Scott
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?”
Scott's Trip:
Experience Paine's Nature and WildlifeScott's Trip Date:
22nd Oct - 30th Oct 2022
What was your most memorable moment?
3rd morning at Explora Torres del Paine. Magical sunrise casting a fire red/orange/pink glow against the towers.
Which of the following best describes your adventure?
Life changing
On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely is it that you would recommend Swoop to a friend or colleague?
9 out of 10
On a scale of 0 to 10, how would you rate your trip: W Trek from Comfort?
9 out of 10
On a scale of 0 to 10, how would you rate your trip: W Trek from a Luxury Lodge?
9 out of 10
Tell us about the Road Trip
Huge advantage of having transport between Explora properties. Travel was relatively seamless. Long journey by car but having the logistics mapped out and coordinated by Swoop with a pre-arranged driver made for a smooth experience. The border crossing would have been quite tricky on our own by car.
Tell us about the Trekking
1st class guides at both locations. All treks were amazing. I think highlighting the variety of terrain available in both parks, but particularly in Los Glaciares, would be worthwhile to mention to future travellers.
Tell us about Los Glaciares
Hands down, we preferred Los Glaciares to Torres. Both were spectacular. Highlight was the 11 mile trek from the hotel to El Chalten with views of Fitz Roy massif nearly the entire way.
Tell us about Torres del Paine
Amazing park. Enjoyed the grassland area hikes (very different terrain than Los Glaciares). Really enjoyed the hike to Gray Glacier, with a boat ride on each end.
Tell us about Explora
1st class all around. Enjoyed the coziness of the rooms at Torres location and the location was incredible. Highlight of the trip might have been views of sunrise from the dining room. Great spa facility (including a chance to swim in a glacier lake!). Location and access with boat and hikes right out the door was fabulous. Great staff all around. Explora El Chalten was actually preferred. Simpler menus for dining (food was great in both locations) but the food was as good/better than Torres. Newer hotel so perhaps a bit unfair comparison. Would come back to either hotel in a heartbeat but we preferred the park at Explora El Chalten.
Something Else?
1st class, unforgettable trip. Would come back to Patagonia in a heartbeat. Would absolutely return to El Chalten and associated Explora hotel. Would love to try the location in the northern part of the park, lake district, Bariloche, etc. Details and transparency about logistics, travel, coordination for our trip was extremely helpful. We had no issues traveling and appreciate the help getting logistics accommodated. Would probably not do a trip as short as the one we did (lot of travel in a short amount of time) and the ride from Punta Arenas to Explora was quite long (would strongly advise a flight to Puerto Natales to future guests doing our same itinerary).
Do you have any tips or advice for other people planning a trip to Patagonia?
A week was quite short for a split itinerary. Would highly recommend flying to Puerto Natales vs. Punta Arenas if your destination is Explore Torres. Would recommend Explora El Chalten over Torres if you want more mountainous geography (Generally preferred that Explora hotel and location over Torres). Be mentally prepared to not do excursions you might plan on doing. I wanted to do the hike to the base of the towers at Torres but the weather did not cooperate. Ended up doing a lovely hike in a part of the park I would have never visited otherwise. Be open minded. Carry less local currency than you think, especially if you have USD. However, if you want to be able to tip specific groups or individuals, cash is highly recommended. You can leave gratuity as part of your room bill with Explora but that goes into a generic pool of funds. We felt strongly about making sure specific staff members and guides received cash directly.
Has your experience changed your perspective in any way?
Validation of the beauty of these lands. Deepened my belief that we need to do everything in our power to protect Patagonia, it's ecosystems and it's people.
Do you have any recommendations for Swoop, or feedback about the team?
No
Was there anything else Swoop could have done for you to help you prepare for your trip?
No. Reiterating - having a prearranged transport between Explora hotels was huge.
Would you consider another trip to Patagonia with Swoop?
Yes
Would you be interested in travelling to Antarctica with Swoop?
No
Would you be interested in travelling to the Arctic with Swoop?
Yes