Customer Reviews

The highlight was definitely the tower hike. It was long and exhausting but definitely worth it. The landscapes were unlike anything I could of ever imagined. Our group instantly bonded with the other 3 girls in our hiking group. We have plans to meet up in the future. I’ve told my friends that it was the best trip I’ve ever been on! No surprises - everything went as planned. The most magical moment was bonding with everyone in the Refugio the first night and meeting so many people from so many other cultures.

The highlight was the shear beauty of the landscape - and the opportunity to experience it free from crowds, at our own pace and with excellent and extremely generous guides. We were blessed with gorgeous weather, great views and daylight until 9 PM...so we could take our time and truly absorb the surroundings. We met lovely people - not many, but everyone was in the spirit of the surroundings. I think my husband was surprised by the difficulty - but our guides were incredibly supportive. the most magical moment - day three as we got close to Cerro Castillo and the blue lake and the spectacular campsite that night! We will absolutely tell friends and family...and already have!

Too windy to do initially planned itinerary; still had a great experience. Guide (Jaime through Serac) did a great job of outlining alternatives, including 3 unrelated hikers in decision-making Dramatic weather Super curious and concerned about the caterpillar infestation of the Lenga forests Watching a new friend be speechless at the expanse of ice at the top of El Paso del Viento.

Highlight was summiting on day 5 and seeing the glaciers. The landscapes were incredible, and we finally saw guanacos on the last day. The people were very friendly and welcoming of trekkers, and I appreciated their hospitality. I would tell my friends that they need to put this on their bucket list.

Every day was a highlight, with friendly hikers at each Refugio.

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.

BBQ'd lamb lunch at Helsingfor's Estancia! Landscape was nice, wildlife was OK. All the people (travelers) we met along the way were cordial and all staff members of every accommodation were engaging and helpful. We have been telling our family and friends what a great job SWOOP did putting our trip together. No surprises which is a good thing! The most magical moment was finishing the whole series of hikes we planned.

No one particular highlight. Landscapes were pretty awesome. We only met our group (six in total, all Canadians) and our great guide and porters. Probably would tell anyone “don’t go”.... The trail and conditions were a surprise. Climbing to the John Gardner pass and finishing the “O” circuit were great moments.

The highlight was the trek in the Torres del Paine national park. The landscapes were breathtaking. Wildlife not so spectacular as there wasn't that much of it. People we met were helpful and friendly especially our guides That they should go and have a look for themselves. No negative surprises only positive the scenery etc Viewing the three towers in thew Torres del Paine

Glacier sur adventures were outstanding, Patagonia camp also remarkable

Hiking through all the different beautiful landscapes was amazing. After hiking up each different hill, you would come to a diffeeent area with a valley and landscape that was unwise that area. There is such a stunning variety in color of all the lakes, and the trail ranges from dirt to rock and suspension bridges. The W trek was a perfect balance of adventure and beauty. We saw multiple condors flying around the towers and a Fox trotting in one of our campsites. We got super lucky with out weather and would definitely recommend going in March like we did. We only had about an hour of rain the entire hike, and the wind wasn’t strong except during the first day. Otherwise the temperature was between 40-60f and was very comfortable!

The Heumal Circuit trek was a real highlight because athough it is very close to the very populated El Chalten it feels like truly remote wilderness. We met just 8 other trekkers during the whole of the 4 days and then only in passing.

My friend and I were so fortunate to happen into a trip with 3 other ladies our same age who were energetic and kind and perfect travel companions. Our guide, Mauricio, was top notch: Warm and welcoming. Well known and happily greeted by nearly all staff amongst the campsites and facilities. A perfect balance of motivation and patience, a wide knowledge of the trek and terrain, and a passion for the land. We had unusually fantastic sunny weather the entire trek which made for stunning views. Two moments of the trek stick out in my mind -- the night sky at Grey Glacier taking in what seemed like the entire galaxy with the naked eye; and an extended mountaintop lunch break overlooking Grey as we walked on to Paine Grande, enjoying the company of friendship we had made with our guide Mauricio and the porters Pablo and Antonio while we played cards in front of an unforgettable backdrop.

The best part are the guanacos and grey lake

Ecocamp was a unique experience. We enjoyed it and would love to stay there again

If you like hiking (or the outdoors in general) and wine, Chile is one of the best places on the planet to visit. Landscapes remind me of the Montana nickname - Big Sky Country. Wildlife was more abundant and more accessible than we expected. People were friendly and helpful. Didn't really go in with specific expectations, so we really were not "surprised" by anything. I/we learned much more detail about the society and the original European settlers than we knew. I had no idea that Croatians migrated in some numbers to the area - like my ancestors (Rick).

Highlight was our stay at Eolo Hotel in El Calafate and our gorgeous hikes in El Chalten to Laguna de los Tres and Laguna Torre.

The highlight was definitely going over the John Gardner Pass. It was a tough but really rewarding day. One of the most magical moments was when we made it through the pass and had an absolutely gorgeous view of the Grey Glacier in front of us. I also really enjoyed going through the windy passes and fighting our way through the infamous Patagonian wind! It was a pleasure to meet other people on the trail and to discuss what we had seen already and comparing experiences.

The trip was really nice. The guide was friendly and knowledgble, the experience authentic as we stayed in ‘refugios’ that are still being used today, and the scenery was stunning (on the days it didn’t rain ;) ). The food was good, and we felt very welcome at the estancia. What bothered me was the extreme caution for safety, and the fact that we could only walk on the rides (as I’m an experienced rider it would be nice to do some faster riding now and then and thus also see more of the park and warm up a little bit). On the trip, there’s also to do a boat trip on the 4th day, this wasn’t mentioned to me beforehand.

The highlight was seeing the puma mother and cub playing for an extended period of time. The landscapes were beautiful just like the pictures. The wildlife was fantastic. We were extremely lucky in seeing several endangered, endemic species, the southern river otter, the pudu deer, the huemel deer. Nancy checked off about 80% of the birds on the Chiloe Island/Lake District checklist, thanks to our great guide Rafa di Biase The employees of the resorts and the natives in Chiloe Island especially, were very friendly and helpful.