Customer Reviews

Highlights were the hikes to Laguna de los Tres, Loma del Pilegue Tumbado and the French Valley hike. Non hiking highlights were having our Argentinian welcome dinner in Masden’s house and the dinner in the dining dome at Serrano River Camp where we saw a Puma stroll by. The best meal of the trip was in a small restaurant in El Calafate opposite the hotel which was recommended by Rosio, our guide. The vast landscapes were stunning and we saw plenty of Condors, Giant Woospeckers, Rheas, Flamingoes and Guanaco. We loved the plants, particularly the alpines on the Tumbado hike and the Nothofagus betuloides. Everyone we met was friendly. The other members of our group were great fun and we all got on well.

Tierra de Fuego, Torres del Paine national park and Perito Moreno glacier national park are all equally amazing. Can't decide what was better, the condors we saw flying over us?, the king penguins nesting and their sounds?, the puma's roar in Torres tel Paine? or the beautiful bright blue color of the large piece of ice at the lago gray and perito moreno? It is a place of nature at its best. I felt I was living inside a national geographics segment for 2 weeks!!

Being on the beach with sea lions and elephant seals with the guides from Rincon Chico.

The highlight for me was reaching the top of the John Gardener Pass and overlooking Grey Glacier. Phenomenal. Day to day you find yourself in awe of the surrounding views. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience. I cannot recommend enough to do the full O-circuit as opposed to the W. The backside of the track has about 1/10th the amount of people, better views and a much more enjoyable experience. Something I noticed that very few people did that I highly recommend advertising is completing the trek in a different order. Start the W first from Grey which you can access by boat, then make your way around the the back side of the O circuit. This way, you get the front side complete where all the people are, and then head back into the other side which is in my opinion far far better.

It is impossible to pick just one moment but these were the stand out moments. The Big Ice hike on The Perito Moreno Glacier. Hiking to see Mount Fitz Roy. The W Trek. All of it was incredible. Bike tour in Buenos Aires.

I don't have a particular memorable moment, but what I found unique was the vast wildness and emptiness of the Balmaceda to Puerto Vras portion of the trip. I also loved Conguillo National Park

The trip was amazing! The only thing we couldn't do was the boat trip with the yellow submarine... but it didn't changed how great everything was. The highlight was definitely the number of whales we saw... and how great and curious they behave. Indeed they are unbelievable animals. Very very very friendly people everywhere. We loved everything and we were very happy with the tours we booked and the local agencies you reserved to us. There's not much to say to anybody... they just need to look at our pictures. I'm sure you will receive some quotation requests from our family and friends. Everyone was impressed. The biggest surprise was the sunset tour! It was by far the best tour we had! It was cloudy during the day, even rained before and during our boat ride but inexplicably the sky opened up and we experience this amazing sunset... besides that, a very curious baby whale was checking us for around 30 minutes and both the mum and the baby were there with us, very close to the boat, presenting us with their beauty.

The highlight was the cruise around Terra del Fuego on the Australis. The landscapes around El Chalten and in Torres del Paine were exceptional, the glaciers were amazing. On the trekking part of the holiday the best day was when we went to Britannico

The magnificent Perito Moreno Glacier stood out as a singularly memorable moment. The Eco Camp stood out as an exceptional all encompassing experience.

Completing the W hike. The W hike was not only a test of the body (and believe you me, this pushed my city-style body beyond what I thought I was capable of), but also of the mind. I attribute my constant smile not only to the overwhelmingly beautiful mountains and scenery, but also to the group of people we (my husband and I) were so fortunate to have met.

Our three day trek around El Chalten and our two hikes in Torres Del Paine. And our trip to the Moreno glacier was a close second.

Making it to the base of the towers despite hiking with a chest infection. It was the hardest thing I've ever done, and I'm still recovering as it turned into pnuemonia. But I couldn't have done it without the support of our guides, especially Nadia who walked with me every step. When we finally made it, we hugged each other and I wept. The hike into the Frenches Valley was my happiest joyful blue sky day, the views were incredible. And the group itself made the whole experience better and more memorable. (I don't think the above options capture what I'm really feeling by the way, it was no holiday - it was hard. But it also wasn't underwhelming. Perhaps you need overwhelming as an option! I guesst it was life-changing, but I wouldn't do it again.)

Dinner with the group at Cuernos after doing the full French Valley hike up to the Brittanico viewpoint.

I was told that I will be contacted by Austalis regarding compensation for one night where my cabin was not inhabitable. During my stay, the roof significantly leaked in my cabin. All night I heard noise and was not able to sleep, not discovering its source until morning. The rug and floor were soaked. I found a staff member and had to totally pack and move into another room, spending the morning packing, moving and unpacking.....exhausted and missing breakfast. I paid $9,184 for two people for the four night cruise, $2,296 a day. The host on board (I think Paula is her name) assured me that I will be contacted by Australis staff. This has not yet happened. Please advise. Harold Standerfer and Sandra Sraberg ID sale # 354982

Last hike in Torres del Paine, off the beaten track, fewer people, fantastic views.

Highlight was waking up to see Mt Fitzroy, bathed in the glory of the morning sunrise, with a surreal deep golden reflection, in a cloudless blue sky. It happened to coincide with my brother's birthday, which was an added bonus, and a priceless bitrthday gift at the same time. Landscapes were vast, stretching way beyond normal horizon spans with all manner of varied terrain and topography. Colours were vivid and weather changeable, with high winds I have seldom encountered before. People were friendly, accommodating and helpful and despite limited Spanish, we managed very well.

Horseback riding with my friends and daughter in the national park.

I'll admit that I was a little skeptical at first when I booked the W glamping trek. Its the most I've ever spent on a packaged vacation type thing, and I wondered if it would really be worth it vs. trying to figure it out ourselves/self-support. It was totally worth it! Not only were the domes amazing, but the entire ecocamp team was spectacular. We didn't have to worry about anything, we ate delicious meals, and our guides were amazing! Plus, we met amazing people in our group - the camaraderie was something I didn't expect. We are already thinking about booking it again. Its hard to pick a specific moment, but the hikes and view were just out of this world.

There were a number of memorable moments. The setting of Explora was unbelievable. Experiencing fierce winds and constant weather changes in one day/during one hike. Our Explora guides offering hot soup, ham, and hot beverages during our hike break. Seeing animals. Learning about the plants. Camp Chalten was also in a wonderful and peaceful setting and a new experience. There were few negative memorable moments, such as spending an entire day traveling from Chile to Argentina due to long lines at the checkpoints, particularly the first, which took over 2 hours. The Base Torres hike in Torres Del Paine was my least favorite because the challenging hike was extremely rushed and the guides didn’t provide essential information or guidance.

The expected and unexpected things we experienced on Day 4 from Los Perros to Grey Glacier via the John Gardner Pass. The mountains, glaciers, wildlife, and the gift of favorable weather to enjoy it all.