help you find the right group tour for you. Find out more.
A 2-3 week holiday
We can help you choose several multi-day activity trips, such as hiking, kayaking or horse-riding trips, and integrate them into your own itinerary. Or, we can plan and arrange an entire bespoke itinerary for you, including flights, buses and accommodation - doing the hard work so you don’t have to. Find out more.
Two Ways to Book
Swoop says
We help our partners to market themselves to the international market; so when we introduce you to them and you book a trip, they pay us a small commission, and when you arrange your tailor-made trip with us, we are able to negotiate better rates with them and charge a small mark-up, to cover our time. Either way, the price you pay is the same and you'll benefit from our free, impartial and expert advice.