Customer Reviews

In three and a half weeks we packed in an incredible amount; it is almost too soon to say what the highlights were. The landscapes were awe-inspiring; the wind, literally, took your breath away. The people that bother to live, work and even travel so far away are almost always delightful. It is a physical challenge: you could experience a limited Patagonia without exerting yourself, but you would miss so much. It's the sort of travel that at times makes you wonder, "Why aren't I lying on a beach in Thailand??", but that you appreciate so much more after the event.

Every day of the trip was unbelievable. The highlight was definitely the W trek. The landscapes were beautiful and we were able to see many rare sightings of native animals such as huemul and puma. We met many like-minded hikers who were passionate and excited about experiencing Patagonia. The guides and locals were all extremely friendly and welcoming. Every time someone asks me how my trip was, my first response is "YOU HAVE TO GO!"

I love my guide Felipe. He was such a joy to trek with. You could see and feel the love that he has for Torres Del Paine. I enjoyed the stories he shared bringing everything to life. You know that someone loves what they do when on their off days, they come back to do some trekking on their own. I couldn't have asked for a better guide.

Our trip included 7 different experiences and locations. Sometimes the travel between stops seemed too long. But how could it be otherwise? And as it turned out, we always loved the journey as much as the end. I love the Chilean people - always open and friendly, free of the arrogance, anger or malice so often seen in Americans. The weather could be discouraging if one didn't have the proper apparel, but we all did and we weren't discouraged by the wind, rain and cold. I intend to go back next year with 7 different stops. I don't have any grandchildren.

The Chilean fjords had just about everything: humpbacks, penguins, sealions; remote location; great scenery; glaciers; boat trip; small group, no crowds. Trekking from El Chalten was somewhat hampered by the weather, with some wet walking to viewpoints with no view! But managed to see Fitzroy and Cerro Torre on the last day. National park felt over-managed: signposts, guides, large numbers of people. Enjoyed the Viedma Glacier trek but group too large and disparate (approx. 30). Retreat of glacier now means longish scramble to access: not a problem for me but there were three falls (and one submission!) among the party, and I heard that the subsequent trip herded 60 people around together, with one person requiring x-ray after a fall. Better to split into small groups of similar experience. Packed lunches in El Chalten dreadful: unimaginative and repetitive. Sailing to Cape Horn excellent, with great landscapes, wildlife, and charming and highly experienced skipper. Hadn't expected tourism to be so highly developed, but met some interesting people from all over Europe, as well as locals, and overall a great combination of varied activity with good accommodation and restaurants.

The highlight was walking on the Grey glacier. This is a totally different experience from hiking and takes some getting used to. Walking on a river of ice with crampons is daunting at first, but one soon starts feeling secure and can appreciate the amazing surroundings. Our guide, Anna, was fun to be with - she took great care of us and we thoroughly enjoyed her company.

There were so many great highlights of the trip. I very much so appreciated the progression of hikes and thought the order in which we encountered them was perfect. I think if things had gone in any different order, it would not have been nearly as good. The very best part though was our guides. Juli and Claudio were perfection. Thank you for trusting us to them - they both did a phenomenal job! I can't recommend anyone more highly. They went out of their way so many times to ensure we had an unforgettable trip.

The Patagonian ice field when we first saw it after .John Garner pass Stunning scenery and surprisingly varied with the steppes, mountains ,glaciers, mountains and lakes. The animals and birds were very different from any I had seen. Many species of birds. I enjoyed the wild flowers which were flowering as it was spring. In Buenos Aires generally the people were not as friendly but the taxi drivers and reps were fine. The guides, hostel staff, porters, etc were all very friendly. Being able to drink from a mountain stream was a surprise. If I have grandchildren I will tell them that this trip was one big adventure.

The highlight was the scenery obviously.. but the ecocamp was wonderful to. The food was fantastic and all the staff were so friendly and accommodating. We had great guides for our trek and loads of fun!

Incredible. Flawless. Personal. Our adventure was nothing less than a novel of memories. My highlight could never be just a moment, but rather a new lens of of beauty from the culture, the wilderness & the incredible people we met. The culture, deep with love and incredible care that you would not just see but feel the blessing Patagonia has to offer. The wilderness, the most dramatic scenery you can experience and the people, warm with compassion and incredible depth of care for their communities. If the face of God was reflected in the wild it would be Patagonia. It's said that true adventure starts when the plan ends and that was the truth of our trip. Of course planning such a detailed adventure you know in your head the risks you are taking but until your faced with the choices of change and the out of your hand shifts due to storms, the truth whether you love adventure or not comes to a refining moment. And though not all went to plan, all went more than perfect.

One highlight completely impossible to single out; there wasn't one day that I wouldn't do again. Wildlife - the day with Marcel in Ushuaia National Park was brilliant as he 'inducted' me into the world of birdwatching which itself greatly added to the rest of the trip; but I guess the wildlife 'highlight' has to be sighting two pumas at relatively close range over a fresh guanaco kill as we were driving out of Torres del Paine on that last morning - a wonderful sight on its own, the more special for knowing that it's so rare, and we were so lucky, to see a puma at all!

The feeling of accomplishment upon arriving at each Refugio after completing the walk for that day. This coupled with being off grid and meeting lots of people from around the world whom all had the same experience.

The visit to Isla Martillo, where we observed penguins and sea lions

Reaching the top or turnaround point of the Laguna de los Tres hike! Amazing views and what a sense of accomplishment!

Please see Tania's feed back. I'm a bit sort of time right now

There were so many, that it's hard to pinpoint just one moment! But if I had to pick one, we went on an excursion with Patagonia Camp to hike Miradores. Winds were topping at an estimated 120km. The winds were so bad that we couldn't make it through a particular pass halfway through our hike that we had to turn around. At one point our guide flew back over 10 meters behind everyone, and we all were sitting trying not to get blown away. It was quite the adventure, and speaking with others on the hike, our regret was that we didn't power through. This just means that we'll have to return to complete the hike!

Big Ice Trek - Which I could have done without Swoop.

Viewing the Grey glacier after the ajohn Gardner pass

Feeling challenged in long hikes

Waking up in a snow covered tent , then walking across the John Gardner pass in un believable conditions ( ie no wind) and resting on the top to take in the view of the Grey Glacier