February Reviews

1. Highlight of Patagonia was the Tierra Patagonia and the excursions. 2.You will see the landscape and the wildlife in our photos, sent separately. 3.People were all friendly and helpful. 4. Look at our photos. 5. On the Stella Australis we were hit by a 205 MPH wind gust near Cape Horn. All the furniture was thrown around, people were injured, food (eggs, melons, etc.) was destroyed, and the dining room place sessions for the next morning were destroyed. Yet, NO announcement was made during or after the storm. We were then unable to dock at Cape Horn. My conclusion is that the captain did not want to have any record that this occurred. 6. Iguazu Falls walking tour.

Having Valeria as our guide. She was amazing and it was at her suggestion that we changed the trek we had planned to Huemul Circuit, due to the wind/weather conditions of 130km winds and rain. The alternative trek of the 4 days we had gave us amazing views of both Fitzroy and Torre mountains, rivers, lakes and a tyrollean crossing. It was her vast knowledge not only of the geology, but some of the legends and human history of the area that made it so special. It was EPIC! The food was also unexpected and an amazing delight :)

Successfully hiking up to and passing through the Oggioni Pass and making it successfully down through the forest to Dickson Lake and campground.

The trip was really nice. The guide was friendly and knowledgble, the experience authentic as we stayed in ‘refugios’ that are still being used today, and the scenery was stunning (on the days it didn’t rain ;) ). The food was good, and we felt very welcome at the estancia. What bothered me was the extreme caution for safety, and the fact that we could only walk on the rides (as I’m an experienced rider it would be nice to do some faster riding now and then and thus also see more of the park and warm up a little bit). On the trip, there’s also to do a boat trip on the 4th day, this wasn’t mentioned to me beforehand.

There are too many to pick one! The sights of the mountains of Patagonia and the desert of Atacama are forever in my memory bank.

Reaching the base of the Towers at Torres del Paine.

The excursions in Torres del Paine. Stunning scenery and landscapes. The Tierra Patagonia Hotel was spectacular.

On the third day there was an option for extending the hike. Those of us who wanted to go to the next lookout split off and we had so much fun with our guide (Matti) trying to beat the clock and make it to the look out and back to the refugio for dinner time. We ended up having plenty of time and it was a fun day of bonding with the group and our guide, and of course taking in the great views!!

Paddling to the hot springs; after two days of paddling on the water, we entered the last fjord and it felt like time stopped. We slowly passed by groups of curious and playful sea lions and made our way to where the river meets the ocean. We had to pull our kayaks through the low tide and made it to our destination. After we set up camp, we enjoyed the hot springs as it began to rain. It was magical.

After walking to the campamento Británico in the snowstorm with no visibility at all, we decided to wait a while and have our lunch. At that moment the view opened up and we could see the whole cirque, Paine grande and los Cuernos. Stunning!

Going over Oggioni pass and hiking up the French Valley.

There were many amazing moments of the trip, but the Perito Moreno glacier was remarkable. I have never seen anything like it. The hike up to Laguna de los Tres was also wonderful.

Highlight - climbing to the base of the towers. Landscape - nice, nothing unique. Opinion would be weather dependent. People - lovely. What will you tell? - worth a trip if part of a wider SA tour. Surprises? None Magical moment - arriving at the base of the towers (Torres) in glorious sunshine so could witness in all its glory. Also got a suite, with jacuzzi in the hotel - VERY welcome after two 22Km days!

Hiking to the base of the Towers

Going to the EcoCamp and seeing how that whole operation works, and seeing a Puma

Seeing the remarkable landscapes with a small team far from the crowds. Our guide quickly developed a fantastic plan in a relatively short period of time because our initial trek was impossible because of the weather.

Unexpected wonder of the second day of our volcano hike, and views from the top of Parque Futangue

This was our first visit to Patagonia/Chile but it wont be our last. The scenery was stunning along with the people. The Swoop team, and guides were spot on. We loved the hotel particularly our room with a view of the lake and volcanoes. The menu at the hotel was a challenge as it was the same for the whole week and whilst the staff were lovely the service was average. We loved the cycling, hiking and the walk in the forest. Great Holiday and we look forward to the next. Thank you

The most memorable moment was walking over a crest and seeing a glacial lagoon with Cerro Castillo in the background. The rugged beauty was breathtaking.

Hiking in the park.