Philip

Belgium

Customer
Rating

9

Customer Rating On return from their adventure we ask customers: “On a scale of 0-10, with 10 being the highest, how likely is it that you would recommend Swoop to a friend or colleague?”

Philip's Trip Date:

1st Dec - 13th Dec 2016

Overall, how was your trip?

- Torres del Paine was the highlight, hiking in Fitz Roy was also amazing - More wildlife than expected, but no pumas :( - We met mostly the guides and some other hikers; all were very nice

In one sentence, what did you think of Patagonia? Did it live up to your expectations?

Yes, magnificent scenery and strong sense of isolation

Would you visit again?

Yes

How was the service that Swoop provided?

- Glad we had someone with knowledge of the region point us to the key attractions, as well as stitch together a seamless itinerary - Itinerary felt right, although some elements could have been done more independently (e.g., Perito Moreno) - Service was great, quick turnaround and high flexibility. Some minor twerks with the final itinerary though where the local operators changed some small things (e.g., switched bus company) or fell through (e.g., didn't fully process 1 hotel booking) - A breakdown of costs of the itinerary would have been helpful to further customize/tweak our trip according to our budget

How likely is it that you would recommend Swoop to a friend?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

9 out of 10

How was your experience in El Calafate and El Chalten?

- Overall great, we especially appreciated the information received before on places to stay/visit, practicalities on cash/ATM/credit cards, etc. - The El Chalten 3day hike was spectacular with an excellent guide and a beautiful and relatively remote trek - The Estancia (Nibepo Aike) was nice and quaint, however our reservation didn't go through. Luckily they had a room available. We were glad to spend only 2 days here, as we ran out of activities; in an earlier itinerary we had more time on an Estancia, not sure what we would have done with that :) - The private guide of Perito Moreno felt like overkill, we could have easily self-driven this but didn't fully realise that was an option - Accomodiation was generally good and of relatively high standard. In El Calafate (Kosten Aike) we felt a bit out of place, as most other visitors were significantly older and part of larger touring groups; given the ample choice in El Calafate we feel there could have been a more suitable option here - Bus & private transfers worked well and in a timely manner, no complaints

How was your hike in Torres del Paine?

- Hiking the parts of the W trail was just spectacular - We saw plenty of guanacos, something we did not expect - Our guide (Felipe of Chile Nativo) was fantastic, very knowledgeable and helpful at all times; he also customized our final day to include more hiking and less boating, which we greatly appreciated - Staying at the Riverside Camp in the domes was lovely and a somewhat unexpected level of luxury; a pleasant surprise

Do you have any tips or advice for other people planning a trip to Patagonia?

- spend enough time on the trails - self-driving in & to Los Glaciares (El Chalten / El Calafate) and Puerto Natales - Torres del Paine regions is quite feasible (decent roads, enough facilities), and gives you a lot of opportunities for great views, pictures and flexibility in terms of where to stay and what to do - Hike up to Fitz Roy on a clear day :) - Try the beer, the lamb 'cordero' and Matte - Sample some of the 'fruits' on the trails (calafate berries, nectar from Firebush)

Anything else? Tell us anything you’d like to share that we forgot to ask! It’s ok to leave this empty too :-)

- it would be useful to get confirmations of all reservations (tours, accomodations, transfers, ...) - so hickups like missed reservations can be avoided

9 people found this review helpful

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