Category: Stories & Inspiration

Note: This article was updated on 14 November 2024 In July 2024, Chilean authorities announced that the Las Guardas Bridge, a key crossing point along the O Circuit trail in Torres del Paine National Park, had been seriously damaged by winter avalanches. We are pleased to announce that thanks to the support of Swoop customers, […]

Torres del Paine captured my heart on my first visit there nearly ten years ago. I was so won over by its wild beauty that made me want to become a mountain guide. It was where I did my guide training and where I then worked for five seasons, guiding guests from all over the […]

I never tire of Patagonia’s glaciers. For me, they are this region’s most dramatic testaments to the power of nature. They are like living things, endless flowing in frozen rivers down from the Andes, slowly reshaping mountains and carving their way across entire valleys. Many of Patagonia’s most fantastic glaciers reach straight into the sea […]

While Patagonia is often at the forefront of people’s minds as a hiking destination, its attraction for wildlife watchers shouldn’t be overlooked. The region offers some tremendous opportunities for wildlife encounters. And just like an African safari, it comes with its very own list of the ‘Big 5’ species to see. Here’s our guide to […]

What happens when a place once overlooked by the world starts to be discovered by tourism?  That was the question I was asking when I recently travelled through the Aysen region of Chile.Those that have visited Aysen talk about it with a glint in their eye, like they’re letting you in on the world’s best […]

At Swoop, we are firm believers in the power of travelling for good. Since the company was founded in 2010, we have tried to ensure our actions as a company are fully aligned with that belief. Swoop has always been an advocate for our destination at the ends of the Earth and it’s critical that […]

In February 2022 I remember sitting round the kitchen table with a small group of Swoopers and asking for their advice. Swoop had finally arrived at a watershed moment when it was clear that we were going to survive the challenges that Covid had thrown at us. The hard work and difficult choices had paid […]

It’s rare that an environmental organisation can be said to have genuinely helped change the way a country approaches its wild places, but Tompkins Conservation has done just that. Its pioneering donation of private land to the Chilean state and its work to expand the country’s network of national parks have helped put rewilding on […]