December Reviews

The entire trip was a highlight! Totally worth the effort getting down there. Between all the flights and bus rides, all of the hours of traveling seemed to disappear the minute we entered the park. The crazy blue waters, the amazing snow covered peaks, the freshness of the air, the excitement of all the other people heading in. We were lucky with the weather, had beautiful partly sunny, partly cloudy days, with only one snowy/rainy day, and of course the winds...must experience the Patagonian winds!! Overall the trip was AMAZING!!!

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

I loved every aspect of the trip. The level of the trekking was exactly for my physical abilities, not too challenging, yet providing enough physical effort. The landscapes are gorgeous, the trek was very well organized.

Highlight was definitely Barraco Lodge. The team there was great and made us feel right at home while providing top of the line service. We also loved Peuma Hue, but it was hard to live up to what we'd already experienced. We used those last few days for some much needed relaxation, which was great. We did think that we would have liked less time between the estancias, but may have been limited due to the holiday and availability.

Magellan penguins on Magdalena Island were super fun. The Explora Hotel offered fabulous views, activities, and fellow guests). Interesting time-effective tour of Santiago...loved our guide. Skorpios cruise offered fabulous scenery and close encounters with glaciers. The hotel in Punta Arenas was interesting and fine BUT the room we stayed in the first night (but not when we returned from our cruise) had SUPER squeaky floors, so ask about that when booking rooms. Tell guests that Explora and Skorpios provide water bottles so that we don't bring them.

I've already recommended this trip to family and neighbors!

The highlights for me (being a mountain person) were the enormous and abundant glaciers and always the thought that I was seeing only a fraction of the ice that makes up the South Patagonian Ice Cap. Another highlight was the weather! We were blessed with clear sunny days that offered perfect views in all directions. Saw quite a lot of wildlife but no pumas ;( My group was fantastic. Lots of fun, supportive and caring. Guides too.

We felt very fortunate to have fantastic weather in Patagonia from start to finish, which meant that we were able to do everything we'd planned and more. We weren't sure what to expect of the wildlife, but were blown away by the diversity of animals we saw in Patagonia and even in Mendoza. Our guides were all very friendly and knowledgeable, and having them with us ensured that we truly appreciated what we were seeing, rather than rushing through the scenery. It's hard to say a specific highlight or magical moment, because each part of the trip had its own highlights. The glacier hike was surreal, seeing all those shades of blue. Cantering through Torres del Paine. Hiking up to stunning views of Mount Fitz Roy. Celebrating Christmas Eve at a family-run restaurant with the local community. Learning to really taste the different flavors in Argentinian wine. It may sound trite, but we have been on some fantastic trips and this was truly the trip of a lifetime.

Highlight was ecocamp and our guide for the trek there. The food at ecocamp far exceeded any other food we had on the trip. Amazing vegan options at every meal. The biggest surprise was how hard it was to understand Chilean accented Spanish (I speak but mostly with Mexican speakers)! Our most magical moment was surprise live folk music at ecocamp on the evening of the summer solstice. We LOVE American and Celtic folk music, it was amazing to hear and see a new flavor.

The highlight was the Towers, We met great people all along the trail and had nice conversations at dinner with people. I think the thing that surprised us the most was the quality of the food at the refugios and also how organized the bus system inside the park was.

This was the trip of a lifetime. We were amazed by the beauty and magnificence of the glaciers and the mountains. The wildlife we saw was incredible, giant woodpeckers, huemuls, caracaras, condors, guanacos, and rheas. We were fortunate to be part of a very interesting and fun group. We all got along beautifully and intend to continue to stay in touch. We hiked in sun, rain, snow and strong winds at times that made the trip magical. Our guide was engaged, caring, knowledgeable, funny and took great care of all of us.

Great group of kindred spirits, lots of laughs after amazing hikes. Wonderful to have had all logistics taken care of so effectively. Landscape exceeded our expectations in its size and grandeur. We were supremely lucky with the weather.

Patagonia was full of the most gorgeous landscapes, wildness, and authentic people. We had adventures, ate amazing foods, and made friends that we still keep in touch with. It was truly the trip of a lifetime.

The ice hiking stands out the most, I wish I knew I would enjoy it so much I would have done the Big Ice Hike instead of the mini-trek. I enjoyed the Chilean side of Patagonia more than the Argentina side.

We had a wonderful time hiking, sightseeing, and eating in Patagonia. Our old bodies hiked like we were 30 years old. We especially loved hiking the W. It was so beautiful, with dramatic mountains of towers and glaciers, and hillsides in prime flower blooming season. We met lots of other travelers and shared stories, and ibuprofen for our sore muscles, at the dinner table. The biggest surprise for us was actually the relaxing bus trip from El Calafate to Puerto Natales. The buses are extremely comfortable and you get to view the vastness of Patagonia and spot a lot of guanacos and rheas along the way.

Highlights includes the view from the base of The Towers, viewing icebergs from the ferry, the eco-domes and meeting new friends.

There were so many highlights, but I guess I would say my days at Torres del Paine were the most memorable. Seeing the beautiful cliffs at different times of the day, in the clouds, in the sun - they had a different personality every hour. The people of Chile and Argentina were warm and friendly.

I answered 'Maybe' to the above question because Patagonia is so very far away from South Africa, but if it was nearer we would definitely want to go again. For me, the unexpected highlight were the epiphytic forests, especially in Pumalin Park. We were very struck by the politeness of everyone in Chile, and the safety - given where we come from! We found everyone we were in contact with to be welcoming and helpful. One of the most magical moments was our arrival at Tepuhueico, where we were stunned by the architecture and the warm tones of the wood, as well as the thought that had gone into every aspect of the building. It was a lovely treat of a stay to end the trip.

Great trip - a mixture of excellent day hikes, a longer multi-day hike and great food/ wine. Both Los Glaciares and Torres del Paine national parks were highlights with the highlight being the quieter back areas of the O trek which is a little closer to more wilderness trekking. I was a little surprised how busy parts of the Torres del Paine mainstream hiking areas were, particularly on the W circuit areas. I really enjoyed El Chlaten - it's a great size for a trekking type town and a fantastic base from which to explore the surrounding areas

Overall, the obvious highlight was the W-trek through Torres Del Paine. The park is great, the route is fantastic. We got very lucky with the weather. We did the refugios and the 'glamping' option which we enjoyed for our short trip - the food in the refugios was surprisingly excellent and we enjoyed all of that a lot. In particular, our guide Chuma, was fantastic and really made the trip too. I was a bit dubious about having a guide but that worked out brilliantly. The whole W is great, but getting up to the towers, and hiking up to Brittanica (a slight detour) were both really great. As was going up to see the glacier field above Glacier Grey by hiking up over the second suspension bridge (another detour). Alongside all the of the information and time with glaciers was fascinating.