March 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.

A highlight was going ashore at Cape Horn. The landscapes were incredible, each one was stunning in its vastness and beauty. We saw penguins twice--they were delightful! We met a few interesting fellow travellers. The crew on the Stella Australis was fantastic. We will tell our family and friends that this was a holiday of a lifetime. There are too many specifics to share in a few words! There were several magical moments when we overwhelmed by the beauty of Patagonia and the fact we were far off the beaten path of tourism.

Hiking Valley Frances was our most spectacular day - epic views of peaks, avalanches, rushing rivers and lake below. We also had a terrific kayak trip that offered another way to see more of Patagonia.

Highlights, trekking to el Chalten, Laguna Capri and Las Torres; visiting Perito Moreno Glacier. The landscapes were stunning and the wildlife was everywhere. The people were lovely. Have told many friends/family and will likely tell more. Surprises? Yes. The weather! We were graced with sunshine on our treks. A clear sky and still water at el Chalten. The guides had never seen a day like that ever. The magical moment was when I reached base of Las Torres. I rounded a corner and boom, there I was.

The highlight of the trip was arising to the wonder of a firey early morning sunrise on the day we were trekking to the Three Towers of Torres del Paine National Park. The mountains were lit in shades of red, pink, hints of blue–setting the stage for the most perfect conditions to hike. We were bathed in sunshine and experienced very little of the infamous Patagonian winds. What a day!

I expected to see penguins but wasn't expecting to see loads of wildlife of all kinds including dolphins in the bow wave, dolphins performing somersaults and dozens off whales including a very big one that dived, massive tail fluke up, right in front of the boat.

The "W" (your part of our trip to Patagonia) exceeded our expectations. We were prepared for, as you must be, autumn Patagonia rain and were delightfully surprised by shorts and t-shirt weather. The guides were terrific, the other hikers a real joy to be around, and the refugios quite comfortable. Food was both healthy and plentiful. We hike around big rock piles all the time (Bend, OR), so the reason we take these trips is to have new experiences and meet other people. Everyone could not have been any nicer or (for the most part) polite. The only advice we might add is: take your time, don't allow yourself to get sucked into a "got-to-get-there-now" attitude. Amble, turn around once in a while, then amble some more: the view is everywhere. Food, showers and conversation come soon enough; most of the magic happens on the trail.

The highlight was the amazing landscape and how it changed every day. The refugios were more comfortable than expected (didn't expect a bar!) and the staff were friendly. We were pleasantly surprised to get a pisco sour on the boat back across lake grey complete with glacier ice cubes. Personally my most magical moment was getting engaged at the base of the towers, somewhere I've wanted to go for as long as I can remember!!! Thank you for making it happen!

There were a lot of highlights. We very much enjoyed Puerto Varas and surrounding areas. Our mix of activities centered around PV were really fun and diverse; the birding trip with an excellent Birds Chile guide, Carlo, to the Alerce forest natural park was a nice hike and we saw a number of birds; the kayak trip across the fjord was fun and our wonderful guide, Paz, was fun and we had lunch at a sheep farm, which was special. On our off day, we rented a car and drove into the Petrohui National Park and hiked up the flank of Osorno volcano, which was a bit challenging but really fun. The Mero Gaucho B&B was the best place to stay and had great staff. Puerto Varas was a nice little place to walk around and we found great places to eat. The second phase of the trip to Patagonia was really great. We had a good experience with the car rental and able to manage getting gas. Arriving at the Estancia Cerro Guido was a real highlight. The staff was wonderful and the accommodations were great and very interesting. We ended up going into Torres del Painey every day for hikes and drove through most of the park on one day. It was spectacular scenery and we especially enjoyed the ferry out to the Francis valley for a hike up towards the lookout was awesome. The other hikes we took were also suggested by the staff at the Estancia and those were excellent. We saw a lot of guanacos, rheas, flamengos, swans and geese. The food at the Estancia was excellent and we had very nice conversations with the waitstaff at the restaurant. Very special place. On the first night in the Estancia, after a long day of travel it was special to be able to see the Torres in the sunset. We have already told our friends about how wonderful our trip was to Chile in general and these places in particular. We were surprised by how open we found everyone in Chile to be and how enjoyable it was to talk to everyone we met; even those people who didn't speak much English and we speak very little Spanish, and much of that badly. We also had a chance to meet with one of the owners of the Estancia, who was on a visit to the ranch, and had a very interesting conversation. The gas situation in Patagonia was not really a surprise but we did find it manageable with some planning.

Peace in nature in the purest sense. It's a prime place to disconnect and enjoy being a human. In summary, it was surfing on rainbows. Thunder Pass day 2 is the pinnacle and the progression of the features along the trail really delivers. The great weather was the biggest surprise, our expectations were (properly) set for inclement weather. The crew was absolutely fantastic, friendly and funny when we needed it, highly professional when it mattered. Couldn't have asked for more.

It is difficult to single out just one highlight as every day brought new things to marvel at. The magesty of the mountains, the awesome glaciers, the variety of birds, the characterful range of animals, the ever-changing vistas, the charm of the different cities and towns and the ever-present friendliness of the people we met en route. One of the many images that will stay with me is the magical sight of Andean Condors soaring above our heads on the thermals at Torres del Paine. Also the reflections of snow capped mountains in the glass smooth water at Rio Serrano, the towering wall of the Perito Moreno glacier as we sailed closer and closer and the comical antics of the Humboldt and Magellanic penguins on the Isolets de Punihuil off Chiloe. Even the torrential rain, complete with thunder and lightning, that we walked through at the Iguazzu Falls and which left us all soaked, literally, to the skin despite waterproofs was an experience to remember !

Everything was fantastic. The highlights were the W Trek and the hikes in El Chalten. I was very lucky to have perfect weather for those.

I was amazed at the distances we covered and the varied terrain. The highlight was the John Gardner pass day. I was amazed by the Gray icefield. I'd never seen anything like it.

Clients say it was the trip of a lifetime! It was pristine other than in and around some of the busy campsites. The people we met (guides and porters for example) were amazing. Highlight was seeing clients complete the O and the W in 5 days with a smile on their face.

Whole trip was great....particularly the stays at EOLO and Aquas Aribas.....those two properties, while very different, were both amazing.

Hiking alongside volcanoes was a highlight. People and guides were friendly. The food was great.

We enjoyed every single moment of it. The people, landscape, wildlife, food, wine, and experience was absolutely amazing.

-3 towers was amazing & we loved hiking through John Gardner’s pass. - we had 2 others in our group that loved wildlife so we ended up learning and seeing a lot of wildlife. Everyone we met on the hike was great. Super friendly, helpful and upbeat. - our guides were incredibly knowledgeable and always knew exactly the right time to bring out the warm tea! Great treat on a cold rainy hike.

Our visit was memorable, a mixture of city/town life and the great outdoors. Just moosying around Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales at our leisure, either taking in the museums or the varied bars and cafes, to get a feel for the culture and history was so rewarding. Then there was the Torres big circuit, the challenge of the weather and the spectacular scenery....where would one begin - just do it and live the experience? And then while you are enjoying the scenery, there is the wildlife to watch out for, whether this be for the birding - which if you lucky and knowledgeable about is great, or the elusive puma - and yes, we saw one! Of course there is then the new found friendships;- fellow hikers on your 'tour', other hikers as the sites and in our case the exceptional guides and support staff. Yes, we had some moments....cold, wet, thigh deep snow and more rain but hey what are waterproofs for :).

See detailed answers for highlights. We were amazed and delighted by the enormous variety of landscapes we travelled through. The Chilean and Argentinian people we met were, without exception, warm and welcoming. Our grandchildren will be subjected to the full photographic record once they are old enough, and urged to visit for themselves. There were endless surprises every day!