Customer Reviews

Walk on and view of Perito Mareno glacieer Moon Valley walk in Atacama desert Staying at Explora hotels in Atacama and Torres Landscapes were extraordinary, as were penguins and flamingoes Guides were all fabulous Definitely recommend Patagonia, Atacama, Explora and Swoop Most magical: Mareno, Moon Valley, Salt flats at sunset

Phenomenal

The weather was the best part as we got lucky and out of 17 days had about a half of a day of rain. Beyond that, the hiking and landscapes were spectacular, the people were friendly, the guides were wonderful, the food and lodgings were all spectacular as well.

Round trip on the Stella Australis was wonderful. Friendly crew, knowledgeable and enthusiastic Expedition Team, amazing trips. The mountains and glaciers are stunning and we were lucky to see them in unusually warm and sunny weather. The Australis got us to places we wouldn’t have otherwise seen. We saw dolphins, penguins, black-browed albatross, Black-faced ibis, Kelp geese’s and Giant Southern Petrel (my favourites). We also had a couple of land-based tours that were great (arranged privately).

I can't really name one highlight, because the whole cruise on Stella Australis was fantastic. The landscapes were stunning. We didn't see to much wildlife, but what we saw was great (Penguins, Dolphins, a few birds). The staff of the cruise was very friendly and so were the other passengers on the ship. I would recommend this cruise to everybody!

Cape horn and the glaciers! Staff was also very friendly and helpful.

Our trek in El Chalten up to Mount Fitz Roy was probably the highlight of our trip. We met many people on our travels that we hope to keep in touch with. Oh yes and the private flight we organised in Ushuaia was spectacular.

I think we would both agree that the accomplishment of completing all the hikes, especially the Mirador Base las Torres del Paine was the highlight of our trip. The landscapes were so varied and each beautiful in their own way, stunning. We were lucky enough to have clear and beautiful weather, so we were able to see all the ranges clearly, which was fabulous. Our guides, the other visitors, and the locals were all really interesting and nice. The guides were all very knowledgable and conversational about their areas of the parks and were very open and willing to answer questions. We've been telling our family and friends about how this was a once in a lifetime trip!

I loved the hotel, The Singular. I took two day trips offered by the hotel, one the tour of Torres del Paine that was included as part of my package and another, a boat trip to the glacier and afternoon at an estancia that I paid for. Both were excellent. Service at The Singular was great, they remembered my name and greeted me whenever I went by the desk. The most magical part was seeing the condors at Torres del Paine as we visited a glacier. It was also magical just looking out at the spectacular view from my room.

The trip was extremely very well pieced together by Swoop and then by Chile Nativo. The people I met were incredibly beautiful and helpful. I unfortunately twisted my knee very badly on Day one of the trek up at the Towers and I literally staggered down the mountain back to Las Torres Refugio. The next day I bought trekking poles and ended up soing the entire trek on one leg using the poles as crutches. On day two there was a young Chilean girl who was also trekking alone and she insisted on accompanying me for eight hours all the way to Cuernos. I am home mow and we chat eveyday like sisters - I cannot say ENOUGH good about the Chilean people.

The highlight was the guide, Chuma from Chile Nativo. Landscapes were beautiful, but did not see as much wildlife as advertised. Really enjoyed the hikes and the people.

We had seen Magdalena Island with the penguins on our own, otherwise I would have been very disappointed with the one or two penguins we saw from the zodiac during the cruise. Loved the rugged landscapes and the first hike. The guides were very knowledgeable. The last hike was in poor weather slogging through the mud and not much to see. Glacier alley was thrilling. And loved the people, all ages, from all over the world.

The highlight was the Huemul circuit. It was an amazing trek. There was so much adventure and strenuous hiking but the scenery was spectacular. The highlights definitely included the ice-fields and also seeing the very different terrain as we circled around the Huemul mountain. There was a condor sighting on day 3 and the walk over the glacier on day 2 was just beyond words. I loved the fact that on day 3, we had to hike down really steep terrain and got to camp next to the glacier ice fields. Definitely the most magical moment was the birthday brownie that we got to share for my 40th birthday that was made so nicely by the Walk Patagonia staff.

It was wonderful, the scenery and the people make Patagonia a very special place. We would return and encourage others to visit.

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.

Torres del Paine was the most beautiful place we have ever been, with friendly people, not too busy in September, and lots of fantastic food.

Our trip was great - Mauricio was extremely knowledgeable about everything we were seeing, Refugio Paine Grande and Darwin were both great, and the hikes were lovely. We were snowed out completely of our last day (Torres) which was of course a bummer but we understood why the decision had to be made and knew this was a risk of an outdoor adventure.

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!!

Highlight was climbing to the base of the towers and second, the salt flat in Uyuni. Landscapes were breathtaking. Honestly sometimes we questioned what planet we were on! The guides we had were truly lovely. We enjoyed and appreciated both Fernando (for Torres Del Paine) and Cesar (for the sue lipez portion). All of the faces at hotels we stayed in were warm and friendly! We will tell our grandchildren that we were lucky enough to witness some of our planet’s gorgeous and unfiltered terrain and they should do the same. It’s amazing to see and experience the magnitude and different landscapes that exist around the world.

Cape Horn was the most anticipated and most memorable experience but the other zodiak trips were truly exciting as well. Table 15 was the 'best' in many ways as it was chock-full of interesting people telling stories about their lives on four continents; best too because we won the trivia contest (with a little help from our excellent waiter, Manuel). I loved not only what I saw, but also what I learned. The emphasis on new knowledge about the environment was much appreciated. The views from the cabin window were a plus as I saw great vistas of beauty right from my bed.