Raphael returned in January from a Full Circuit trek in Torres del Paine National Park, based from an eco friendly camp. Here he tells us about his experiences on the trip and in booking through Swoop and our partners…
‘It was a magnificent trek. We were lucky with the weather and it was great! The deep beauty of the Park cannot be denied. I will keep an excellent memory of this adventure!’
How was your experience of planning your trip with Swoop Patagonia?
I have particularly appreciated all the details sent in your e-mails and the time you spent to answer me carefully. I would recommend Swoop Patagonia to other people.
How was the eco camp?
This was where the one negative point of the trip occurred. On Christmas eve, the couples in our group had the dinner in the eco camp and the single trekkers (3 persons) had their dinner in the refugio. For both the cohesion of the group and for the meal itself, I think this point should be corrected in the future. I don’t know if the couples have paid more. On new years eve, we asked if we could to eat in the eco camp, and we had to pay an extra charge.
How did you enjoy their itinerary?
The 9 Day Circuit from eco camp was an excellent itinerary: the Full Circuit is of course the best trek possible. I did find the alternation between more difficult and easier walks was a bit surprising.
How was your group?
For me, as I am French, it was the first experience with a English-speaking group. It was very nice and interesting to be with Anglo-Saxon people. Speaking English was not so difficult, understanding the guides was not problematic but the Australian and Californian accents were a bit hard to understand (Before year 2000, I used to have meetings in English for my job but since 2000, this is no longer the case). I have decided to watch more English or American channels on TV!
How were their guides?
We has two passionate guides, with a very good knowledge of the park. I remember that one day the weather was very bad in the morning (for the French valley). Nevertheless we tried to climb in the valley till the “Mirador Britanico”. Suddenly, for one hour, the weather was beautiful : the view was amazing und unforgettable. Thanks to the guide Chuma for taking us there !
