Cape Horn & Glaciers Cruise Reviews

The itinerary, transfers, tours, sights were all top quality. the trip exceeded my expectations. we were so fortunate that for 16 days , there were no weather problems. every tour, sight , planned activity was available to us. this, i understand , is the exception not the rule when traveling in march. if we experienced bad weather, i would probably be disappointed, but i am not.accommodations were interesting, especially staying in a yurt. the views, trips, food, guides end all wonderful. the only surprise was on the stella where we had assigned seating for meals. biggest surprise for us was the length /distances we had to walk . not all the trails were in great shape and 2 of us suffered falls, one fall requiring a doctor (not me). the only animal we didn't see that we wanted to see was the puma, however, we did see results of puma hunts.we met people that we enjoyed talking with and maybe see again, we'll see about that. what i was most pleased with was the itinerary. being able to travel in both chile and argentina and cruising the wild waters of the straits and fjords, for us, truly demonstrated the wild beauty of patagonia. we felt we didn't miss anything while fulfilling a dream to visit this part of the world. we did have airline issues but it was not due to anything swoop did. AR is a cheat airline, charging for bags and not even offering water to passengers on one flight. they also striped down planes of all amenities that i would normally find on similar aircraft if flown in the US. LATAM was OK , however, they did switch my reserved seats and i was unable to check in online. once again, this has nothing to do with swoop. highlight was camp patagonia. we were able to customize our hikes where as we couldn't do that in chalten . totally liked the day cruise in calafate. perfect for us. stopping at sights and taking short walks with spectacular views. i want to emphasize that ALL our guides/ tours were exceptional. we were delighted with each person who took us around showing what patagonia has to offer. we also discovered the most delicious candy bar that the guides gave us. we looked for this bar and bought it wherever we could. just know, you guys put together a fabulous trip.

Too many to mention, it was a fabulous holiday. Perhaps the most impactful was the solitude we enjoyed in the huge and dramatically beautiful landscapes. We truly felt alone, a privilege these days, with the most stunning views in the world. But we never felt truly alone, as we were always well cared for, attended when we needed and left alone when we wanted. The guiding was superb, the horses angels! Surefooted and strong, and incredibly patient. This is certainly not for the faint at heart, but will certainly fill you with joy, awe and gratitude if you can handle the outdoors, on horseback, at speed, in crazy weather.

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

Wow, only one? Probably reaching the top of the climb to peak over and see the Base of the Towers and the glacial lake after hiking for 4.5 hours from Ecocamp. We’d had good weather all morning and I was eager to reach the top before the weather shifted. Alas, it did not and we were rewarded with a long lunch, lots of photos and quiet time to enjoy the view before heading down.

The whole Australis boat experience.

We had many memorable moments, its hard to choose. The restaurant recommendation that the team provided for our night in El Calafate was an amazing experience and we would not have known to make that reservation if not for Swoop's on the ground experience. On our cruise, we were able to land on Cape Hope and hike up to the monument. We experienced all the seasons during our short visit, but it made it clear we were somewhere wild and singular.

So many memorable moments come to mind, that we are going to describe a few: The view “up close and personal” of the magnificent glaciers on our expedition cruise, highlighted by witnessing a large calving. Kayaking to Perito Morena glacier in El Calafate But perhaps the most stand out memory was cantering on horseback across the pampas in view of The Massive and the beautiful mountains in Torres del Paine.

SO many to choose from, really there isn't one that stands out above the rest.

Our three day trek around El Chalten and our two hikes in Torres Del Paine. And our trip to the Moreno glacier was a close second.

The weather was the best part as we got lucky and out of 17 days had about a half of a day of rain. Beyond that, the hiking and landscapes were spectacular, the people were friendly, the guides were wonderful, the food and lodgings were all spectacular as well.

I wanted to experience two things. Silly, but the first was drinking from a stream in Patagonia. I did! Second, being able to get to Cape Horn. (It was always “weather permitting”). Also did that! I loved the hikes and the scenery was incredible.

How can a person select one when there were so many...I'd say top 5 include the trek on Perito Moreno Glacier, Kayaking La Leona / Hiking Los Hornos, Hiking to & Lunching at Cerro Torre, Hike to & View from Toro Lookout, & Huemul Glacier / Lago Desierto.

All of the cruise was memorable, particularly the storm around Cape Horn with 100mph+ winds and 6 meter waves. The glaciers and scenery, were truly spectacular. It was good to be in a relatively small group of people.

There's not just one memorable moment. Every part of our journey had wonderful and unexpected experiences. I usually don't care much for big cities but I found Buenos Aires to be a beautiful and interesting city. The Lake District was as beautiful as I expected. Hiking around El Chalten was easy because most of the hikes start right there in town. The cruise around the Magellan Straight was relaxing after several days of intense activity with car rentals and several flights inside Argentina and lots of hiking; we were able to disembark in Cape Horn which was fabulous. Torres del Paine was the best part of the trip!

Beauty of chile and Argentina

Base of the Towers hike at Torres del Paine and Cape Horn visit are too close to call.

There were so many…. the lack of other people, noise pollution and sound pollution . We felt very privileged having access to many remote areas in a sensitive way. The sights, sounds, weather and flora were incredible.

Lake Deseado was memorable in so many moments! We didn't have high expectations because it was a fill-in when Covid canceled our cruise from Ushuaia, but the lake was exquisite from our first glimpse. Then, the lodge itself (very isolated) was lovely in every detail. The view from our windows was of pristine waters with mountains in the distance. The short path to the dining facilities took us past beautiful birds, a brook and a beaver dam. Andres and the staff were welcoming, very helpful and genuine. We were a family of 14, joining one another from many parts of the United States and the only ones at the lodge. We were amazed at the menu, and managed to order everything from brie with local berries to guanaco, everything delicious. We over-80 grandparents got plenty of help so we could climb some trails and coast down the mountain on a bike. We also loved the library's collection of books about Patagonia. Our teens found challenging trails. Thank you to everyone including the gracious owners of Deseado Lodge!

How can I answer this? The glaciers of Patagonia, Eco camp as a base for fantastic food, adventures and friends, the Ventus Australis for sophisticated exploration and great information ( as well as making new contacts), Puerta Varas for adventures and the best guides on the planet plus so much more.

Hiking in Torres del Paine National Park