About me

Life before Swoop

Carys

Sunrise over the Paine Massif

Having caught the travel bug early on in life, I have visited over 40 countries across six continents. My fascination with South America, in particular, began when I encountered some of its diverse cultures whilst studying Spanish at university both in the UK and at Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Chile. During that year, I was lucky enough to travel extensively through several South American countries (Chile & Easter Island, Argentina, Bolivia, Uruguay, Brazil) and to discover a huge variety of landscapes, cultures, people and experiences.

After returning to the UK, South America continued to call my name and I have now found my way back in the form of Swoop Patagonia and repeat trips to the region.

My Patagonian experience 

Throughout my travels around Patagonia, I have experienced the region via almost all means possible; self-drive 4x4, plane, bike, hike, cruise and kayak. My accommodation has ranged from luxury lodges and deluxe ship cabins, to geodesic domes and glamping yurts, and even Couchsurfing with locals! I have completely fallen in love with the wildness and the beauty of the landscapes, be it the dramatic mountain ranges of Torres del Paine, the glaciers of Tierra del Fuego or the turquoise waters of Aysén.

One of the most unforgettable moments for me was watching the Pia Glacier carve right in front of me. A huge sheet of ice fell away from the glacier and crashed into the water below with the most incredible noise, causing waves to surge towards me. What made this moment even better was knowing that it is such a rare sight, shared by only a select few in one of the least accessible corners of the region.

Why I love Patagonia

The thing I love the most about Patagonia is that feeling of constant awe and amazement. When I first arrived in the region with a checklist of the main highlights to see, I was wonderfully surprised to discover that it is so much more than that; Patagonia is the landscapes, the wildlife, the weather, the locals, the food, the like-minded travellers, the adventure, the unexpected. It can be all too easy to fill every waking hour with the main sights but it’s important to stop for a moment and to take it all in. 

Carys

In front of Los Cuernos

Day to day at Swoop

Looking for a way to maintain a link to my unforgettable experiences in Patagonia, I joined the Customer Experience team at Swoop in June 2021. Although no two days are the same in my role, I dedicate myself to offering unrivalled personalised service to all of my Patagonia explorers, and to ensuring that all customers return home with wonderful memories that they will cherish for years to come. 

Carys

View of the Paine Massif

Customer review background image

What our customers think of Carys

Carys was brilliant, and the teams on the ground great too. Read the full review

Travelled: March 2024

Lucinda Turner - UK

Chloe and Carys arranged a perfect trip for us, making our movements and activities a breeze. The website is fantastic, providing all the information you could possible want while planning a trip to Patagonia. Read the full review

Travelled: February 2024

Richard Goud - USA

Carys was exceptional at advising and preparing us for our epic adventure. She was very responsive, shared pictures from her own travels, and even met us for dinner in Puerto Natales after our trip. Read the full review

Travelled: December 2023

Erin Hatcher - USA

Carys was so incredible - the embodiment of swoop brand! She made our trip better just through her supprt. Read the full review

Travelled: December 2023

Andrea Mayfield - USA

Carys Siney coordinated all these detailed procedures quite brilliantly. It's conceivable that I could have done everything myself; but in a busy last year of my working life - I retired the day before I flew to Buenos Aires - I simply didn't want all the hassle. Swoop did a fantastic job. Read the full review

Travelled: November 2023

Jonathan Earl - UK

Well organized, responsive, detail oriented, helped with changes we needed made, flexible. Read the full review

Travelled: February 2023

Paul Strohm - USA

Swoop Team was great and responsive - customer oriented. Carys was great. Helped shift things around on the fly. Read the full review

Travelled: February 2023

Paul Strohm - USA

Carys was very friendly and helpful. Read the full review

Travelled: December 2022

Brad Anderson - USA

We love Carys and Sydney! Read the full review

Travelled: December 2022

Laura Nicola - USA

Carys was brilliant throughout. Helpful, responsive, constructive. We still had some way to go before the trip was sorted and she went above and beyond for us. Thank you Carys. Read the full review

Travelled: December 2022

James Gregory - UK

The trip was extremely well organized and Swoop was very responsive, especially when we encountered travel issues. Read the full review

Travelled: November 2022

Carol Gibbons - USA

Love Carys. Swoop made the trip so easy and I didn't feel stressed coordinating days for our 30 person group because of all their prep work. Read the full review

Travelled: November 2022

Mariel Sabraw - USA

We found Carys (our swoop coordinator) to have been exceedingly helpful and supportive through our THREE year process to get from Chicago to Patagonia (Covid-19 delays). We felt as prepared as we could have been traveling to the edge of the world with the resources that were sent to us prior to the trip. Read the full review

Travelled: October 2022

Sara Quetzi Abramovitz - USA

The written communication was clear and timely. The Zoom interaction with Carys was helpful as well. Read the full review

Travelled: October 2022

Brad Pontius - USA

In fact Carys' and Sydney's pre-trip coordination was exceptional. Read the full review

Travelled: September 2022

Mark Bryant - USA

It was terrific service. Carys was on point and everything worked out exactly as promised. Read the full review

Travelled: May 2022

Agustin Gonzalez - USA

Carys was terrific. Quick with a response despite time difference, and incredibly helpful. Read the full review

Travelled: May 2022

Agustin Gonzalez - USA

Working with Peter and Carys at Swoop was easy and a pleasure. Even though they are in London and I'm in Seattle there was no issue connecting with them to have my questions answered. Read the full review

Travelled: March 2022

Betsy Lane - USA

Great personal service. Extensive information, quick and efficient and so helpful when he had questions. Very knowledge. Brilliant at organising Zoom calls to discuss the holiday and any questions. So good to have one person who "looked after us" - Carys . She went above and beyond what we would expect. Your partners, particularly Bird Chile are brilliant. Cannot fault Swoop at all. Pity there are not more companies like them. Read the full review

Travelled: February 2022

Melanie Ford - UK

Great personal service. Extensive information, quick and efficient and so helpful when he had questions. Very knowledge. Brilliant at organising Zoom calls to discuss the holiday and any questions. So good to have one person who "looked after us" - Carys . She went above and beyond what we would expect. Read the full review

Travelled: February 2022

Melanie Ford - UK

Thank you for a truly life-altering trip! It was everything we expected and more. Read the full review

Travelled: December 2021

Beverly Reyes Picache - USA

Carys went above and beyond and stayed with us the whole trip. Any problems we encountered were quickly resolved. Read the full review

Travelled: December 2021

Jerry Gold - USA

Already recommended you! Your customer service was incredible! Read the full review

Travelled: December 2021

Ken Knara - USA

Swoop has expertise in the region we traveled too. Iain and Carys were responsive, available, affable and amiable. The itinerary was customized to our family and they were a delight to work with. Read the full review

Travelled: December 2021

Jerry Gold - USA

The requirements to enter Chile must have changed 3-4 times in the 2 months leading up to our trip. The Swoop staff, Carys in particular, was incredibly responsive and helpful in negotiating the ever-changing landscape of entry prerequisites. She gave us confidence that we could travel during these uncertain times! Read the full review

Travelled: December 2021

Jonathan Staker - USA

When plans are completely disrupted at the last moment, how people and companies respond shows the true value of their services. Swoop and Carys have shown themselves to be exceptional. Read the full review

Travelled: November 2021

Charles Shifflett - USA

Review:

Next adventure

For my next adventure, I will be journeying south to Patagonia for five months, continuing my role at Swoop as a digital nomad! Beginning in the north of Chile in the Atacama Desert, I will make my way south through Chile until I reach Torres del Paine National Park, before crossing the border into Argentina and gradually returning north.

I very much look forward to discovering the real Patagonia as a local, whilst strengthening relationships with our local partners who make your trip a reality on the ground.

Carys

Icebergs at Laguna Torre