December Reviews

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.

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.

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.

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.

The trip was incredible. The destinations are wild, unique, and absorbing. Every location took hold of us and offered so much more than we could do given our two weeks in the area. We found the people very pleasant and friendly, and the guides at the independent operators were knowledgeable, skillful and committed to ensuring that our family had the best experience possible. We were surprised by exceptional weather with clear skies all day but one! Coming down from the pass to Grey Glacier was unforgettable, as was Perito Moreno and Laguna los Tres.

It was lovely.

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.

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.

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

Wonderful landscapes. I like the moments of ice collapses at the glaciers.

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!!!

Trip was wonderful! The highlights were amazing landscapes and friendly, interesting people. The wind was the big surprise, despite multiple warnings, we still did not expect the powerful gusts (50 mph or more!) that we encountered. Magical moment was the sun setting at 11:00 at night, with a full moon rising.

Great weather, met amazing people, and captured memorable moments

Excursions were interesting but honestly left quite a bit to be desired for the active traveler. However, the people we met and the experience onboard was unparalleled and totally made up for it. I was blown away at the thoughtfullness that went into the experience and the level of service and consideration towards the guest. I greatly appreciated the historic/informative talks and movies, and the onship library was a treat.

Trip was wonderful. The guides were excellent and the accomodatuons better than expected. The scenery could not be matched and though challenging, the trip was highly rewarding.

Highlight - Really enjoyed the Fitz Roy hike in El Chaten I thought having a guided W Trek added a lot to the experience. Would definitely recommend a guided trek.

Seeing condors and beavers, nice camp sites,beautiful scenery.

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