Customer Reviews

The hikes at El Chalten and the hikes/views of Torres Del Paine National park were spectacular, as was the day spent seeing the Morena Glacier. The town of El Chalten is an experience all it's own! We also really enjoyed El Calafate and Puerto Natales. Even the drive from El Calafate to Puerto Natales was very beautiful and memorable. I can not pick one most memorable moment.

Our stay at Patagonia Camp was fantastic. The staff, to a person, were all extremely friendly, helpful, and courteous. The food was delicious and presented with Michelin star care. The accommodations were very comfortable, and of course the setting, and hikes, in the foothills of the Torres del Paine massif, was unforgettable.

The time spent in the wild in each of the three major destinations--El Chalten / Fitz Roy, Torres del Paine, and in the channels and fjords between Punta Arenas and Ushuaia. Of course, we had remarkable luck with weather and visibility in each location!

Everything went to our itinerary. Highlight had to be a perfect day at Cape Horn in weather to die for. Landscapes were stunning and wildlife aplenty ( except Puma ). Chilean people were so welcoming and in particular the owner of the restaurant in Porvenir who took a photo of us Australians to hang on his establishments wall. We have already told of seeing 'mingos' ( flamingos) to my 3 1/2 year old grandson who was full of questions. Surprises were everywhere while travelling down to the Cape, glaciers that eclipsed those in Alaska wildlife to be seen on all our excursions with Protours.

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.

Landscapes and hiking were the highlights, very happy with all the people in my Swoop Group.

Santiago EcoCamp and W track - the guides, the food, the whole experience, the group we were with were awesome and we all had a stack of fun Australis 4 day cruise - simply astonishing - and incredible experience, again the food, the guides/crew, the whole pace of the adventure and on back of hiking was really perfect

I cannot pick just one. When you finally reach the base of the Fitz Roy in Chalten and the Towers in Torres Del Paine one is struck with overwhelming emotion. Though cliche, no photo could possible display such beauty. There is a sense of real accomplishment. The time spent traveling the Strait of Magellan to Francisco Coloane III Island gives one time to reflect on just how remote your time spent seeing wildlife will be. Then there they are--the Whales. So amazing.

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.

Highlight: its hard to pin point what my highlight was because everyday was absolutely incredible. But if i had to pick our day and night (we got stuck in the park!) was amazing. The scenery, the people and the whole experience is something I will always remember! The Landscapes were unreal and beautiful. I felt like I was in a dream. the views were not to be believed. We saw foxes, birds and thankful I never saw the infamous Puma. We loved each and every person we met - the tour guides, drivers, people on the trips and tours and the random people we met along the way. I have already started telling people it was the most amazing trip Ive been on!! we had one huge surprise. we missed the boat back to the entrance of the park so we ended up sleeping in a tent in a refugio that night. it only made our trip more memorable! the most magical moment was watching the sunset in the park the night we slept there.

Riding sure-footed horses on the cliffs over Lake General Carrera / Chelenko with my sister, the Senderos Patagonia guide, and the local gaucho guide, after 3 nights of camping out and with 2 more days to go, looking out over the amazing blues of the lake and snowy mountains and orange flowers and zero other people.

We loved the variety of the trip. Highlights were Iguazu Falls, seeing a glacier calving and Eco Camp. The landscapes had a very different feel that anything we had experienced before. Our most magical moment might be sitting and watching the wild horses in Torres del Paine.

There were so many outstanding moments, it is impossible to select one! Some that stand out are - the sight of the entire Fitzroy and Cerro Torres ranges on a clear day, seen from the Mirador de los Condores, the Perito Moreno glacier, our first sight of the famous Los Cuernos, seeing some condors gliding past us at close range, on two occasions.

Highlight was the entire w trek, including the scenery, the challenge of the hike, meeting people along the way. Within the w trek the glacier trek, french valley day hike and torres hike were the best. It was enjoyable to completely disconnect and have no internet, email, phone, text, etc. Most of the people that we met were happily doing the same and had a variety of backgrounds and stories. The paine grande refugio was our least favorite and if there is a way to skip that, that would be advised.

The overall trip to Patagonia, both on the Argentine side and the Chilean side was wonderful. The most memorable moment was in Chile, during the French Valley. We had the best guide, Hector who led us through the W-Trek. Sitting in front of the most beautiful mountain was awe-inspiring. I felt at peace in this moment and was so inspired to be outdoors. I had many favorite parts of this trip. Personally, I believe that Patagonia itself is a renowned and remote place to be at the same time. Exploring these emotions while watching the views was really important for me.

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

Seeing the Towers of Torres del Paine when I finally made it to the top of the hike.

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 trip was incredible, so many contrasts of landscape, weather, etc! It was particularly special being away at Christmas!

Highlight - scenery which came up to expectations. Wildlife pretty good. people we dealt with generally excellent. That said, the reason I have ticked 'maybe' on the 'would I return' box is because TdelP in particular is now being 'loved to death'. If I returned to Patagonia I'd need to be convinced that I could do so with fewer people around - and preferably without the need for guiding all the time. [I would add that one thing I will consider and would need a guide for is an ice shelf walk out of El Chalten. As a general comment I preferred the experience at Fitzroy cf TdelP except for the back end of the O circuit. I would recommend Fitzroy over TdelP W circuit. Magical moments - there were a few - the Loma de Plieges Tumbado walk on a brilliant day was one. Arrival at Petit peninsula in Barriloche was another (what a top hotel). Going over the top of the John Gardner Pass. And a little thing, but being met by Victor at AEP in BA and him driving me to the Holiday in at Ezeiza was a pleasure for me as I was not comfortable with travelling across BA at night.