March Reviews

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!

Shooting the night sky on the photo tour.

Day 4 of puma tracking. My wife and I spent 3+ hours walking with a puma. It was our best puma outing, and just so happened to also be my birthday. Spending a morning with my wife, walking with a puma in one of the most beautiful places is a lifetime memory.

Hiking to lake at Fitz Roy.

Galaxy milky way

Mountains,lakes,glaciers,star gazing,geysers

Getting to meet our guides and five fellow hikers and enjoy the adventure together!

Experiencing the beauty of Pantagonia